Best Potential that never reached it

[justme400e]

David Thompson- Alcohol and cocaine prevented him from being in the top 5.

[Kabookalu]

Pascal Siakam is what I thought Tyrus Thomas would eventually be (with less ballhandling, which could potentially break this comparison). An undersized PF (for his time), but an energy big that could be everywhere on the floor at once both on offense and defense and score in bunches when needed.

[JasonStern]

Lamar Odom and Rasheed Wallace even though they won championships. Also- Isaiah Rider had the talent to be one of the greatest players of all time. Instead, he never made an All Star team and is forgotten.

came in this thread to mention Rider and Wallace. also shout-outs to Darius Miles and Sebastian Telfair on the Blazers front.

[LSandersBong]

Earl Mantigault- There is some interview were Kareem Abdul-Jabber says he was the best player he ever played against, unfortunately drugs ruined his career. Had insane hops

Greg Oden/Brandon Roy- Could of been a multiple DPOY with decent offence, everyone knows his story, even knowing there were injury risks at the time not one team would of picked him over Durant lol. Roy could of been remembered as one of the greatest SG's of this era however injuries led to an early retirement. Could of resulted in a few Rings.

Benji Wilson- Apparently was the best player to ever come from his high school (Simeon) with notable alumni like Jabari Parker, Derrick Rose, Nick Anderson. He was ranked number one player coming into his senior year of high school but was sadly murdered.

Hank Gathers- Very athletic or though was slightly undersized at the 4 position, put up absurd number is his junior year 32 ppg and 13 rpg , was putting up 29 and 11 in his senior year and was projected to be the number 1 draft pick in the 1990 draft over guys like Gary Payton , Mahmoud Abdul-Rau and Derrick Coleman (someone who could potentially be on this list as well) Sadly a heart condition which he had stopped taking medication for. killed him in the middle of a game.

1986 Draft- Len Bias was picked number 2 and unfortunately died due to a cocaine overdose, apparently his game was described as Lebron lite. Chris Washburn, Roy Tarpley, William Bedford from the same draft were all said to have great potential , especially Tarpley, all aforementioned career's were halted due to drugs. Brad Daugherty had made an all star team in 1994 but retired the following year in his prime at 28 due to back issues. Arvydas Sabonis came into the NBA in 1995 allready past his prime and halted by injuries but still played well if he was able to come over in his prime could of potentially been an MVP level player (yeah big call I know). Drazen Petrovic had just hit his prime making the all NBA 3rd team in 1993 was near the 50-40-90 Club, Sadly died in a car crash during the off season.

Reggie Lewis- Picked 22nd the following year by the Celtics, had just made an allstar team in 1992 and followed it with another strong season unfortunatly died that year due to a heart defect . To be honest even an aging Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin Mchale plus Reggie and Bias could of potentially another great Celtics dynasty in the late 80 and early 90's.

Bill Walton- Had one of the greatest College careers of all time, injuries left him with a good NBA resume not a great one.

Andrew Bynum- I thought in 2012 that he was on his way to be a perennial all star and a HOF type player

Derrick Rose- Healthy prime rose and Prime Butler could of been a very dangerous team

Grant Hill- Could of been an all time great before injuries robbed him of his prime.

Penny Hardaway- Injuries robbed him of his prime.

Masta P- Played preseason for a few NBA teams during the late 90's. This one is arguable/probably not, he played college ball then dropped out to pursue his music career, having not played for 8 years he was still good enough to be signed by an NBA team. Who knows, if he soley concentrated on basketball perhaps he could of been a good NBA player.

Alot of other guys i'm not familiar with e.g International guys who never played, then alot of street ballers , apparently a few had been offered NBA contracts but made more money selling drugs, i'm sure they would have some interesting stories.

Personally I don't like the argument saying guys like Vince and Shaq did not achieve there potential . I mean sure they don't have the same mindset as a Jordan or Kobe but i'm sure they are alot happier in life and had very great careers. Kobe and MJ were just obsessed.

[Kabookalu]

I swear I thought I saw his name in this topic, but I guess I was seeing things. Surprising people here are mentioning the likes of Kobe, Carter, Hill, and Penny, but not Tracy McGrady. Other than LeBron and Jordan, I'm not sure if there's another wing player out there with as much natural talent as T-Mac. Perhaps Durant. T-Mac though was such an incredible player to watch. Whenever I watch Paul George play I feel like I'm watching a less athletic, less skilled, and less smoother version of T-Mac, and that's no slight because George himself is a great player. In Toronto he averaged 1.9bpg as a wing player. In a series against Dallas T-Mac guarded Dirk Nowitzki and did a damn good job. Over the course of his career he had the task having to guard Kobe, and while his effort on that end wavered and was never consistent, he had some games where he defended Kobe as anyone else did. With Orlando he put up one of the best offensive seasons of all time in a pre space and pace world with a horrible supporting cast (I haven't checked but it may still even be up there).

T-Mac though admitted he never tried as hard as he could have, often half assing it in practice. He also said he didn't want it and always envisioned himself as Pippen instead of Jordan. I wonder what T-Mac would have looked like with a superstar mindset. Injuries derailed his career, but T-Mac with a killer instinct and unrelenting love for the game would have been something. He could have been even better on offense, and had the potential to be a top tier defender.

[theforumblue]

kwame brown with no fs given attitude. or maybe one that goes to college and gets developed by a supportive coach and then comes into nba to a supportive management.

smarter elden "lights are on but no one's home" campbell would've been real nice.

[jokeboy86]

Not the best but I always feel that Gerald Green should've been better than what he's shown in his career. I'll also add Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. There's a reason the Bulls franchise drafted those two that high and if you could combine the strengths of both those players you have a HoF center. But the most frustrating player to me is Tim Thomas. When the Bucks traded Glenn Robinson, most Bucks fans thought he would step up and fill the role and instead he was a disappointment. A guy who was too sure of himself(even to this day) but never put forth the effort.

[Wolf of Ball St]

Name that’s already been mentioned: Brandon Roy. Without crippling knee issues, could have had a DWade-esque career. Did have a few great years, but could have been a force for 5-7 more years for sure. Definitely enough talent to carry a team as a first option.

Name that hasn’t been mentioned yet: Eddie Griffin. Sad story, was one of my favorite under the radar, up and comers in the mid-2000s. 6’10 PF, good numbers off the bench (solid 8/8 in 20 mpg) and was before his time. Stretched the floor and shot 3s, which was rare 15 years ago. Struggled with alcoholism and died in a car crash after driving over 3x the legal limit. Gone too soon at 25. If he could have found the right help, could have been a really nice second or third option.

[minami]

Didn´t read the whole thread but for me it has to be Drazen Petrovic, and I say this as a suffering Spaniard who watched the guy in terror when he was playing against 'us' for Cibona/Yugoslavia back in the day. He had the potential to be the best European player ever in the NBA for deacades (yes, even better than Dirk) and a perennial All-Star, but a combination of mismanagement and bad luck didn´t allow it;

He was already a superstar in Europe when he went to Portland and had to deal with sitting on the bench for 20 long months, which was pretty devastating both at personal level and career wise (he was already a bit late). Ok, Drexler and Porter were great but still...You don´t give 6 minutes a game to freacking Drazen Petrovic, dear Adelman. Come on.

Finally he moved to New Jersey where he was given a starting role, finally. Yet he was misused again as a spot/static shooter for far too long, when he was actually one of the best and most agressive iso players I´ve ever seen. Anyway his incredible skill to create his own shots (and make them) was only paralleled by his competitiveness and he began to deliver by his 2nd/3rd seasons in the Nets, and even then he wasn´t even invited to the All-Star against arguably lesser players;



Then we all know how it all ended tragically at still 28 years old. The fact that he had yet a decent NBA career as an European pioneer is a bit misleading and doesn´t tell the whole story imo. If only he had half the luck of Pau, Parker and Dirk career wise we´d be surely talking about a NBA legend.



*I am talking about NBA career here, as he is already a legend in Europe.

[mcmokken]

Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins potential was never that high. The dude has incredibly low basketball IQ and awareness, like maybe all time low. BBIQ is to some extent developed but a lot of that is talent which he never had.

He was blessed with the elite athleticism and physical tools, the rare gifts that are "unteachable," and for that alone his potential will always be very high. His major deficiencies as a player fall mainly under the "teachable" category but he simply chooses to have a bad/lazy attitude about it. I don't think he will ever come close to reaching his potential, but it is there.

[Scalabrine]

It really makes no sense that Stockton + Malone didn't translate to multiple championships, so I'll say Stockton should have shot more. He was a great scorer from everywhere. Stop passing to Greg Ostertag so much, my dude. Also, 36 year old Magic Johnson was a pretty good power forward. Reagan and other world leaders intentionally spread the HIV virus, in doing nothing. His prime got cut off like Muhammad Ali. Also also, the Soviet Union overworked Arvydas.

It makes a ton of sense when you factor that they played in the same era as the GOAT.

[benhillboy]

I'd say Kevin Martin, only because he was so under the radar his whole career.

But under the radar wasn’t the question being asked. If anything, Kevin Martin reached or exceeded all reasonable expectations during his career.

He was among the best true shooting guards the past decade or so, yes, but he saw no All NBA or Team USA selections, no All-Star nods. During his stint with OKC they had him coming off the bench behind Thabo friggin' Sefolosha. He could've been a perennial star had injuries and bad personnel decisions not played such a factor.

Put some respect on Thabo. Highest career defensive box of any active backcourt player.

[benhillboy]

Vince Carter
Glen Rice
Stephon Marbury
Micheal Finley
Jim Jackson
Steve Francis
Penny Hardaway
Grant Hill
Amare Stoudemire
Damon Stoudamire
Eddie Jones
Nick Van Exel
Rasheed Wallace
Mirsad Turkcan
David Thompson
Keith Van Horn
Christian Laettner
Vladimir Radmanovic

Eddie Jones doesn’t belong, dude was cold. I think he was underrated, just outshined by ATG teammates.

[The_Hater]

But under the radar wasn’t the question being asked. If anything, Kevin Martin reached or exceeded all reasonable expectations during his career.

He was among the best true shooting guards the past decade or so, yes, but he saw no All NBA or Team USA selections, no All-Star nods. During his stint with OKC they had him coming off the bench behind Thabo friggin' Sefolosha. He could've been a perennial star had injuries and bad personnel decisions not played such a factor.

Put some respect on Thabo. Highest career defensive box of any active backcourt player.

Plus he seems to think that Martin coming off the bench means they thought Thabo was the better player, while completely ignoring that James Harden came off the bench behind him for the 3 previous seasons.

It’s all about fit and allowing the better scorer, Martin or Harden, to be the number 1 option with the bench unit. He doesn’t seem to get that.

[benhillboy]

Josh Smith?

On the money. His peak was so insane. He could have a poor man’s LeBron effect on the game when he was right. End to end block and alley oop sequences, great finds. Unfortunately he was the only player in NBA history to be regularly booed by his home crowd at the sight of a three attempt.

[benhillboy]

Mashburn is a good mention. I thought he was a much better shooter than he was (.456 efg, damn near LeBron size)

The main one for me is Brandon Roy. Perfect mix of team player with star qualities, just entering his prime. Damn his knees,

[benhillboy]

Tim Thomas was a good one as well. I think he fooled people by his appearance: he just looked like the quintessential lifetime hooper. Checked his stats he was an awful passer, rebounder, and shot blocker.

[jehosafats]

But under the radar wasn’t the question being asked. If anything, Kevin Martin reached or exceeded all reasonable expectations during his career.

He was among the best true shooting guards the past decade or so, yes, but he saw no All NBA or Team USA selections, no All-Star nods. During his stint with OKC they had him coming off the bench behind Thabo friggin' Sefolosha. He could've been a perennial star had injuries and bad personnel decisions not played such a factor.

Put some respect on Thabo. Highest career defensive box of any active backcourt player.

Thabo has intangibles on defense, no doubt. What draws gasps is his offense, especially compared to Martin.

Plus he seems to think that Martin coming off the bench means they thought Thabo was the better player, while completely ignoring that James Harden came off the bench behind him for the 3 previous seasons.

It’s all about fit and allowing the better scorer, Martin or Harden, to be the number 1 option with the bench unit. He doesn’t seem to get that.

Not exactly complicated. Martin and Harden both started their careers coming off the bench. Eddie Jones wasn't necessarily the better player, even if a rookie Kobe was miffed about it. The difference is Martin was a starter before landing in Oklahoma. OKC continuing with the same inflexible offensive schemes doesn't say much about their decisions.

[The_Hater]

He was among the best true shooting guards the past decade or so, yes, but he saw no All NBA or Team USA selections, no All-Star nods. During his stint with OKC they had him coming off the bench behind Thabo friggin' Sefolosha. He could've been a perennial star had injuries and bad personnel decisions not played such a factor.

Put some respect on Thabo. Highest career defensive box of any active backcourt player.

Thabo has intangibles on defense, no doubt. What draws gasps is his offense, especially compared to Martin.

Plus he seems to think that Martin coming off the bench means they thought Thabo was the better player, while completely ignoring that James Harden came off the bench behind him for the 3 previous seasons.

It’s all about fit and allowing the better scorer, Martin or Harden, to be the number 1 option with the bench unit. He doesn’t seem to get that.

Not exactly complicated. Martin and Harden both started their careers coming off the bench. Eddie Jones wasn't necessarily the better player, even if a rookie Kobe was miffed about it. The difference is Martin was a starter before landing in Oklahoma. OKC continuing with the same inflexible offensive schemes doesn't say much about their decisions.

Still don’t get it. Not surprised.

[Kabookalu]

Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins potential was never that high. The dude has incredibly low basketball IQ and awareness, like maybe all time low. BBIQ is to some extent developed but a lot of that is talent which he never had.

He was blessed with the elite athleticism and physical tools, the rare gifts that are "unteachable," and for that alone his potential will always be very high. His major deficiencies as a player fall mainly under the "teachable" category but he simply chooses to have a bad/lazy attitude about it. I don't think he will ever come close to reaching his potential, but it is there.

It's hard drawing the lines between what is bad awareness and laziness, but personally I'd lean towards him being lazy. Apparently he shows up the most in games against LeBron and my Raptors. I get a misconstrued perception of Wiggins because I am a Raptors fan and most of the time I think he's a budding star, nailing shot after shot and actually trying. I wouldn't say he makes high IQ plays in spades, but against us his IQ is not something that stands out as lacking.

Wiggins with a killer instinct could have been an amazing player to watch.