Former San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan is widely regarded as one of best players in league history.

However, Monty Williams, who is the former New Orleans Pelicans head coach and assistant coach for the Spurs, recently told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that he believes Duncan doesn't get credit for his tremendous basketball IQ. [h/t outtanowhere_ of Reddit]

“He never got the credit that I feel he should of gotten for his IQ. People knew he was a smart player, but if they knew, or be in the conversations we had on a daily basis about the team and the league, they would be astounded at how smart he is.”

Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Duncan earned numerous accolades that would speak to possessing a strong basketball IQ being a two-time NBA MVP, three-time, NBA Final MVP, 13 All-NBA team selections, and 15 All-Defensive team nods. In fact, he's the only player in league history to be selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams in each of his first 13 years. He finished with career averages of 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game for his career on 50.6% shooting.

This makes it hard to believe that a player who has garnered an incredible list of individual awards wouldn't be acknowledged as one of the brightest players in the league. He was a special talent on both ends of the floor, helping to make the Spurs one of the most successful franchises in all of the four major professional sports in the United States over nearly the last two decades.