In the last two seasons, he’s had the two lowest scoring averages of his career. He also, however, has played the fewest minutes of his career, averaging only 28 minutes a game each season. And Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has never been reluctant to hold Duncan out of back-to-back games when travel is involved. That will certainly continue this season.
Nine games does not a season make, but Duncan – who was averaging 31 minutes a game – had increased his scoring from 15.4 last year to 18.2, and his rebounding from 9.0 to 10.1.
The pro bettors in Vegas would like to tell you not to wager big money on the Spurs’ chances of winning a title. But the genius of Duncan – no matter how aged – suggests that opponents should never take anything for granted.
And if a few more like DeMarcus Cousins make the mistake of popping off to the older – but not old – franchise player, then all bets against the Spurs are off.
Jan Hubbard has written about basketball since 1976 and worked in the NBA league office for eight years in between media stints. Follow him on Twitter at @whyhub.