Tony Parker
(BBR: #367)
Tony Parker enters the list just two spots ahead of his teammate Manu Ginobili, and you may assume that his Finals MVP trophy was the difference between the two, but you'd be wrong. Parker may have been awarded that trophy, but that doesn't change the fact that Tim Duncan was still the best player on the 2007 Spurs championship team. Here are their numbers during that season's playoff run:
Parker - 20.8 pts, 3.4 reb, 5.8 ast, .480 FG%, .679 FT%
Duncan - 22.2 pts, 11.5 reb, 3.3 ast, .521 FG%, .644 FT%
Their scoring averages and shooting percentages are reasonably close, but there is a much bigger gap between their rebounding numbers than there is between their assist numbers. It was Parker's best playoff run to date, but he still wasn't on the level of Tim Duncan.
It is much more appropriate to compare him to Ginobili. Each has been a member of 3 championship teams in San Antonio. Manu was the 4th, 2nd, and 3rd-best player on those teams, while Parker was the 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd-best on those teams. Parker played an average of 74.6 games per season in his career, while Manu has averaged only 70.3. Here are how their other career stats stack up.
Parker - 16.7 pts, 3.1 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.0 stl, .493 FG%, .315 3P%, .732 FT%
Ginobili - 15.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.9 ast, 1.5 stl, .449 FG%, .371 3P%, .834 FT%
Once again, it is hard to say from these numbers which one was a better player. Parker had the better overall shooting percentage, but Manu was better from longer distances. Parker is a slightly better scorer, and Manu is a better defender. The biggest difference is that Parker has been able to remain healthier than Ginobili as a whole, which can be seen on the chart below. (Parker is in blue, Ginobili is in green.)
I've also included Jerry Lucas on this chart, since he was sandwiched between them on this all-time ranking. Contributing to 3 title teams as a top-3 player while remaining healthy for the majority of his career gave him an edge over Lucas, who was never a top-5 player on a championship team. Lucas' stats looked more impressive, but Parker knew what it took to help his team win, which is why he has passed Lucas in the all-time listing of stars.
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