The Spurs will start bringing Tony Parker off the bench, and of course he doesn’t care

Tony Parker will begin coming off the bench while Dejounte Murray starts for the San Antonio Spurs, both a bittersweet reminder that time is no longer on Parker’s side and a testament to the San Antonio culture that preaches team-first basketball at all times.

The 35-year-old point guard was informed by head coach Gregg Popovich before San Antonio played the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. It was the first time that Parker came off the bench in nearly a decade, but he still scored 12 points in 20 minutes while dishing five assists, too.

The last time Parker came off the bench was the 2010 playoffs, when George Hill briefly supplanted him in the starting unit. Though he had started 1,151 of his 1,165 career games, Parker’s still-enthusiastic reaction to the move is entirely befitting of how the Spurs have had continued success.

“I was like, ‘Oh, no problem,’” Parker told reporters after the game. “Just like Manu [Ginobili], just like Pau [Gasol], that day’s going to come. And if Pop sees something that is good for the team, I’ll try to do my best. I support Pop’s decision, and I’ll try to help [Dejounte Murray] out as best I can, and try to be the best I can in that second unit with Manu and Patty [Mills].”

Parker still isn’t 100 percent after offseason surgery, and San Antonio has been extremely cautious with his minutes while he recovers. It’ll be even easier to manage them while he comes off the bench, often right next to San Antonio’s other aging legend, Manu Ginobili. Parker’s replacement, Murray, is an athletic 6’5 guard who can do some things that Parker was never capable of even in his prime.

San Antonio has primarily used three different starting lineups: One with Parker, one with Murray, and a third with Patty Mills. (The other four: LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Danny Green, and Kyle Anderson.) Funnily enough, the Parker-led lineup has performed best this season according to on-off stats.

In 77 minutes, the Parker-led starting five has outscored opponents by 28 points every 100 possessions. That’s compared to the Mills starting five outscoring opponents by 10.1 points per 100 possessions, and the Murray one actually being outscored by 2.8 points per 100 possessions.

That said, on-off data is contextual and a couple bad games alone could sway the whole thing. Clearly, San Antonio likes something about the Murray-led one, and the second-year guard is an important building block for the future. While Murray still isn’t reliably hitting jump shots, he averages almost nine points and more than seven rebounds, along with 3.7 assists, during the 15 games that he has started this year. He does things with his size and athleticism, especially working the glass and playing defense, that allows San Antonio to adapt better to the modern game. He might not actually be a better player than Parker, but the Spurs are hoping he gets there soon.

Parker’s move to the bench isn’t necessarily permanent, however, if Murray struggles or those starting lineup statistical trends continue. (The offense only scored 86 points in a loss on Sunday, so early returns aren’t ideal.) Popovich is a genius, and you can trust that he has a strong grasp on how he hopes this experiment — or permanent changing of the guard — will go.