Players Who Peaked Early

[Stringer Bell]

There's the obvious ones due to injury (P. Hardaway, Sampson) or substance abuse (Dumas, D. Thompson), but I was thinking more about players who peaked early for other reasons. Some players that simply didn't improve much from early on.

For example, Joe Smith. Number 1 overall pick in 1995. Solid rookie season in which he averages 15 and 9 a game and finishes 3rd in ROTY voting. Also averaged 1.6 blocks per game. Puts up similar numbers his next year, only his PPG goes up to 19. Then he gets traded in his 3rd season, and has a journeyman career.

Another Warrior who peaked early was Billy Owens. The Warriors made the brilliant move of breaking up Run-TMC and trading Mitch Richmond for Billy Owens (although it pales in comparison to the trades with Boston in 1980 and picking Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant). He has a solid rookie year, averaging 14 and 8 a game on 53% FG, and playing some point forward. He did suffer an injury and missed half of his second season, but came back the next year with another solid season, putting up 15, 8, and 4 and playing well in the postseason. Then he just goes downhill from there, getting traded to Miami, and becoming a journeyman. He had a rep for being lazy and letting himself get fat.

Christian Laettner can qualify too, although Injuries played some part in it. He put up pretty respectable numbers for his first few seasons and made an all-star team. He messed up his Achilles and his performance just went down from then-on. But I think even before the injury, he had maxed out his potential as a pro player, after having been an all-time great college player.

He probably would have had more solid, 18/8 type seasons if not for the injury, but not much improvement, if any at all, from the level he was performing at.

Who else peaked early?

[J Shuttlesworth]

Jeremy Lin

His peak was what... 2 weeks?

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Probably Carter, tho his prime lasted quite a long time.

[wakencdukest]

Tyreke evans

[TheMarkMadsen]

good thread

Damon Stoudamire, as a rookie puts up 19/4/9 wins ROY, next years goes for 20/4/9, gets traded to Portland for 3 players, 2 first round picks, 2nd round pick and cash, his numbers drop slightly while splitting time with both teams that season, 17/4/9. After that year he never got to 17 ppg again, he did have a 50+ point game in 05 tho.

holds the record for most 3pt attempts in a game with 21, only making 5..

[rule1223]

tyreke evans, peaked in his rookie year

[hangintheair]

People who is his best average is their rookie season.

Ron Harper
Damon Stoudamire
Tyreke Evans
Emeka Okafor

[JohnFreeman]

I miss Reke :cry:

[jamal99]

Tyreke evans
This. The guy peaked in his rookie season and steadily dropping since then...

[Collie]

One of my favorite players of the 90's, Vin Baker, peaked in year 3 and 4, averaging 21-10. From then on, he declined steadily until he was absolute scrub status by the early 00's.

Funnily enough, a lot of guys peaked early in the 90's. You have Derrick Coleman, Juwan Howard, Larry Johnson (though due to injury), Billy Owens, Corliss Williamson. Weird that a lot of them were also power forwards.

[L.Kizzle]

Walt Bellamy

[oarabbus]

Looks like the consensus is Tyreke

[JohnFreeman]

Tyreke is just not being used properly. We should have used him as a PG in SAC

[rhowen4]

Tyreke is definitely the best he has ever been despite the stats disagreeing

[noob cake]

Tyreke didn't peak early.

He isn't being used correctly. Give him to Pops.

[JohnFreeman]

Tyreke didn't peak early.

He isn't being used correctly. Give him to Pops.
Give Tyreke and DMC to Pop

[dubeta]

Elton Brand, Eddie Curry, Blake Griffin

[gyu]

Tmac

[Collie]

Tyreke didn't peak early.

He isn't being used correctly. Give him to Pops.

Reke was actually pretty good last year, highest PER he's ever had, highest per 36 rebounds and assists per game, second highers per 36 points per game.

He also had a bad start to the year, managed to salvage it during the last 2 months, averaging 20-5-6 during that span. No doubt, he'd be much more effective in a better offensive scheme.

[GrapeApe]

Maybe not his peak but Antione Walker had his lone 20/10 season in his second year.

[oarabbus]

Maybe not his peak but Antione Walker had his lone 20/10 season in his second year.

Similarly, Antawn Jamison was 25/9 in his 3rd year.

[Rake2204]

Dikembe Mutombo's peak obviously was almost entirely defense-based and occurred at about the right time in his career so I don't know if he'd qualify for this thread. But I admit I always found it interesting that he averaged nearly 16 points per game his rookie year and never really came close to that number again in the seasons thereafter.

I did not follow the '92 Nuggets back then (I was in 2nd grade) but I often assume they tried to force him to be an offensive threat in year one then slowly realized he was never really going to be that guy.

[CelticBalla32]

Maybe not his peak but Antione Walker had his lone 20/10 season in his second year.

http://imgsrv.espn1100.com/image/kwwn2/UserFiles/Image/BlogPix/antoine-walker.jpg

[T_L_P]

Kobe peaked at 21.

[Hizack]

MCW peaked in his debut game. 22+12+9+7.

[f0und]

steve francis

[HylianNightmare]

People who is his best average is their rookie season.

Ron Harper
Damon Stoudamire
Tyreke Evans
Emeka Okafor
Emeka :facepalm

[alexd]

Jennings

[brooks_thompson]

OJ Mayo, years one and two.

[magnax1]

No one has said TMac yet? He's the first that comes to mind for me.

[aj1987]

Maybe not his peak but Antione Walker had his lone 20/10 season in his second year.
He put up 23/9/6/2/1 in '01.

[QuebecBaller]

Keith Van Horn

year 2 --> 21.8/8.5/1.0/1.3 (pts/rbs/stl/blk)

[uber]

holds the record for most 3pt attempts in a game with 21, only making 5..

Nope.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/06/j-r-smith-sets-single-game-nba-record-for-most-three-point-attempts-in-loss-to-heat/

[obonpaxis]

Shane Battier statistically peaked during his first season (14 ppg - he'd never do better than 10 afterwards).

[smoovegittar]

Landry Fields! :oldlol:

[no pun intended]

Juwan Howard

[G.O.A.T]

Dikembe Mutombo's peak obviously was almost entirely defense-based and occurred at about the right time in his career so I don't know if he'd qualify for this thread. But I admit I always found it interesting that he averaged nearly 16 points per game his rookie year and never really came close to that number again in the seasons thereafter.

I did not follow the '92 Nuggets back then (I was in 2nd grade) but I often assume they tried to force him to be an offensive threat in year one then slowly realized he was never really going to be that guy.

I think your inclination was right about Mutombo. Also those Nugget teams never had a legit #1 scorer, so he was going to be asked to do a little more. I recall LaPhonso Ellis, Reggie Williams, Robert Pack, and the former Chris Jackson as those teams best scorers.

Another note of interest to me...It's typical for a guy to peak early on a very bad team if he was chosen too high in the draft or mis-evaluated as a player. Some good examples have been mentioned in the thread...

Battier, Joe Smith, Van Horn, Tyreke Evans, Damon Stoudamire, Walt Bellamy.

Some others I can think of: Chris Jackson, Jim Jackson, Mark Jackson, Luke Jackson, Marc Jackson and Jack Sikma.

A couple guys no one has mentioned who peaked early: Marvin Barnes and Ralph Sampson. Big guys peak early sometimes too. Their bodies can only take so much. Also drug users peak early, for the same reason but different.