12 reasons Tim Duncan can be considered as the greatest basketball player of all time

3) A complete basketball player on both ends

Here’s Duncan completing a fancy assist when the need arose

In the glory of 3 pointers and slam dunks, one basic fact is often forgotten, viz. basketball is played on both ends of the floor. For a player to truly have an impact on the outcome of a game, he needs to be effective on both ends. No other player has ever been as effective across the court as Tim Duncan.

Tim Duncan is the only player to amass over 100 offensive and defensive win shares, leading the league five times in the latter. He had 100 offensive win shares and 106.3 defensive win shares in total.

Among the players with over 130 win shares combined on offence and defence, Duncan is the only one to approach 100 defensive win shares.

On offence, Duncan was dependable and dominant. He played an unselfish game and picked his opponents apart with surgical precision. On defence, his footwork, anticipation, and timing were impeccable. Offensive numbers can vary, but defense can be consistent night in and night out. Simply put, no other player in NBA history has even come close to dominating the game on both ends to the extent that #21 did.

Tim Duncan: only player in NBA history with 100 defensive win shares and 100 offensive win shares, per @bball_ref . pic.twitter.com/1iiMCDTXce

— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) July 11, 2016