Players who you felt that didn't live up to their potential?

[Micku]

Was watching this today about Shaq. Lakers trainer Gary Vitti basically said, Shaq could've been the best player of all time. But he didn't want it. He wanted to inspire kids. He still wanted to win, but not the drive to be the best ever.

But many ppl said Shaq could've been the best of all time. Kobe said it. Shaq kind'a mentioned it to Kobe in their open interview with each other. Shaq eased up because of Kobe working hard.

Gary Vitti:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUHdIBJ84do

Kobe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn-kaLoOBrY

So, what other player do you feel like didn't live up to their potential? Work ethic? Injury wise? Was in the wrong era? Etc.

Other than Shaq, I felt Andrew Bynum. Man...this dude had the tools to be one of the best centers. But his mindset wasn't right. He didn't care as much. Lamar Odom too. I always felt he could've been better.

[elementally morale]

Shaq was the first one coming to mind. Tracy McGrady. Vince Carter. Penny Hardaway. Grant Hill. Obvious choices. Sometimes it's injury... sometimes just being too laid back like Vince. Sometimes both, T-Mac.

Two not so obvious choices for me are: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe worked hard... too hard. He should've let some of that seriousness go and he should've had a little bit less pride and more generosity. He could've won 7-8 rings that way. And LeBron I think made a mistake not choosing the Magic-like path for his career. He played Magic-like in his first 1-2 years an he is kinda doing the same this year. Had he done that throughout his career, I think he would've had more success.

[SouBeachTalents]

These dudes including Shaq, LeBron & Kobe :oldlol: I don't care if your potential is Jesus combined with Einstein, if you end up in the discussion as one of the 10 greatest ever in your field, you lived up to your potential

[elementally morale]

These dudes including Shaq, LeBron & Kobe :oldlol: I don't care if your potential is Jesus combined with Einstein, if you end up in the discussion as one of the 10 greatest ever in your field, you lived up to your potential


Yes and no. You have fulfilled your potential at 15 if you become a top 10 player all-time, sure. But your potential at 25 is different.

I have a good example. Luka Doncic. He seems to be a top 3 player in the NBA at the moment and possibly the best 20 year old player ever. has he fulfilled his potential? In a sense, he has. Nobody thought he would be this good this soon. So... his potential has shifted. He always had potential to be a great NBA player... now he has potential to be the best ever. Will he live up to that?

[bigkingsfan]

Len Bias

[PP34Deuce]

JR SMITH had star SG potential
Stephon Marbury
Tim thomas
Jonathan bender
Baron davis
Otto porter will be added to this list
John wall

[Uncle Drew]

These dudes including Shaq, LeBron & Kobe :oldlol: I don't care if your potential is Jesus combined with Einstein, if you end up in the discussion as one of the 10 greatest ever in your field, you lived up to your potential
Living up to your potential means you become as good as you could have. Shaq did 100% not do that, let's be real here. As great as he was, at his peak probably the greatest to ever do it, he didn't work as hard on his game as he should have.

[MMM]

Sheriff Abdul Rahim.

He was a talented forward but years of crap on Vancouver hamstrung most of the potential he had.

[knicksman]

Lebron. For the stats he has and MVPs. Then the chosen 1 tattoo yet no legit ring to show. He definitely underachieved big time imo.

[Andrei89]

Of course someone mentioned Lebron:lol

[72-10]

Pervis Ellison
Joe Barry Carroll
Kennard Winchester
Billy Ray Bates

[Wally450]

Lebron. For the stats he has and MVPs. Then the chosen 1 tattoo yet no legit ring to show. He definitely underachieved big time imo.

How many players in the NBA have 4 MVPs and 3 championships?

I know you hate LeBron, but just relax for a bit.

[elementally morale]

Of course someone mentioned Lebron:lol


I did. It's a compliment. It means he had more talent, not less.

[72-10]

I did. It's a compliment. It means he had more talent, not less.

I think he's done a good job of utilizing others' talents and the ones he doesnt have.

[MaxPlayer]

It

[Manny98]

Kwame Brown - MJ was supposed to mold him into the next great big man and failed miserably

[Sakkreth]

These dudes including Shaq, LeBron & Kobe :oldlol: I don't care if your potential is Jesus combined with Einstein, if you end up in the discussion as one of the 10 greatest ever in your field, you lived up to your potential

So you are saying Kobe didn't live up to his potential?

[Real14]

Lebron, Starks, Ewing, Melo, Lin, Beasley, etc

[ArbitraryWater]

Shaq was the first one coming to mind. Tracy McGrady. Vince Carter. Penny Hardaway. Grant Hill. Obvious choices. Sometimes it's injury... sometimes just being too laid back like Vince. Sometimes both, T-Mac.

Two not so obvious choices for me are: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe worked hard... too hard. He should've let some of that seriousness go and he should've had a little bit less pride and more generosity. He could've won 7-8 rings that way. And LeBron I think made a mistake not choosing the Magic-like path for his career. He played Magic-like in his first 1-2 years an he is kinda doing the same this year. Had he done that throughout his career, I think he would've had more success.

Dawg I really like you but you say the stupidest things.

LeBron was Magic + scoring.

He did much more than Magic.

Somehow, if he had done less, he would have had more success?

He was never afforded to just be 'Magic'.

Teams dramatically relied upon his scoring.

[elementally morale]

Dawg I really like you but you say the stupidest things.

LeBron was Magic + scoring.

He did much more than Magic.

Somehow, if he had done less, he would have had more success?

He was never afforded to just be 'Magic'.

Teams dramatically relied upon his scoring.


I didn't say he couldn't have been better. I think he could've been better. I said Magic-like. I.e.: Style of play. I also think LeBron would've won more playing that way. (Hint: something you don't understand or do but disagree with is not necessarily stupid.) On another note: LeBron having been a better player than Magic is a good debate. Younger people will vote yes older people no.. or if yes mainly due to longevity and not peak play. As for the result (who's better) I don't care so thanks in advance for not getting into it.

Magic is also a player who couldn't fulfill his potential. As is Bird. Both had short careers because of injury/illness. Both could've won more.

[sammichoffate]

Charles Barkley, his diet was worse than some of the posters on here.
Brandon Roy, dude had top 50 player ever potential but he was cursed w/ bad knees.
OJ Mayo, Vince Carter, Tmac, Josh Smith, Jeff Green, Carmelo, Michael Beasley, Rasheed Wallace.

[superduper]

Bran could've been great if he didn't collude to multiple superteams and take the easy way out.

[theballerFKA Ace]

No mention of Lamar Odom?

As long as KD with less range but much better handles and passing. Imagine if he had been drafted and coached by Pop or Jerry Sloan instead of starting on the carefree, play to have fun, band of young guns, Clippers.

I think one of the reasons KD and Westbrook became so great is because of the lack of distractions in OKC, so they were able to laser focus their skills early on.

[HylianNightmare]

Josh Smith

[knicksman]

How many players in the NBA have 4 MVPs and 3 championships?

I know you hate LeBron, but just relax for a bit.

I really dont value MVPs that much. westbrook have it. And I said legit rings. We dont value garnett rings as much as you guys do.

[Xiao Yao You]

Jeff Green. Great athlete and skilled. Looks like he should be one of the best players out there but you only see it in flashes

[SouBeachTalents]

I really dont value MVPs that much. westbrook have it. And I said legit rings. We dont value garnett rings as much as you guys do.
You apparently don't value Kobe's rings either

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8352176&postcount=46

[Meticode]

Lebron, Starks, Ewing, Melo, Lin, Beasley, etc
I personally would've said LeBron, until he got they 2016 Championship in Cleveland. He did what everyone thought was impossible. Bring a championship to a city that hadn't seen one in any sport in over 50 years.

[Meticode]

Here's one recent.

Ben Simmons.

Had an awesome rookie season starting off. Lots of potential. Since that day nearly three years ago? Hasn't gotten better one lick. Actually at times it looks like he's regressed.

Christian Laettner
O.J. Mayo
J.R. Smith
Josh Smith

...I'm not going to list the obvious ones because of derailing injuries. Like Grant Hill.

[stalkerforlife]

LeBron.

[RRR3]

ITT: obsessed LeBron haters throwing tantrums.

[red1]

dwight until this year

[RRR3]

dwight until this year
:kobe:

Dwight was a monster in his prime.

[red1]

:kobe:

Dwight was a monster in his prime.
then he fell off a cliff and didnt do shit for a decade



until now

[Smoke117]

dwight until this year

It's almost like he experienced a severe career altering back injury or something. :rolleyes:

[red1]

It's almost like he experienced a severe career altering back injury or something. :rolleyes:
good one alchy.



he bounced around and struggled. I thought he'd have a better career. he's definitely contributing now at the ripe age of 34, just having turned turned 34 today.

[DoctorP]

Chris Dunn. I thought he was gonna be better than he is

[SouBeachTalents]

For players who weren't injured

Derrick Coleman
Sheed
Odom

Due to injury

Oden
Penny
Rose
Roy

[Meticode]

For players who weren't injured

Derrick Coleman
Sheed
Odom

Due to injury

Oden
Penny
Rose
Roy
Injury, Grant Hill is the biggest name for me. Dude had potential to be Top 10 All-Time, but his stupid food injuries all the time in Orlando.

[Horatio33]

Sheed for me. Had Duncan like fundamentals, a great fadeaway jumpshot and was really athletic. 6-11 with long arms and great defence. He didn

[DoctorP]

[QUOTE=Horatio33]Sheed for me. Had Duncan like fundamentals, a great fadeaway jumpshot and was really athletic. 6-11 with long arms and great defence. He didn

[72-10]

how could we forget Michael Olowokandi - dude bricked right at the rim

[72-10]

dwight until this year

no player has ever had less help

[72-10]

In their primes, Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway were both top five players in the L. They could do it all. Never seen players careers so hampered by injuries, just like the injury-riddled Bill Walton.

[Airupthere]

Carmelo Anthony. As prolific a scorer a he was, he should have had a bigger impact on teams he joined, and he could have been a winner if he had a lot more intangibles.

[Airupthere]

Penny is one of my favorite players as well. I wish he didnt get bogged down with injuries.

[72-10]

these are awesome ments in the thread

[Airupthere]

I would add shawn kemp. Very exciting to watch but he could have been more disciplined and focused on the game.

[insidehoops]

Wound be fun to do a list on this by decade.

[SamuraiSWISH]

These dudes including Shaq, LeBron & Kobe :oldlol: I don't care if your potential is Jesus combined with Einstein, if you end up in the discussion as one of the 10 greatest ever in your field, you lived up to your potential

Agreed. I don’t understand why people have them on this list LOL besides being a raging fan boys or haters. When I think of wasted potential I think of guys like Tim Thomas, Terrence Williams, James White, Gerald Green, Shannon Brown ... Dudes with through the roof innate natural god given genetic lottery athleticism and didn’t do EFF all with it.

[insidehoops]

Probably best to ponder this sort of thing as two different groups:

1) Players who were ruined by injury.

2) Players who stayed healthy but simply didn't reach their potential.

[FKAri]

Agreed. I don’t understand why people have them on this list LOL besides being a raging fan boys or haters. When I think of wasted potential I think of guys like Tim Thomas, Terrence Williams, James White, Gerald Green, Shannon Brown ... Dudes with through the roof innate natural god given genetic lottery athleticism and didn’t do EFF all with it.

Maybe they just jumped high? There's a talent to having a feel for the game and how to score. Carmelo was a better scorer as a freshman in Syracuse than any of these dudes ever were.

[Reggie43]

Jermaine O'neal and Ron Artest could have been a championship duo if they had their head on straight.

[Gougou]

Markelle Fultz...

Number 1 pick only averages 11 pts a game, such a tragedy, after that shoulder injury he was never the same.

[RoseCity07]

I thought Shane Battier could have been better. Seems like ESPN never shut up about him and he turned out to just be solid.

[Phoenix]

I thought Shane Battier could have been better. Seems like ESPN never shut up about him and he turned out to just be solid.

Consider the program he came from. Nobody would have given a shit if he came from Gonzaga.

[Phoenix]

Re: Shaq.

Shaq left some things on the table. I think that's a different conversation from saying whether he lived up to his potential. His potential was to be one of the best ever and he achieved that. He should have as many MVPs as Bron and as many titles as MJ though. Make of that what you will.

[Bawkish]

Derrick Rose

IMO he was far more explosive than Westbrick

Though we can say DRose today was statistically better than his pre-injury days, 2011 Rose is an athletic monster

imagine his athletic peak combined with his BBIQ today

[Manny98]

Michael Kidd Gilchrist was supposed to be a legit superstar but he's barely improved since his rookie season.

[Axe]

Two decades ago, Portland has had two unfortunate players who had potential in Brandon Roy and Greg Oden but were crippled by their own injuries which also led to their early exit in their careers.

[Doranku]

I'd include Yao in the injury derailment list. Dude was an absolute beast and continually improving until his foot/leg injuries decimated his career and forced him to retire at 30.

[ronniec]

Sebastian Telfair.

I still remember before he made the NBA, he had his own show (on MTV if I am not wrong) telling his story, like a biography... it was really a big deal at that time.

[ronniec]

I'd include Yao in the injury derailment list. Dude was an absolute beast and continually improving until his foot/leg injuries decimated his career and forced him to retire at 30.

Basically he had no time to rest because every off season he had to play for his country.
Till one day, he finally collapsed.

[FKAri]

I'd include Yao in the injury derailment list. Dude was an absolute beast and continually improving until his foot/leg injuries decimated his career and forced him to retire at 30.

Going hard for China in the off-seasons definitely contributed. And one thing about Yao was he always went hard.

[pauk]

Penny Hardaway
Grant Hill
Shawn Kemp

[Phoenix]

I think guys like Grant Hill and Penny shouldn't fit into this category. Injuries derailed them but both were obviously great players tracking for historic careers. Yao was dropping like 23/10 until his feet couldn't take it anymore.

Shawn Kemp ate his way out of the league IIRC.

[superduper]

Pre-multiple super team collusions Bran

[SouBeachTalents]

Pre-multiple super team collusions Bran
You gotta get some new material

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?475558-Players-who-you-felt-that-didn-t-live-up-to-their-potential&p=13894006&viewfull=1#post13894006

[superduper]

You gotta get some new material

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?475558-Players-who-you-felt-that-didn-t-live-up-to-their-potential&p=13894006&viewfull=1#post13894006

Reality doesn't change

[Uncle Drew]

You gotta get some new material

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?475558-Players-who-you-felt-that-didn-t-live-up-to-their-potential&p=13894006&viewfull=1#post13894006
:roll: Pathetic.

[red1]

I'd include Yao in the injury derailment list. Dude was an absolute beast and continually improving until his foot/leg injuries decimated his career and forced him to retire at 30.

tmac and yao man rockets fans caught a tough break there :(

[Axe]

Eddy curry and Kwame brown

[Duderonomy]

I'd include Yao in the injury derailment list. Dude was an absolute beast and continually improving until his foot/leg injuries decimated his career and forced him to retire at 30.
Yao was a test tube Chinese experiment what did you expect?

To the people saying Shaq he was 7'1 and Over 300lbs he wasn't going to able to train full tilt or stay healthy 20 years.

[Horatio33]

Chris Webber
Sheed
Derrick Coleman
Vince Carter

[tanibanana]

Let us not include players who did not reached their full potential due to injuries/tragedy, because that would be a long list (Grant Hill, Greg Oden, Derrick Rose, Ralph Sampson, and many more)...

Players who was somewhat healthy and full of potential but did not reached it.

[Axe]

Jerry stackhouse?

[Wally450]

Len Bias

[Spurs m8]

LeRoid

[BigShotBob]

Samaki Walker should have been a superstar

[tresbigdog]

Flip Johnson

[Smoke117]

Tracy Mcgrady should definitely be up here. He had all the talent in the world, but besides 2003 he wasn't, frankly, anything special. He basically always settled for the jump shot throughout his career while only being decent there. He never developed the ball handling and slashing ability he should have been able to. Frankly, all these guards coming up in the late 90s early 2000s would get this next Jordan moniker, but none of them ever attacked the rim like a young prime Jordan did till Wade. Tmac, Kobe, Allen...they always settled for the jump shot over the drive like a latter Jordan did. That isn't playing like Jordan did as he was all about attacking the basket in his 20s and prime. Dwyane Wade was the only one who actually played like a prime Jordan.

[Stanley Kobrick]

Brandon Roy

[brutalBBQ]

Johnson, Barkley,Ewing, Starks, Malone, Stockton ,Payton, Kemp,
All had a legitimate chance at a title but just couldn't get there.

[iDunkOreo]

Look at my avi. I was sounding like an idiot in highschool. I was calling Rivers the next great SG, AI 2.0... The Duke homerism got the best of me, and his jumper never got consistent off the dribble like it was in high school.

[Phoenix]

Tracy Mcgrady should definitely be up here. He had all the talent in the world, but besides 2003 he wasn't, frankly, anything special. He basically always settled for the jump shot throughout his career while only being decent there. .

Tmac's driving ability got worse( as did he in general) after that one 2003 season that everyone clings to, because of his back issue. 2003 otherwise would have a sign of things to come, at 24 years old. Wade was still a better slasher though compared to 2003 Tmac, much faster, shiftier and better at getting into the seams. Closest anyone came to actually duplicating prime ( 88-93) MJ's playstyle. Kobe was more like 1996-98 MJ but shot the 3 more.