Tony Parker may be the most overlooked Finals MVP in terms of point guards ever. The man who was a key staple of the San Antonio Spurs’ dynasty throughout the 2000s never seems to get the credit he deserves as a player. Not only was he a solid dribble-driver, he and Hall of Famer, Tim Duncan, also formed one of the best pick and roll and pick and pop tandems in NBA history. With this in mind, it makes sense for Tony Parker to be the next candidate in our “Most Underrated Season,” series. Without further adieu, let’s dive in and analyze the most overlooked campaign of the Parisian Torpedo’s career.
Tony Parker: His Most Overlooked Season
Tony Parker: His 2010-11 Season
During the 2010-11 season, the San Antonio Spurs would continue their improbable playoff streak. The team finished with an impressive 61-21 record which was good enough for first place in the entire Western Conference. Unfortunately, things would not go as planned in the postseason. Many of you probably already know what happened. This would be the year the Memphis Grizzlies pulled off an upset for the ages and knocked off the one-seeded Spurs in the first round. The Grit and Grind Grizzlies had arrived. However, the disappointing playoff run did not take away from an impressive season from Tony Parker. A season some could argue should have resulted in another All-Star appearance. Don’t believe me? Let’s check the numbers.
TP’s Numbers in the 2010-11 Campaign
In this particular season, Parker put up averages of 17.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.1 total rebounds per game. On top of this, he also came away with an effective field goal percentage of 53.1 percent. Parker would play and start a total of 78 games, which is impressive considering Greg Popovich has been known to rest his star players, sometimes against the will of the league. However, his advanced analytics were also worthy of consideration.
During the 2010-11 season, Parker finished with a player efficiency rating of 20.4. Not to mention, he also averaged an offensive rating of 113, which would be a career-high until the 2012-13 season where he finished with an offensive rating of 116. Parker also finished with an assist percentage of 35.2 percent to couple with a true shooting percentage of 56.9 percent. While the Spurs underachieved in the postseason, one has to credit Tony Parker for his 2010-11 campaign. It truly is one of the more underrated years of his illustrious NBA career.
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