The 7 Greatest Spurs in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

Despite not being located in one of the larger American sports markets, the San Antonio Spurs have achieved a remarkable level of success over the course of their 51-year history. The Spurs have missed the playoffs for the last five seasons in a row, but they still hold the highest team winning percentage in NBA history at 59.6%.

They have done this by employing a small collection of some of the greatest individual talents in league history. One way we can measure which of these players have been the most impactful is through a unique statistic called Player Efficiency Rating, or PER.

Developed by ESPN Columnist John Hollinger, this stat collects data of everything a player statistically accomplished in their career, both positive and negative, and combines it into a single number. Based on Hollinger's formula, these are the seven Spurs in franchise history with the highest PER.

For reference, a PER of 15 indicates a league-average level player, with 20 being an All-Star level player and 25 or higher being MVP level.

7. Manu Ginobili - 20.2

It is no surprise to see Manu Ginobili on this list, but it may be surprising to see him as low as seventh. Acting as one-third of the Spurs' big three that formed a dynasty in the 2000s and into the 2010s, Manu brought everything to the court that contributed to winning basketball.

Whether it was strong driving ability, sharp spot-up shooting, taking charges, getting steals, diving out of bounds for a loose ball or anything else, Ginobili was the definition of a player willing to do any and everything to help his team come out with a win.

San Antonio does not take home four championships between 2003 and 2014 without Manu on the roster. His all-around contributions and high level of play throughout his career even until his retirement in 2018 land him in the top seven for PER.

6. DeMar DeRozan - 20.9

DeMar DeRozan's arrival in the Alamo City was a huge surprise to everyone involved. Truly, even DeMar himself never expected to leave the city he had grown to love so deeply in Toronto. But in July 2018, he was the centerpiece for the infamous Kawhi Leonard trade.

With DeRozan becoming the Spurs' new franchise player, he found himself thrust into a completely new situation. But as he came to accept his new situation and as he gained coaching from one of the most accomplished Head Coaches in league history, Gregg Popovich showed that he had a new vision for DeMar.

While playing with the Raptors, DeRozan was a highly-skilled scorer that got to his spots and made jump shots from nearly anywhere on the floor. With the Spurs, the coaching staff still wanted to utilize his scoring prowess, but they opted to lean more into his playmaking ability as well.

The result was DeMar becoming the team's de-facto point guard, averaging a team-high 6.2 assists per game in 2018-19. This became a large part of his role over the course of his three seasons with the team. Though he was in San Antonio for a short time, DeRozan's all-around play contributed to landing him surprisingly high on this list for PER.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge - 21.6

Speaking of players that may be somewhat surprising to find this high on a list for PER, LaMarcus Aldridge's journey with the Spurs was also a bit different at the end than it was envisioned in the beginning. Coming to San Antonio via free agency in 2015, LaMarcus joined a team that was a year removed from a championship.

The thought was that Aldridge would become a cornerstone for the Spurs' frontcourt going forward. Tim Duncan was on the doorstep of retirement, and San Antonio would need a polished and proven player to attempt to extend the dynasty once he decided to walk away.

The result was the Spurs winning the bidding war over the Lakers and a few other teams for LaMarcus. He helped the team to back-to-back 60-win seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17, but things took a turn when Kawhi Leonard's availability vanished during the following season. Aldridge put together a supernova effort in Kawhi's absence, but the team sputtered and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

LaMarcus remained with the Spurs for the next two and a half seasons before agreeing to a buyout with the team heading toward a total rebuild. As it pertains to his PER, Aldridge was known as a master of the midrange. His 17-footer was near-automatic. While that shot may be considered a low-percentage one statistically speaking, it was a high-percentage one for him.

4. George Gervin - 21.8

One of the pioneers of Spurs basketball, George Gervin remains an icon of the franchise to this day. Beginning his professional career, the player known as "the Iceman" spent two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and American Basketball Association before becoming eligible for the NBA draft.

But after being selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 40th overall pick, he opted to instead remain in the ABA and compete with San Antonio. In 1976, the Spurs joined the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger. At the time, San Antonio was part of the Eastern Conference, and the team fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Celtics the following year in their first season in the NBA.

As the Spurs became a perennial playoff team, Gervin started putting together an impressive resume. He would earn six straight All-NBA First Team selections between 1977-78 and 1981-82.

Consistently making defenders look silly and scoring with the patented finger roll that he helped popularize, George finished top two in MVP voting in the late 70s, and was voted to 11 straight All-Star games at the peak of his powers. With the incredible scoring power he possessed, it is no wonder he finished his career with such an impressive PER.

3. Kawhi Leonard - 22.1

The story of Kawhi Leonard will always be a tragic one for fans of the Spurs. What makes it all the more disappointing is the way it ended up playing out. Taken just outside the draft lottery in 2011, Kawhi was a solid pickup for the Spurs at the time, but few if any expected him to be more than just a fine role player.

The truth is, Leonard was a raw player coming out of San Diego State. He did not possess a polished offensive game at all, and the thought was that he could help San Antonio as a defensive stopper and could maybe develop something of an offensive game one day. Of course, he ended up blossoming into a bigger two-way superstar than anyone could have ever imagined.

Earning the 2014 Finals MVP, Kawhi proved to the world that he had what it took to perform on the biggest stage and against the best players. But as he became the Spurs' new franchise player, things began to go south when he unexpectedly demanded out, forcing a trade that would eventually lead him to his hometown of Los Angeles in 2019.

During Kawhi's six full seasons in San Antonio, the eye test told us that he would have one of the best PERs in team history. The defense was always there, but as he grew his offensive game, he became among the league's elite at getting to his spots and using his strength and strong fundamentals to score from anywhere on the floor.

2. Tim Duncan - 24.2

Much of the reason people thought Kawhi would follow in Tim Duncan's footsteps was the stark similarity between the two in terms of their demeanor. Both were stoic, unflappable in the face of pressure, and seemingly delivered every time the stakes were high. It almost seemed too perfect of a fit.

But in the end, Kawhi was not meant to carry the mantle of Spurs basketball for 19 seasons the way Tim Duncan did. As a prospect from the US Virgin Islands who was unknown for many years before being recruited by Wake Forest, Duncan had to earn everything in a way few other all-time greats ever did.

After playing four years in college for the Demon Deacons and fulfilling a promise he made to his late mother that he would finish school, Duncan entered the league as a pro-ready big man with a rounded game. He was extremely adept at scoring on the low block with his signature bank shot, and his defensive capability made him the missing piece for a team that been falling just short of a championship for years.

Timmy's extremely effective style of play earned him the nickname "the big fundamental," and his unrelenting competitive nature drove him to become one of the best this sport has ever seen. It is honestly surprising that he is not first on this list.

1. David Robinson - 26.2

But if Duncan was not number one, there would only be one other obvious choice. Before Timmy, the original greatest player in Spurs franchise history was David Robinson. After completing his college basketball career at the United States Naval Academy, David spent two years in military service with the Navy before beginning his NBA career.

As such, he began his rookie year in the association at 24 years old, giving him a significant age and size difference from his peers. Naturally, he went to work and dominated the league from the outset, earning All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in his first season, picking up the Rookie of the Year award as well.

In total, Robinson would rack up 10 All-NBA and eight All-Defensive teams in his career, a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1991-92, as well as the 1993-94 scoring title. He was a man amongst boys during his time in the league, and his trophy case along with his PER are certainly indicative of that.

For those keeping track, Robinson being first on this list means that Tony Parker did not make it into the top seven for PER in Spurs history. While this is a bit surprising, it makes sense given that his game was generally not quite as expansive as the other players included here.