Just A Reminder: Manu Ginobili isn't an All-Star

It’s easy to leave a guy like Manu Ginobili off of the All-Star team. He’s not a big media presence, he’s notorious for flopping, and in the collective public opinion of the San Antonio Spurs he’s buried somewhere underneath Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Eva Longoria (not literally, shame on you).

It’s also easy to say that Ginobili’s best years are behind him, or that the Spurs are struggling this year and don’t deserve a second All-Star. But then you take a look at the numbers and a paradigm shift the size of Manu’s nose smacks you in the face.

Ginobili is averaging 20.1 points a game, nothing to sneer at but modest for an All-Star shooting guard. But he also plays fewer minutes (31.1 per a game) than anyone selected for New Orleans, mostly because Popovich and the Spurs’ brass want to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Take into account his budgeted minutes, now spread out his scoring over a full game. Over the course of 48 minutes, Ginobili averages 31.2 points a game. That’s 5^th in the league. Ahead of Dwyane Wade. Ahead of Western Conference starter Allen Iverson. Ahead of Nowitzki, Yao, Boozer and Roy.

Ok, so he’s a better scorer than everyone thought, especially considering that he already has two other All-Star caliber talents on his team. But the thing about Ginobili is that he does everything. Need a rebound? Manu snags an impressive 5 a game from the guard position, including a 15 board night against Toronto (per 48 his average tops Kobe and Roy). Steals? Ninth in the NBA at 2.66 over 48 minutes. Playmaking? He’s 28^th in the league in assists per 48 at 7.1, a career high. And get this: only 3 non-point guards are ahead of him (Roy, Wade, and Lebron). Think about that. Outside of the NBA’s point guards, he’s the 4^th best assist guy in the NBA. While we’re at it that once again puts him ahead of Kobe, who has gotten buckets of media love for passing the ball more this season.

Need shooting? Ginobili is 22^nd in the league in 3-point shooting. But few players mesh outside shooting with Ginobili’s ability to get to the stripe. Per 48, only 11 players get to the line more than Manu, and he doesn’t even have the long hair to draw fouls for him anymore.

Of course, Manu’s never been a numbers guy. He’s all about intangibles, up there with Kobe as one of the most competitive players in the modern era. He shoots an amazing 53% in “the clutch”, not to mention 91.9% from the free throw line when the game is tight. Need more? He’s created 22 assists in the last 5 minutes of tight games, but he’s only committed 1 passing turnover. A 22:1 assist to turnover ratio when the defense is set and the game is tight. This from one of the most balls-to-the-wall players in the league.

Finally, one last stat that trumps them all. When Manu Ginobili is on the bench, the Spurs have been outscored by two points this season. When he’s in the game, the Spurs have scored 250 points more than their opponents. He doesn’t fly like Lebron or have the finesse of Kobe, nor does he have the power of Pierce or the speed of Iverson. But Ginobili is in the same league as all of them, and deserved to be in New Orleans. Then again, maybe Spurs fans want him to be a little pissed off. After all, he’s only averaged 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists a game over their last 2 wins.