5 reasons why Tim Duncan should retire
By David Rouben
3: The league has adopted small ball as the new norm
Part of what made Tim Duncan so effective was that his size directly translated to his shot-blocking ability. As it stands, he is currently fifth all time in blocks, and watching him and David Robinson wreak havoc on opposing frontcourts as “the Twin Towers” was a treat to watch.
But as a whole, the league has moved past that. Golden State won the championship last year with small ball, and their continued success into this year is a sign that it’s become the new norm. Rather than try to match that with size, other teams have tried to copy it, but have hardly had the same success. And in the regular season, the Warriors won three out of four head to head meetings, including handing the Spurs their first home loss all season.
It’s no coincidence, either, that the future of the Spurs runs through Kawhi Leonard. He established himself as an elite defensive stopper in 2014 when he was named Finals MVP, and he has since refined his game on the offensive side of the ball. While he came nowhere close to Curry in MVP voting, he still had more votes than LeBron James and could very well be the favorite to win it next year.
The more the Spurs’ Big Three struggled, the more their ball movement quickly devolved into “give Kawhi Leonard the ball.” Small ball is also the reason why, out of San Antonio’s Big Three, Tony Parker is the one who’s still going strong while Ginobili and Duncan fade into irrelevance.
If anything, this Thunder series and Duncan’s struggles was more a sign that the Spurs are better off adopting small ball than using size.
Next: 2: He has nothing left to prove