Manu Ginobili was one of the most mesmerizing players to watch in the early 2000s. The Argentine phenom helped the San Antonio Spurs by providing an immediate spark off the bench. Ginobili was a very modern player for his era, which has led fans to dream of what kind of terror Ginobili could do if he played in the fast-paced NBA today.

In an interview for the NBA's 75th anniversary, the Spurs legend revealed that he thinks about that a lot too. Ginobili said this about the modern NBA (via NBA Mexico):

“If I could choose which era, I'd like to play now. Fast paced. A lot of threes. A lot of possessions. I would have loved to have played in this time and be 28 (years old) now,”

Ginobili played for a Spurs team that played slow in an era of slow-paced gameplay (90.0 possessions per 48 minutes). Because of that, Manu's high-octane playing style often felt out-of-place in the Spurs system, like watching a full HD television show on an analog TV. It's easy to imagine prime Manu absolutely feasting on the court today.

Ginobili was also asked which of the current NBA players today would he want to face in his prime. The Spurs legend named two particular players: Zach LaVine of the Bulls and Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz.

“I would like to play in my prime when I was fast enough… for example Zach [LaVine], even though I played against him, would be a great player to match up against… Donovan Mitchell. He's impressive and impressive set of skills.”

The thought of a young Manu Ginobili going toe-to-toe with the best of the best today is enticing. For now, though, Spurs fans are looking for Manu to help the young guns in San Antonio succeed today (and perhaps in the future as well).