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The San Antonio Spurs clawed their way into the postseason, but even the familiar smell of playoff competition hasn't been enough for Tony Parker to regain any of his in-game heroics.
Parker has mustered only four points on 2-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes through the first two games of the season, with the bulk of the minutes going to Patty Mills and young Dejounte Murray.
Longtime teammate Manu Ginobili empathized with the veteran, knowing the circumstances for his shooting struggles.
“He is in a funk. He is not feeling that confident and the fact that he is playing less minutes is not helping him,” said Ginobili of his friend Parker. “It’s a tough situation. We’ve all been through that. I’ve been through that last year, and it just happens.”
Ginobili was very much a non-factor to start the playoffs last season and only started being called upon for more minutes after Parker and Kawhi Leonard both went down with quad injuries, ending their season.
The Spurs have started to pave the way for young talent to take the next step and they showed it during the offseason, giving Mills a multi-year deal, and during the early stretch of the regular season, naming Murray as the starting point guard.
Ginobili has still proven able to contribute, despite being 40 years old, but Parker's agility and shiftiness has greatly reduced with age, as father time has once again won out in that battle.
San Antonio will hope the rest of the roster can contribute during their next two games at home, knowing full well the daunting task of having to come back from an 0-2 deficit against the defending champions.
