[BallMuse] Tim Duncan’s resume: 15x All-NBA, 15x All-Defense, 5x Champ, 5-1 Finals Record, 3x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, ROTY, ‘98 All-Rookie, Made the playoffs 18 out of his 19 seasons (Elite Longevity), One of the greatest winners ever… What keeps Tim out of the GOAT debate?
Tim Duncan's resume:
— 15x All-NBA
— 15x All-Defense
— 5x Champ | 5-1 Finals Record
— 3x Finals MVP
— 2x MVP
— ROTY
— '98 All-Rookie
— Made the playoffs 18 out of his 19 seasons (Elite Longevity)One of the greatest winners ever
What keeps Tim out of the GOAT debate? pic.twitter.com/M0dxlWPcUn
— BallMuse (@BallMuse23) May 24, 2023
by TrustingProcess
37 Comments
He never missed the playoffs. The rest is correct.
The fact he never won multiple DPOY, let alone he didn’t even win one is shambolic.
Small market and the fact he never really cared for any of it, he just wanted to win nothing else really matter to him. He truly does not get the credit he deserves
His case for #1 is as good as anybody. However, casuals are locked into the belief that he had the most help and the best coaching when, in reality, it was Duncan that brought everybody else up.
The only thing keeping him from being a universal lock for top five is the small market bias, and the reality that while Duncan had his own ridiculous peak, with 2003 being pretty awesome, you could definitely argue that every player in that top five echelon has had a couple of seasons that were just at a different level than anything Duncan ever did
I’m not saying I agree necessarily but that’s a pretty common assessment. I see that Duncan did not peek as high, but he also never fell as far as some other greats whose star burned hot and short
For me I do put a huge emphasis on longevity which is why I do have him in my top five of all time. But I can understand why some people firmly have him top 10 but can’t quite get him top five off of the backs of the argument I just laid out
The city on his jersey
Pretty much just ignorance, and accessibility during his playing days.
The media popularity
lil bros don’t even know how to use a computer, I wouldn’t worry too much about their opinion. Duncan is GOAT
the spurs sacrificed his peak for longevity and playoff success, how you value those things in the GOAT debate completely up to you
I have him at 4 or 5 on my all-time list, but people always tell me I’m just biased.
His highlight reel is the least flashy one you can watch, and that makes casuals less excited.
Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant were two of the best players of their generation and due to Kobe’s sudden death I think people will focus more on Kobe out of respect. Timmy has done everything to prove he is among the all time greats so we here in San Antonio know he is our favorite.
He’s in my GOAT debate.
MJ is the greatest athlete regardless of sport; however Timmy is a Mount Rushmore guy.
GOAT Power forward. Love duncan, but still thinks he’s solidly below Kareem, magic, Jordan and lebron at the minimum
His play style.
He was better than Kobe.
And he’s great for the organization even after retirement. He’s coming in to help mentor Wembanyama too.
I listen to a lot of sports radio,and most of them don’t forget Tim Duncan. Ironically it’s players and former players that I see forget about him, when they are asked about their all time starting five, or something like that. Then you have fools like Robert Horry constantly bashing him. But I also think not being Finals MVP two of the five times is held against him.
He doesn’t have his own line of shoes.
Flashy stats/ppg honestly. Timmy’s impact on the game is all time, but you wouldn’t be able to tell immediately if you watched a highlight reel of him.
Timmy D should be top 5 on everybody’s list. Casuals considered him “boring “ however those who know the game of basketball understand how dominant he was especially fundamentally.
I really don’t like dick measuring debates because so much of it is subjective. Every time you go to make a case for moving Tim up, you have to make a case for moving someone down.
Timmy was a great offensive player, but he was never the best offensive player. And before I say what I’m about to say, I’m a lifelong Spurs fan and Duncan is my favorite player.
He was really good at everything, but not elite at any one thing. He wasn’t an offensive savant like the Jokic / Walton where he could facilitate and create an open shot for everyone based on his passing. He was a good shooter, but he wasn’t an abnormally elite shooter as a big. He was a good scorer, but not an elite scorer like Durant / Jordan / Shaq / LeBron.
His organization and coach were also a few years ahead of the rest of the league for a while. They were taking shots on playmaking foreign players when the rest of the league called them soft. They revolutionized pace and space in 2013-2014. They started the concept of resting players. They emphasized shooting way more than most teams.
He also didn’t have a best selling sneaker, he was a big so he wasn’t dribbling the ball up the court with the camera on him, he wasn’t flashy, he played in San Antonio. He didn’t produce highlights. He also always has a decent roster. His coaching staff was elite.
For me, he’s somewhere in the 5-10 range, behind Jordan / LeBron / Kareem / Magic / Russell. I’d put him over Bird, but even if he’s behind Bird, that’s fine.
The non biased answer is a lack of counting stats. Timmy never had a 3-5 year stretch of eye popping offensive production like Shaq, Jordan, or Bird (although his 2003 championship gauntlet is the run for the most impressive ring EVER). Admittedly, part of this was due to his era and the unselfish Spurs system.
Plus, while he was an elite player for a huge amount of time, must of his impact was obviously on the defensive end. Tim only averaged 20 once from 2005-2016.
Since offense always gets the edge over defense when ranking players it should come as no surprise that Duncan doesn’t get many GOAT nods.
For what it’s worth though, I have seen a lot more Duncan love post retirement than I thought he would get. I would say most basketball pundits have him ranked around the 5 spot, which I think is fair.
Isn’t it universally agreed upon that he is the GOAT PF? He wasn’t a flashy player that’s probably why he isn’t normally grouped in with MJ/lebron/kobe but there’s no question that his legacy is as good as theirs. Picking just 1 GOAT player though is pretty impossible imo
I’ve honestly think he is the greatest of all time. To me.
He played ball, to win. Nothing else about it mattered. Showing off, selfishness, “me first” mentality was all BS to him. He just wanted to win. His numbers in the playoff surpass the regular season year after year. He was the ultimate teammate, competitor, leader. He did everything right, no scandals. Loyal to the team and city. Fucking cemented that GOAT status when he won in 2014. When he was missing games for being “Old”.
I think counting stats are the only thing really keeping him out
Anti-spurs bias is real
He didn’t play for a big market team.
75% of NBA fans are just here for the alley oops or Blake Griffin jumping over a Kia or seeing Drake on the sideline or literally anything LeBron. Don’t talk to those types, they are mindless idiots who don’t appreciate the art of ball.
He is rightfully the best PF to ever play.
Defensive stats aren’t as great at capturing impact on the game. When 538 looked at wins above replacement Tim Duncan was number one over anybody by a long shot
it’s beneath his dignity
If he was in NY he’d be #2 behind Mike
The only player in NBA history with 15 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 15 All-Defensive selections apiece.