3 NBA Players We Didn’t See Enough Of This Season

The past NBA season has once again showcased an amazing depth in talent, whether it was veteran players like Andre Miller reminding us they still have game or youngsters like Danny Green who had numerous spells in the D-league over his short career who’s now suiting up for the Spurs as a dangerous three point shooter in the NBA finals.

Some players though haven’t lived up to expectation and reputation they had going into the season, here’s just three of them but some I feel have definitely stood out.

1. JaVale McGee (Denver Nuggets)

Yes, he is ridiculed for stupid players every week. But the fact is, Masai Ujiri traded away Nene for McGee, a trade that came as a surprise to some but displayed the faith an elite NBA head office and coaching staff have in the young Centre’s potential.

The 25-year-old former Nevada player has INSANE dimensions for a human being, he is seven feet tall but has an arm span of 7ft 6.5in, the longest of any player in the NBA. His paint defence and offense is very productive, scoring a lot from around the hoop whilst consistently blocking shots on the other end.

Despite all of this 2012/13 was not his breakthrough year, only averaging 9ppg being limited as a rotation player with George Karl choosing to play Kosta Koufos instead. His on-court play still did not show any maturity and although he was hand chosen by ‘the dream’ Hakeem himself to take part in a training camp with him in the pre season, his post moves were reasonably ineffective.

2013/14 could still be his year though, he only played 18 minutes a game this year and managed to grab 5 boards and block two shots a game, which if he was given a starting role would equate to seriously good defensive numbers. With a new coach in Denver every player has a chance to prove himself, maybe his new reality TV show ‘Millionaire Mama’s boy’ won’t do him any favours but it’s what he does on the court that he’ll be judged on.

2. Gerald Green (Indiana Pacers)

I, for one, was impressed when Green came to the NJ Nets towards the end of the 2011/2012 season. After three years away from the league playing in Europe he signed a 10 day contract, then another, and then he was rewarded with a contract ’till the end of the season.

What made him earn the contract was not his trademark devastating dunks but what he seemed to have changed about his game was his discipline, shot selection and shot succession. In 31 games for the Nets he averaged nearly 13 points, the highest he’d ever managed in a single season, he grabbed four boards a game and shot nearly .400% from beyond the arc.

These numbers for a player who’d spent so much time away from the big leagues showed a lot of teams around the league that he’d matured and was ready for an extended NBA career.

The Indiana Pacers certainly believed so and gave him a 3 years / $10.50 million deal, quickly showing their enthusiasm in the Shooting Guard’s game by making him a key cog in the team’s rotation. Green’s intensity and productivity unfortunately slowed up over the course of the season and he ended up being a solid bench player, averaging 18 minutes a game scoring just eight, the Gerald Green who showed up at New Jersey last season wasn’t with us this season.

I don’t see a light at the end of this tunnel, Green will probably now have to work hard to carve himself out a career as a useful NBA bench player with his highlight reel dunks and above average 3-point shooting.

3. Thomas Robinson (Houston Rockets)

When you get drafted in your first season in the NBA, things are not going well for you. When the team that then traded FOR you decides to try and shop you around to make space in the roster, things are going even worse.

Less than a year ago Robinson was drafted 5th out of Kansas in a reasonably strong class however he has struggled to impress with the young power forward being given around 15 minutes a game, scoring just five.

It would be unfair to call him a failure after just one year but many issues of his game (especially his IQ and discipline) need to be addressed if he wants to make sure he isn’t given an early retirement from the NBA.