A closer look at the NBA's best second unit - the San Antonio Spurs bench

The San Antonio Spurs might not be the most storied franchise in the history of the league and in the future they might neither be the most expensive, nor the most popular team in the league. Butover the past 16 years under Coach Gregg Popovichs tenure they have been a role model for consistency, finishing with 50+ wins in each of the 16 seasons.Their success mantra has been very simple and fundamentally sound, much like their franchise player and future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. The team searches for international high basketball IQ players whether its in the draft like Tony Parker, or courtesy trades like Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills, to fit into a system that will benefit each others game and the teams performance as a whole.What that has done is make them an all-round team who are very tough to defeat because they have very few weaknesses. Also,looking for players internationally or when they are young gives the franchise a key advantage of a deep bench.This season the teams reserves have beenthe leagues best by a long margin and deserve much more recognition thanthey receive. Heres a profile on the Spurs second unit:

#4 Marco Bellinelli

A key off-season addition, Marco Belinelli was signed by the Spurs to replace Gary Neal but he has played a role much bigger than that for the team this season. There has been more than one game where he has got hot from long range, scoring 20 points or more and carrying the Spurs with his momentum.

A high percentage three point shooter, Belinelli arrived in San Antonio after not being re-signed by the Chicago Bulls and he has made an already strong Spurs bench even stronger. Adding a veteran touch to the team, he is a player who can be a lethal threat as a spot up shooter, as well as put the ball on the floor and make a play when needed.

The 2014 All-Star Three-point Shooting Champions has had a career year, with the Spurs recording career highs in every single category related to shooting – Field Goal Percentage (48.5), Three-point Field Goal Percetage (43) and Free Throw Percentage (84.7).