Oct 8, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Shaun Livingston (14) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) defends in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Nets won 111-106 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ah. the land of the “what if”. Today, we’ll be talking about players who looked like they could be stars, but, could never got/get on the court enough. The players on this list are not stars, even in it’s lowest form. Also, like I said before, these guys never made it to star status. In some cases, they had a Jeremy Lin experience: A burst of really good play, but just can’t sustain it, due to injuries. Not to say Lin was held back by injuries. So, just about all of the guys on this list were held back early on before we got a real chance to see what they’re worth. Their stats looked really good and they were poised to be a legit star. I’m going with current players as well.
Are ya ready? Well, let’s go!
4 Andrew Bogut
It seems like each season he plays in, he’s got an injury keeping him out for an extended period. In his rookie year, he did play all 82 games. Since then, he’s only hit the 70 game mark once — in his third year. And yet, when he plays, you can clearly see his team’s performance enhanced. He can block shots and defend. He can grab those boards too. And while early in his career many saw him on the verge of being a star, he could never stay on the court long enough for us to really see what he was worth. Even when he played, there was something holding him back. At age 29, he might have a couple of years left of prime time to get his game up. But, I think his best days are behind him.
3. Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has established himself as a powerful scorer. However, during this time, he’s been injured. Last three seasons, he hasn’t made it to 60 games. The first two seasons, he only had 78 and 62 games. Only 25, he still has years ahead of him (if his knee holds up). As an explosive player who relies heavily on the knees, he may never quite reach that star level that many expected him to.
2. Shaun Livingston
Those in the NBA world know about this gruesome injury. I mean, he had other injuries but we gotta focus on that specific incident. To this day, and this is coming from someone who watches football on a consistent basis, Livingston’s injury has to be the most horrific injury I have ever seen. It looked so bad and the seriousness was just as bad. Coming as a lottery pick in a well stocked 2004 draft, I really think he could have been special. Still, he’s made a comeback and that’s good for him. One of the things I’ve heard about Livingston is that he’s got a great basketball mind. So, even while he may never be a star, if he can still play a decent amount of games, he’ll be in the league. Teams will take a chance on him.
1. Greg Oden
Was there really any surprise? Oden has joined the Heat and one has to wonder how much he’ll contribute to the team. We already heard of the first “setback”. In his 82 games, if you look at his PER 36, he’s actually playing at a high level which makes folks want to keep taking a chance on him. He’ll probably never get to where the Blazers and the league thought he would be.
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