9 Players Whose Great Stats Were All For Nothing

Aside from a gruesome injury or an Andre Roberson jump shot, there's nothing more painful to watch in the NBA than a talented player wasting his time on a truly atrocious team. Some are legit stars who got saddled with a bad team or a former role player who put up the numbers because no one else was going to, there are plenty of examples that could go on this list. So many in fact that this definetely won't be the only list I make on this subject. But for now, these are 9 players whose great stats were all for nothing.

Chris Webber (1994-95)

Chris Webber hadn't even been in the NBA for a year and a half before he had been traded for the second time in his career in 1994. Following a falling out with coach Don Nelson, the former #1 pick & Rookie of the Year exercised a one-year escape clause in his contract, which led to the Golden State Warriors agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks, one of which ended up being used to draft Vince Carter. The Bullets were coming off a poor 24-58 finish the previous season, and while adding Webber looked like a move in the right direction, it ended up hurting the team more than it helped, as the Bullets went 21-61 on the year. This was no fault of Webber's, however, as he averaged 20.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 50% from the field. Things would turn around and the Bullets would make a playoff appearance in 1997 before trading away Webber to the Sacramento Kings in 1998 after four seasons. Unfortunately for Washington (now the Wizards), Webber would go on to have his best years in Sacramento, and the Wizards wouldn't make another playoff appearance until 2005.

Antawn Jamison (2000-01 and 2008-09)

Speaking of those mid-2000s Washington Wizards who I only have memories of because the Cavaliers smoked them in the playoffs all the time, Antawn Jamison was a key player on those Wizards. And like Webber, Jamison also would also put up great numbers on terrible teams. However, Jamison did it not once, but twice. The first of which was during the 2000-01 season as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Since drafting Jamison in the 1998 draft, the Warriors had been abysmal, losing over sixty games two of those three seasons and failing to make the playoffs, and the 2000-01 season was no better despite the 24-year old Jamison having arguably the best season of his career. Jamison averaged 24.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 30% from three-point range as the Warriors went 17-65 on the year. His second great season on a terrible team would happen seven years later during the 2008-09 season as a member of the Wizards. The Wizards were having their most successful stint in the league since the mid-80s at the time, with Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, and Caron Butler creating a strong trio on the court that led the team to four straight playoff appearances. However, with Arenas hampered by injuries, the team collapsed despite Jamison's strong performances. The Wizards went 19-63 on the year, a 24-win drop from the previous year, with Jamison averaging 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from three-point range. The infamous "playing with guns" incident would happen next season and Jamison was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through the year so he could finally see what not getting smoked in the 1st round of the playoffs feels like. The Wizards wouldn't make the playoffs again until 2014.

Dick Van Arsdale (1968-69)

Dick Van Arsdale was just 24 years old and three years into his NBA career when he was picked up by the Phoenix Suns in the 1968 expansion draft. The man known as the original Sun would end up breaking out with the team and led the Suns to a playoff appearance in just his second year with the team. Van Arsdale ascent to the leader of the team was instant, as he put up then career-highs during the 1968-69 season. However, as the team had just joined the league, Van Arsdale's success did not carry over to the rest of the team instantly. The Suns would go 16-66 in their debut season, as Van Arsdale would average 21 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and made his first all-star appearance. Van Arsdale would have two more all-star seasons with the Suns and helped the team reach the playoffs twice during his nine years with the team. Van Arsdale would retire as a Sun in 1977 and would have his #5 jersey retired by the team the same year.

Elton Brand (1999-01)

Elton Brand entered the league as the first overall pick in the 1999 draft. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls, Brand quickly showed that he was a force to be reckoned with, as he averaged a double-double in both of his first two seasons. Unfortunately for Brand, he was on the post-Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls, who had been imploded by general manager Jerry Krause the year before he was drafted in an attempt to trust the process before trusting the process was cool and had just recorded the worst winning percentage in franchise history. Despite Brand's best efforts, the Bulls did not only not improve, but actually got worse, breaking the previous team record for the lowest winning percentage two years in a row. For the 1999-00 season, Brand's rookie season, he averaged 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field as the Bulls went 17-65. The following year for the 2000-01 season, Brand averaged a nearly identical 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, a steal, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field, with the Bulls recording an even worse 15-67 for the year. Brand was able to escape the nightmare that was the post-Jordan era Bulls after he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Tyson Chandler & Brian Skinner following his sophomore year. Brand would go on to make two all-star appearances before retiring in 2016, and the Bulls would have to wait four years before making another playoff appearance in 2005.

Isaiah Rider (1994-95)

Isaiah Rider is a name that doesn't get a lot of attention nowadays. Despite never making an all-star game, however, Rider was one of the league's more underrated players during his short eight-year career. With a career average of 16.7 points per game with shooting percentages of 44% from the field and 35% from three-point range, Rider likely would be better recognized had he not been playing at the same time as guys like Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, and pre-coach strangling Latrell Sprewell. Rider would have the best season of his career in his second year in the league, as he averaged 20.4 points and shot 45% from the field and 35% from three-point range for the 1994-95 season. Unfortunately for Rider, he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves that season. The T'Wolves were in just their sixth year of existence at the time and had never won more than 30 games in a season. While they had improved from the previous year, the T'Wolves still found themselves at the bottom of the league with a 21-61 record. Rider would spend just one more year in Minnesota before being traded in 1996, while the Timberwolves would start an eight-year playoff streak after trading Rider.

Brook Lopez (2009-10 and 2015-17)

Being Brook Lopez must be miserable...I mean, aside from the fact that he's a multi-millionaire who is incredibly talented at basketball. After ten years in the NBA, Lopez has not only been to the playoffs just three times in his career (one of which he was injured for) but he has also managed to be on some of the worst teams in modern NBA history. I guess when you play for the Nets organization for the majority of your career, that's bound to happen. Despite his strong play during these seasons, Lopez has been part of three separate rosters that saw his team lose over 60 games. The first of these disaster line-ups was the 2009-10 team before the Nets made the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. The team went an atrociously bad 12-70 as the then 21-year old Lopez averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 50% from the field. The second came in the 2015-16, the first year post-Deron Williams (remember him?) Lopez averaged 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field, but the Nets still went 21-61. The next season would be the third time Lopez's strong numbers meant a whole lot of nothing for the Nets, as he averaged 20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Nets would go 20-62. Luckily for Lopez, he was traded away from the dumpster fire in Brooklyn in 2017 to the Los Angeles Lakers for D'Angelo Russell.

Clark Kellogg (1982-83)

While he is best known nowadays as one of the commentators for the NBA 2K games, Clark Kellogg was a damn good player during his short NBA career. Drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 8th pick in the 1982 draft, Kellogg would quickly cement his place as one of the brightest rising stars in the entire league. Unfortunately, chronic knee problems derailed his career and after just five seasons, Kellogg was retired. In the three full seasons he got to play with the Pacers, Kellogg showcased a skill set that could've possibly led to several all-star appearances. Unfortunately for him, the Pacers were one of the worst teams in the league during Kellogg's career, going a combined 68-178 during Kellogg's healthy years. The worst of those years was the 1982-83 season which, ironically, was also Kellogg's best season. The Pacers would go 20-62 on the year, despite the rookie Kellogg averaging 20.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. The Pacers would end up making the playoffs during Kellogg's career in 1987, but by that point, Kellogg's knees were too far gone and he would not play during the playoffs, retiring after that year.

Fred Carter (1972-73)

In regards to empty stats, few players statistics meant as little as Fred Carter's did during the 1972-73 season. Prior to that, Carter was a role player on the Baltimore Bullets. He would play two full seasons with the Bullets between 1969 and 1971 before being traded during the 1971-72 season after just two games to the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first full season with his hometown 76ers, Carter would have the best season of his career at that point, averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field. Unfortunately, Carter's stats were nowhere near good enough to help the 76ers overcome their gross incompetence. The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers went 9-73 during the season. That is the worst record for a full NBA season in history and, until the Charlotte Bobcats stank up the joint during the shortened 2011-12 season, was the worst single-season winning percentage of all time. Carter & the 76ers would eventually improve and make the playoffs in 1976. Carter would be traded midway through the next season to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks (one of which would end up being used to draft future Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks) in what would end up being his last season. The Sixers would make the playoffs again that year and made the NBA Finals but would lose to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

Joe Dumars (1993-94)

Finally, we have a Hall of Famer in Joe Dumars. Drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 18th pick in the 1985 draft, Dumars would find success early in his career with the Bad Boy Pistons of the 80s. Along with fellow Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman, Dumars was a key player in the Pistons winning back to back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, with Dumars taking home the Finals MVP in 1989. In the following seasons, Dumars would cement himself as one of the top guards in the league, making six all-star appearances and the All-Defensive 1st Team four times for his career. However, Dumars does have one season on his resume that, despite his strong play, was ruined by his team's incredibly poor outing for the year. Heading into the 1993-94 season where the Pistons missed out on the playoffs for the first time in nine years, the run of the Bad Boys officially came to an end. Dennis Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls during the offseason, Bill Lambier would retire midway through the next season, and Isiah Thomas' season (which was his final season) would go down with a season-ending Achilles' tendon. While Dumars was still able to put up strong numbers, the Pistons fell apart with the loss of 3/4 of the Bad Boys. Dumars averaged 20.4 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three-point range as the team went 20-62, the second-worst record in franchise history. Dumars and the Pistons would recover and make the playoffs in three of the next five seasons before Dumars' retired in 1999.

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