Ranking 7 Worst Spurs starters of the Big 3 era

6. Nazr Mohammed

The Spurs were searching for a big man after David Robinson retired in 2003. In the first year, they relied on Rasho Nesterovic, Tim Duncan, Robert Horry, and Kevin Willis. San Antonio was bounced in the second round of the playoffs, and they clearly needed an upgrade.

In February of 2005, the Spurs sent Malik Rose and two first-round draft picks to the Knicks for Mohammed. The 6’10 big man was right in the middle of his prime and averaging 10.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 28.1 minutes per game as the starter in New York. San Antonio was hoping he could fill the team’s void at the five, but that did not happen down the stretch.

Mohammed played just 18.0 minutes per game over the final 23 regular season contests where he shot 38.7 percent from the field and put up just 6.2 points per game. The 6’10 big man picked up his production in the playoffs as he started all 23 games in the Spurs' run to the title in 2005. Mohammed averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 23.0 minutes per game during the playoffs to get his first ring.

Nazr Mohammed made 30 starts in year two with the San Antonio Spurs, but his rim protection dropped off. The 28-year-old fell completely out of the playoff rotation in 2006 and left for Detroit in free agency that summer. Credit for being a key piece of their 2005 title run, but Mohammed struggled during the rest of his time in San Antonio.