NBA Power Rankings: Top 10 shooting guards for 2014-15
10. Manu Ginobili:
2013-14 Stat Line: 68 games, 22.8 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, .469/.349/.851 shooting, 20.0 PER
In his heyday, Manu Ginobili would have easily been No. 2 on this list. Keep in mind, we’re talking about one of the weakest positions in the league where there isn’t too much difference between our honorable mentions and the first couple of players in the top 10. But since Ginobili is the model of efficiency in limited minutes, and because he and the San Antonio Spurs just keep chugging along year after year, he cracks the top 10.
Ginobili has the least impressive 2013-14 stat line from anyone on our list, but considering he was able to put up those respectable numbers in a mere 23 minutes per game while totally redeeming his disappointing 2013 NBA Finals series, we have to give credit where it’s due. His Player Efficiency Rating is higher than all but two shooting guards on this list, but we also can’t give him too much credit when the rest of our top 10 logged way more minutes.
With another championship and another year under his belt, the 37-year-old Argentinian isn’t getting any younger. Gregg Popovich is a master at managing his aging stars’ minutes and the Spurs are so balanced that Ginobili isn’t depended upon like he once was. He deserves respect for his elite passing and impact off the bench, but from an individual standpoint, he probably won’t have as good a season as our next nine guys.