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San Antonio Spurs: Player Power Rankings Week 1

By Rhys T-J

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Spurs Player Power Rankings Week 1 (after all-star break)

Tuesday Feb 18th 2014 – Monday Feb 24th 2014

Games this week: 02/18/14 – Win @LAC, 02/18/14 – Win @POR, 02/21/14 Loss @PHX

Spurs +/- weekly total= -9

Rankings are fun. Mostly because they cause debate, but also because it is fun to categorically state something as a fact, even if there is no way of really knowing the truth. Each week I will rank the all of the Spurs players that saw the court by performance, measured by a combination of me watching games and their stats. If I put Patty Mills at number one, I am not saying that he is better than everyone else on the Spurs, I’m just saying he had the best week relative to expectations. 20 and 5 from Patty is more impressive than 20 and 5 from Timmy, because we assume that Duncan will get those stats on a fairly regular basis. Feel free to argue in the comments, but you are probably wrong.

I will try and bring these out every Tuesday, so will include games played from the previous Tuesday up until the Monday night before I post.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com/stats unless otherwise stated.

Individual +/- in ( )

Feb 21, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Shannon Brown (1) lays the ball up over Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) in the second half at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Spurs 106-85. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

12. Shannon Brown (-27)

On his second 10 day contract, and probably isn’t signing on for the rest of the season. Had a team worst +/- in only 13 MPG, shot less than 30% from the field and didn’t even attempt a three. He made all of his free throws, so I guess thats good… Will be interesting to see if he latches on anywhere.

Jan 26, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Nando de Colo (25) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

11. Nando De Colo (+2)

Played 4 ½ minutes, grabbed one rebound and then got traded for Austin Daye. Nothing to see here folks.

Feb 6, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Paul Pierce (34) fouls San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph (5) during the second half at Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Nets won the game 103-89. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

10. Cory Joseph (-26)

Averages of 6 points and 1.7 assists are not great for a starting point guard, especially when he played the 5th most minutes this week. Joseph shot 25% from three, and less than 40% from the field. Were it not for his defence, he would have been ranked lower than a player who got traded mid-week. All in all, a week to forget for CoJo.

February 18, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8) and center Jeff Ayres (11) celebrate the 113-103 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

9. Aron Baynes (+2) / Jeff Ayres (-16)

Baynes didn’t really see the court much this week, and there’s not a whole lot to differentiate between him and Jeff Ayres. Neither had a great week, but nor were they bad. Baynes had a nice poster dunk against the Suns, but then got dunked on in return just after. Jeff had a worse +/- but that was mostly a function of his teammates this week, rather than a reflection on how he played. You can’t do a lot right (or wrong) in only 10 minutes per game. Very average week for both.

Feb 12, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner (15) wears a face mask during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics quarter at TD Garden. The San Antonio Spurs won 104-92. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

8. Matt Bonner (-6)

Bonner was largely anonymous in the two wins, but was the lone bright spot in the game against Phoenix. Pressed into action because Pop pulled his starters once the game got out of hand, Bonner played 25 minutes and put up 10 points and 7 rebounds on only 6 FGAs. He was also one of only 3 Spurs who had a positive +/-. Its nice to see he can perform when called upon, but he is pretty low down the pecking order at the moment.

Feb 19, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Boris Diaw (33) looks to shoot around Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

7. Boris Diaw (-6)

Boris got killed by Channing Frye, and had the second worse +/- in Phoenix. But everyone had a bad game against the Suns, so lets focus on the good for the fat Frenchman. Boris and his boobs corralled 6 rebounds per game, and lead the team in steals (1.3 per game, the same as his turnovers). In the two wins he was an excellent +16, and helped hold Portland’s rag-tag starting front court to only 29 points on 10-27 shooting. He also had a clutch steal in the last few seconds of the Blazers game to tie up the win.

Jan 4, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (left) is defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter (22) during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

6. Tiago Splitter (+8)

Another player who only saw court time in two games. Returning from injury, it would be fair to expect Splitter to show a bit of rust, but fortunately he looked good out there. 10 points and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes are great numbers for the big Brazilian, especially when coupled with 60 percent shooting from the floor.

Feb 10, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) boxes out Detroit Pistons small forward Josh Smith (6) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tim Duncan (-14)

Duncan averaged 3.5 assists per game, 9 boards per game and 3 turnovers, all team highs. Not a great shooting week, but his usual rebounding and defense make up for it, as well as the nice 7 assists against the Clips. He sat out the second half of the back2back against Portland, which is why he is lower down the rankings, but overall a solid week for The Big Fun(damental)

February 18, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8) celebrates with power forward Tim Duncan (21) after scoring a basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli (7) shoots during the 2014 NBA All Star three point contest at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

4. Marco Belinelli (-10)

Fresh off his 3pt victory contest, Marco kept firing away, averaging the highest 3FG makes per 36 and making the highest percentage (44%) on the team. He also had almost 3 times as many assists as turnovers, and didn’t miss a free throw (on 11 attempts)

February 18, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green (4) passes the ball to power forward Matt Bonner (15) against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

3. Danny Green (-7)

Danny Green AKA Icy Hot was hot this week. Shooting 50% from the field, and 38% from three while playing the most minutes per game on the team equate to a solid 15 PPG average. Since Parker was out, he was asked to create more shots for himself and it wasn’t always pretty. We know what Green can do, and thats shoot threes and defend. What he cant do is create his own offence and break his man down which is why he averaged 3 turnovers per game this week.

FunFact: Danny hasn’t missed a free throw in the second half of a back to back all season. He’s also shooting over 50% from both the floor and three in those same games.

Feb 21, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) runs up the court in the first half against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Spurs 106-85. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

2. Manu Ginobili (+37)

Not only did he lead the team in +/-, he did it in less than 16 minutes per game, with a bum hammy for some of the time. You keep doing you, Manu.

Feb 19, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8) moves to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

1. Patty Mills (+16)

Patty’s 20+ point performances in the two wins against quality opposition on the road earn him the top spot. Even when his shot wasn’t falling in the loss to the Suns, he managed to grab 6 rebounds. He lead the Spurs in scoring this week (19.3 PPG) and was second in plus/minus. He was an absolute revelation off the bench, softening the absence of Parker. Also, Mills made a highlight reel pass in the Suns game… right to his own coach. It was just one of those days I guess.

Even though he didn’t start any games, Mills finished them, and played more minutes that CoJo. The scoring and shooting prowess that he offers makes Patty a valuable weapon off the bench for the deepest team in the league.