Best NBA Draft Sleepers of All-Time
3. Manu Ginobili (1999 NBA Draft, 2nd Round, 57th Overall)
Manu Ginobili was almost the final pick of the 1999 NBA Draft as a 21-year-old from Argentina. Three years after he was drafted, he made his debut for the Spurs. As his bald spot on the crown of his head grew, so did his prowess and legend around the league. Now on the last legs of his NBA career, it’s pretty clear that we’ve been watching a Hall of Famer over the past 13 years.
In terms of mere production, Ginobili has long been rock-solid as a part of the Spurs’ system. During his five-year peak from 2006-11, Ginobili averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from the field. His presence was felt in almost every aspect of the game on both ends of the floor. He could get buckets, create shots for teammates, and help control a defense and do all of this with ease.
However, Ginobili’s value to the NBA goes even deeper than his production and integral role in the Spurs’ four NBA Championships since his arrival. Later in his career, Ginobili has come to define the idea of a super sixth man, an idea that is widespread throughout the league now. More than that, though, Ginobili’s popularization of the Eurostep in the NBA game is one of the most overlooked yet impactful changes in the modern game. That move and it’s success at this level is the reason players like James Harden are as dominant as they are. You could argue that it wouldn’t have played as big of a role had Ginobili not brought it to prominence with the Spurs.
Ginobili seems to be on the verge of hanging it up sooner rather than later, but you can’t deny his impact as a player on the Spurs and the league as a whole. The fact that a player who almost wasn’t drafted in 1999 has made that large of an impression on the NBA makes him the near definition of a sleeper.
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