Spurs' Diaw says Tim Duncan may have 6 or 7 seasons left in him
Age is just a number for San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan, who continued to compete at an All-Star level in 2014-15 at 39 years old.
Father Time will eventually catch up with the five-time NBA champion, right? Well, according to teammate Boris Diaw, Duncan may still have a few more years left in him before he begins to show signs of shutting down.
"I don’t know - six, seven," Diaw jokingly said to Sports Illustrated when asked how many more years The Big Fundamental can keep going. "I have no idea, but he’s always good. He’s always great. He’s just a great example for all the young kids, everybody."
"He’s always 100 percent when we do practice. He’s always the first guy to the gym and working. He’s got a great work ethic."
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio that Duncan will continue to play the "same boring game" he always has. Perhaps it's that brand of basketball that has preserved his body for so long.
Diaw would tend to agree.
"He doesn’t jump as often, and so he doesn’t wear his ligaments and his muscles and everything," he adds. "He’s just playing the same very basic basketball, but it works so great because he’s such a master at all the moves and everything. So, that makes him be able to take advantage of players who are more athletic and younger than him."
Kevin Willis hit the hardwood as an active competitor in the NBA when he was months away from his 45th birthday. In fact, some of the oldest players in league history were frontcourt bigs who lived in the post, such as Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This could be a sign that Duncan playing into his early forties isn't as outlandish as one may think.
In 77 games last season, Duncan averaged 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent from the field - his most efficient number since the 2009-10 campaign.
- With h/t to Pro Basketball Talk