Greatest starting 5 coached by Gregg Popovich

Small Forward - Kawhi Leonard

San Antonio and Leonard parted ways in difficult circumstances.

Despite his noisy departure from the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard was one of the best talents ever coached by Gregg Popovich.

Elite Company: Kawhi Leonard joins MJ & Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win @NBA Finals MVP & Def POY pic.twitter.com/sTi5gwuoYO

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 23, 2015

Leonard arrived in San Antonio after being picked with the 15th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. He was picked by the Indiana Pacers and got traded to San Antonio for George Hill.

At San Antonio, Leonard evolved into a great two-way player in the league. He had strong outings in the 2013 NBA Finals, though they suffered a heartbreaking loss.

In 2014, Leonard was named Finals MVP and was arguably the best player on the squad, given the stars of the Big-Three were past their prime.

---

Power Forward - Tim Duncan

Duncan and Popovich. Photo Credit: ESPN.

Tim Duncan's rookie season was the first full season for Gregg Popovich as the Spurs' coach. Duncan changed everything in San Antonio with his arrival.

He won Rookie of the Year in his first season and guided the team and Gregg Popovich to their first NBA championship in 1999.

After winning consecutive MVPs in 2002 and 2003, Duncan also won his second Finals MVP award in 2003. His performance in the 2003 NBA Finals was unique.

His trophy cabinet grew once more in 2005. He guided San Antonio to a win over the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals. Duncan was named Finals MVP again in one of the most underrated series of the 21st century.

Duncan and Gregg Popovich won two more titles (2007 and 2014) and had three more NBA Finals appearances after 2005.

Duncan is the all-time Spurs' leader in games (1,392), minutes (47,638), points (26,496), Win Shares, Value over Replacement, and many more statistics. It all came under Gregg Popovich's guidance.

The connection between Duncan and Gregg Popovich reached the highest level. The coach even went on to say that he would retire the day Duncan retired.

Duncan is arguably the greatest power forward in NBA history, and his career would have been great regardless of who his coach was. However, Gregg Popovich and TD were a great fit, and the pair led the team to consistent success.

"If had to start a team with anybody in the league, I'd start it with Tim Duncan." - David Robinson (circa 2003) pic.twitter.com/TwhCqpWhul

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 25, 2016

---

Center - David Robinson

Robinson and Tim Duncan.

'The Admiral' David Robinson was the San Antonio Spurs' greatest player during the early and mid-1990s.

Robinson won an NBA MVP award in 1995 and even received Defensive Player of the Year recognition in the 1991-92 NBA season. He is one of five NBA players to win those two awards during their careers (Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett, and Giannis Antetokounmpo).

Robinson was the franchise leader, but he recognized Tim Duncan's potential and allowed him to grow as a future superstar in the NBA.

His team-first mentality was perfect to be coached by Gregg Popovich, and the results showed.

Robinson took a back seat to Duncan offensively, but his defense was elite, and his numbers were there under Gregg Popovich.

He averaged 15 points and nine rebounds per game in his six full seasons with Gregg Popovich as his coach. Robinson was still one of the league's best defenders in his years under 'Pop' (he led the NBA in Defensive Rating in his first three years with Gregg Popovich).

Robinson retired after winning his second NBA championship in 2003.

---