Russell Westbrook Getty Imagesįive years ago, it would have been crazy to imagine if any NBA player would ever average a triple-double at the end of an NBA season, like Oscar Robertson once did. For his all of his abilities and scoring prowess, he was never considered a “winner.” Who knows how history would have looked back on him if Grant Hill didn’t suffer his career-derailing injuries when he and McGrady signed with the Orlando Magic in the summer of 2000. At 6’8, McGrady was the type of do-it-all wing player that so many NBA teams absolutely salivate over in today’s era of basketball: someone who could legitimately play five positions on the basketball court, and present athletic mismatches at every one of them.īut despite all of his career accomplishments, including seven selections to an All-NBA team (which includes two First-Team selections), some people say McGrady suffered from what some would describe as “good stats on bad teams” syndrome. If we’re being honest, Tracy McGrady was one of the most physically gifted players in decades. There’s little reason why so many people believed the three-time All-NBA First-Team selection would help LeBron James bring a title back to the Los Angeles Lakers’ franchise.

Anthony Davis Getty ImagesĪ 6’10 big man with the fluidity and agility of a guard, but with the wingspan of a condor (7’6) allowing him to absolutely suffocate anyone he guarded and protect the rim (almost 5 blocks per game in college) as well as anyone we had seen in years, Anthony Davis went from being the no-brainer #1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft to one of the most breathtaking talents the NBA has ever seen.Īfter averaging 23.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game over the three seasons following his rookie year, Davis made the proverbial leap towards becoming a true NBA superstar, upping his averages to 27.5 points and 11.6 rebounds (and 2.4 blocks) per game over his last three seasons in New Orleans. Though he would eventually evolve into more of a crafty elder statesman in an NBA career that’s still going on, Rose is another case of “what could’ve been, if not for injury.” 20.

In just his third season in the NBA, Rose was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, becoming not only the first member of the Chicago Bulls to win the award, but the youngest player in NBA history to do so.Īn absolute blur with the ball in his hands, with an ability to attack the basket before the defense even knows what hit them, Rose averaged at least 20 points and 6 assists in three of his first four seasons in the league, before a series of debilitating knee injuries began to sap away so much of Rose’s signature explosive ability.

If you need any proof that the basketball gods can be as cruel as they can be benevolent, then look no further than the fate of Derrick Rose.

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