Manu Ginobili

Plagued by injuries since the 2011-12 season, Ginobili played 70 games in 2014-15 despite dealing with a stress fracture last summer and enduring nagging injuries to his back and ankle all season long. The 38-year-old guard will be playing in his 14th NBA season in 2015-16 and will most likely be named the primary backup shooting guard behind Danny Green. Ginobili averaged 10.5 points, 1.3 three-pointers, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 1.0 steal in 23 minutes per contest in 2014-15, sharing the wing with Green and Marco Belinelli. While his 43 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from three last season were only slightly under par with what Ginobili has produced over his career, it is likely that his advanced age will be a factor in limiting his production. Even when healthy, with coach Gregg Popovich watching his aging veterans' minutes closely, Ginobili's playing time will most likely be diminished on a team that has one of the deepest and most experienced rosters in the league. As Green and Kawhi Leonard continue to develop in the role Ginobili used to fill so beautifully as a second or third scoring option for the Spurs, Ginobili's minutes will likely continue to gently decrease.

Manu Ginobili, entering his 13th NBA season, was a vital and productive player last season after looking like he may have been nearing the end of his career during a disappointing 2013 NBA Finals. The Argentinian superstar averaged 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.3 three-pointers in 23 minutes per game through 68 games last season. He shot 47 percent from the field on 9.2 attempts per game and 85 percent from the line on 2.8 attempts per game. Ginobili has played 23 minutes per game for the last three seasons, and there's no reason to expect a change this upcoming season, as the Spurs return basically the same roster as the championship-winning squad they had last season. The Spurs asked Ginobili not to play in the FIBA World Cup for Argentina as he is recovering from a stress fracture in his right leg, but that means he should be fully healthy for training camp. Despite his limited minutes, Ginobili is still a productive fantasy player, ranking within the top 100 for every season of his career, barring his rookie season. With Patty Mills (shoulder surgery) expected to be sidelined until February, Ginobili may have to become more of a scorer and playmaker on the team's second unit and could be a guy to look at in the latter rounds of the draft, especially if you are looking for a two-guard who gives out dimes and shoots a positive field goal percentage.

Argentina's favorite son this side of Lionel Messi, Ginobili has struggled to stay healthy of late, and saw a sharp drop in minutes (23.2) over 60 games in 2012-2013. He's not an option for the risk-averse, but when he was on the floor last season, Ginobili offered owners great value, providing production across the board in points (11.8), rebounds (3.4), assists (4.6) and steals (1.3).

After two years of relative health, Ginobili missed 32 of 66 games and struggled to 12.9 points per game, his lowest output since 2003-04. Part of that decline can be attributed to Ginobili only seeing 23.3 minutes of court action per game, as coach Gregg Popovich limited the playing time of veterans like Ginobili and Tim Duncan during the lockout-shortened season, particularly in games played on back-to-back nights. Ginobili will be 35 this season and likely didn’t do his body any good by tacking on extra mileage with Argentina in the Summer Olympics, though he did finish as the tournament’s third highest scorer. No longer hampered by the hand injury that cut his season in half, Ginobili should rebound somewhat in 2012-13, even though his years in the NBA are likely numbered. Ginobili should produce somewhere between his level of production from last season and 2010-11, where he accumulated a stat line of 17.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. However, even if an improvement is in order, don’t expect Ginobili to exceed 30 minutes a game, no matter whether he’s used as a starter or as the sixth man. Ginobili’s best days might be behind him, but he can still bring considerable value if he’s drafted appropriately.

Ginobili played in a career-high 80 games last season, providing consistent production across the board. The Spurs committed to Ginobili as their starting shooting guard, and his spot in the starting lineup earned him the second highest minutes-played average of his career in the NBA. While his production has been steady for the past seven seasons, the Spurs insistence on keeping his workload around the 30-minute threshold has limited Ginobili’s ceiling. That trend should continue this season, but there’s a chance we could see him handling the ball more frequently. The Spurs traded George Hill to the Pacers on draft night, and there will be a void where it comes to having a backup point guard off the bench. As such, Ginobili may be asked to step up and initiate the offense for a few extra possessions each game, getting him a couple extra assists. Otherwise, expect more of the same from one of the league’s most underrated stars.

Ginobili is a player whose per-game fantasy value will always be a little underrated as he's a standout neither in points (16.5 per game in 2009-10), nor rebounds (3.8), nor assists (4.9) – that is, the three most visible categories. No, where Ginobili distinguishes himself is in categories that are slightly harder to eyeball, like three pointers (1.8 per game), steals (1.4), and free-throw percentage (87.0). It's in this last category, in particular, where Ginobili excels, owing both to his high percentage of conversions and his overall quantity of attempts (4.7). In fact, when adjusted for both attempts and percentage, Ginobili finished 10th overall in the free-throw category, just ahead of Ray Allen and just behind Corey Maggette. So, measured on a purely per-game basis, Ginobili and his Euro Step would probably be rated more highly among shooting guards. The concern this year with Ginobili – as it is every year – is the Argentine's durability. In his eight-year career, Ginobili's never played 82 games in a season. On the plus side, he's only played fewer than 65 once – in 2008-09, when he made appearances in only 44 regular season games. In all his other seasons he's played 65-75 games. That's not terrible, but still means that his owners are forced to deal with about 10 games of replacement-level production. Moreover, at 33, the chances that Ginobili will actually get more durable are low.

Ginobili had a near-disastrous season by his standards last year, missing 38 games because of an ankle injury and seeing a drop in his per-game averages across the board. It appears his days as a fantasy force have been numbered, as coach Gregg Popovich will turn his attention this season to keeping him healthy for the playoffs. It wouldn’t even come as a surprise to see Ginobili held out of a few games down the stretch. Ginobili has eclipsed the 75-game mark only once in his seven-year career, averaging a little over 68 games played per season. The Spurs made quite a bit of noise in the offseason, and two acquisitions in particular may have some implications for Ginobili’s production. First, the addition of Richard Jefferson takes away much of Ginobili’s burden to score in the upper teens, making a return to his 2007-08 averages unlikely. Secondly, Manu’s rebounding totals may dip a bit with the addition of Antonio McDyess, whose 19.3 rebound rate is a massive upgrade over Matt Bonner’s rate of 11.9. Still, when Ginobili sees upwards of 25 minutes, he’s a player who will fill up the box score without hurting your shooting percentages.

Ginobili put together the best season of his career last year, with personal bests in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounds (4.8 rpg), assists (4.5 apg) and free-throw-percentage effect (86% on 6.0 attempts/game) to go with his typical solid contributions in steals (1.5 spg) and field-goal percentage (46.1%). Unfortunately, he ended the season with an ankle injury that he aggravated during the Olympics and which required surgery. Ginobili’s not expected to miss any regular-season action, but he has a history of nagging injuries (40 missed games in last four seasons). Ginobili is now past his 31st birthday, and with his relatively thin frame and aggressive style perhaps he’s just not physically suited to playing big minutes (career-high 31.1 mpg) in the NBA. Nevertheless, when healthy he’s one of the best guards in the league, without a discernible weakness in his game.

The 2006-07 season was the best of Ginobili’s NBA career. San Antonio’s versatile wing man set career highs in scoring (16.5 ppg), shooting from the floor and the line (46.4 and 86 percent, respectively) with valuable fantasy steal (1.5), board (4.4) and assist (3.5) rates. Unfortunately, that’s probably the most we can reasonably expect from Manu. He’s past his 30th birthday. He won’t log the heavy minutes that other guards will play – last season’s 27.7 mpg is about what you should expect. And his slight (for an NBA player) build and all-out style lead to a variety of injuries – he’s missed an average of 12 games in the last two seasons. He probably won’t ever become the fantasy superstar that many expected after his coming-out party in the ’05 playoffs, but he’ll more than earn his place on most fantasy squads.

Ginobili had a relatively disappointing fantasy season, as nagging injuries prevented him from making the leap to fantasy superstar that his previous playoff-run had suggested was in the offing. Robbed of much of the quickness that made him such a difficult matchup, Ginobili took a step back in almost every category (15.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 46% FG, 78% FT). The only areas that Ginobili maintained from the previous season were defensively (1.6 spg, .4 bpg) and from behind the arc (1.3 threes per game). At 6-6 with a quick first step, nice ballhandling skills, and an aggressive attitude, Ginobili still has all of the characteristics to be a top-tier scorer in today’s NBA, and if health permits, he could make this season his one-year delayed fantasy coming out party.

Ginobili has already made the leap to real-life NBA superstardom, but fantasy-wise he is still right on the verge of exploding. He has always been a tantalizing blend of all-around skills, able to contribute solidly in almost every category (1.6 steals, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 47% from the field, 80% from the line last season). His 6-7 frame and quick hands make him a nuisance on the defensive end (1.6 steals), while his shooting touch from downtown (47% from the field, 1.3 treys/game) and aggressive drives to the rim (6.0 free throw attempts/game, 80% shooting) give him potent inside/outside scoring potential. The only thing keeping him out of the fantasy elite last season was a relative lack of scoring punch at 16.0 ppg, but he has raised his scoring average significantly every season of his career, and that trend should continue in ’05-‘06. Ginobili increased his production in every category in last season’s playoffs, scoring 20.8 points to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 treys, and 50% shooting from the field in 23 games, establishing himself firmly as the second star on the Spurs behind Tim Duncan. Think of the playoffs as a preview for this season, and expect production along those lines from Ginobili this year.

Ginobili’s flashy play and jaw-dropping ability to knock down the toughest of shots have fantasy owners waiting for his rise to elite fantasy player status. However, Ginobili will have to wait at least another year until he reaches stardom, as Brent Barry’s arrival likely prevents Ginobili from seeing really big minutes. When Ginobili’s on the court, he’s a difference-maker in threes and especially steals. But lack of playing time killed Ginobili’s fantasy value last season, and it could very well do the same in 2004-05. Expect a handful of threes and steals every week from this Spurs guard, but unless he sees 35-plus minutes, his point, rebound and assist totals will be average at best. Ginobili should be taken in the mid rounds of your draft.

Ginobili broke into the starting lineup late last season and impressed the Spurs enough not to go after a premier 2-guard in the off-season. Ginobili showed improvement all season and stepped up in the playoffs. His minutes, points, assists, rebounds, heck pretty much all of his stats shot up and he was playing against the Lakers, Dallas, and New Jersey. Expect more improvement from Ginobili this season, he should log in about 30 minutes a game.