Fascinating Spurs what-if scenario pits Tim Duncan vs. David Robinson

Few NBA teams can say they have two Hall of Fame big men like Tim Duncan and David Robinson, but a previous discussion pitted the two legends against one another. Podcaster Bomani Jones has followed both Duncan and Robinson's careers and has often had great things to say about both.

However, he previously mentioned that Robinson was more talented than Duncan but didn't have his killer instinct. It's an intriguing take and one that deserves to be discussed further.

On the surface, it's not wild to say that Robinson was more talented than Duncan, though I'd argue that Duncan was more skilled.

It's also fair to say that Duncan was obsessed with winning but wasn't as demonstrative as, say, Kobe Bryant was. But did Robinson fall short because he lacked that same mentality?

Fascinating Spurs what-if scenario pits Tim Duncan vs. David Robinson

Robinson was the best player on several great Spurs teams, most notably the 1994-95 team that won a then-franchise record 62 games. Unfortunately, the Spurs and Robinson were thoroughly outplayed by the Houston Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon.

That series loss has weighed heavily on his legacy, with many having Olajuwon higher than Robinson in all-time rankings. That's despite Robinson being a more productive player.

Ironically, he dominated Olajuwon and the Rockets 30-12 in regular-season head-to-head matchups. Robinson also had a far higher career P.E.R., true shooting percentage, win shares, and VORP (Value Above Replacement).

All that is to say is that Robinson tends to get underrated in all-time discussions. Save for a bad series against the Rockets, he'd be thought of much differently.

What's the biggest difference between Duncan and Robinson?

So what's the biggest difference between Duncan and Robinson? Duncan had a better supporting cast and a better coach over his career.

Robinson was far and away the best player on the Spurs for most of his career, and his peak production outpaced Duncan and even Victor Wembanyama.

Still, he didn't have the benefit of playing with a player of Duncan's caliber until he was in his thirties. Duncan had Robinson, then Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, followed by Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Then again, Olajuwon had a similarly talented supporting cast to Robinson's and still won back-to-back championships in his prime. No doubt about it, Olajuwon had a generational playoff run in 1995, as did Duncan in 2003.

It's fair to say that Robinson didn't play nearly as well in the playoffs as Olajuwon or even Duncan. Still, I don't agree that Robinson lacked the killer instinct.

Settling the debate between Duncan and Robinson

I believe the answer is far simpler. Playing even 10% worse in the playoffs than in the regular season likely sunk Robinson prior to Duncan's arrival.

Jones is spot on that Robinson was likely better than Duncan. That's far from a knock on Duncan, however. He was more skilled, had more longevity, and upped his game in the playoffs.

Sometimes the difference between two all-time greats isn't all that much, but what they accomplished is often the tiebreaker. Duncan won five championships to Robinson's two and ranks higher all-time, though both are among the greatest players in NBA history.

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