NBA Stars Whose Careers Got Off to Rocky Starts

No matter if a player enters the NBA with major expectations, the road to stardom is often littered with obstacles.

Injuries can derail an early career, something Joel Embiid knows all too well. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bradley Beal worked through some growing pains on offense, and on and on.

But they navigated that early frustration to emerge as high-level players who are some of the most recognizable names in the sport.

The choices are subjective but focus on multi-time All-Star or recent All-NBA players who either didn't provide much production and/or were noticeably inefficient during their first two (or more) NBA seasons.

Jimmy Butler

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler, left, shoots against Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, center, and Chris Paul in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The simplest way to summarize Jimmy Butler's role as a rookie is that he logged four minutes in the Chicago Bulls' six playoff games in 2012.

Call it a rocky start, a slow start; it wasn't a memorable one.

Within a year, however, Butler secured a spot in Tom Thibodeau's extra-thin rotation. He still averaged a modest 8.6 points in that second year, but his proverbial arrow pointed up with starts in all 12 postseason contests.

Fast-forward a decade, and he's a six-time All-Star with a handful of both All-NBA and All-Defensive selections. Butler also won Most Improved Player in the 2014-15 season. Oh, and he's been so productive in the playoffs, he now owns the nickname "Playoff Jimmy."

Not bad for someone who averaged 2.6 points as a rookie.

Bradley Beal

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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 25: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards shoots against Tim Hardaway Jr. #5 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 25, 2014 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Among the players featured here, Bradley Beal enjoyed the most productive rookie year, in 2012-13. The main positive was he quickly established himself as a reliable long-range shooter, hitting 38.6 percent on threes.

Still, inefficiency and injuries stung him early on.

Beal finished with a shooting clip no higher than 42.7 percent in any of his first three seasons. More concerningly, he missed at least 19 games in three of his first four campaigns. Beal earned a max contract after the 2015-16 season, but the contract unquestionably carried risk.

Those concerns quickly vanished as Beal smashed his previous best of 17.4 points per game with 23.1 in 2016-17, made the All-Star team the following year and All-NBA in '20-21. His field-goal percentage hasn't been lower than .449.

Khris Middleton

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AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 29: Khris Middleton #32 of the Detroit Pistons goes to the basket as Terrence Ross #31 of the Toronto Raptors defends during the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors on March 29, 2013 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

A second-round pick of the Detroit Pistons in 2012, Khris Middleton found himself relegated to a reserve role initially.

In addition to playing a few games in the D-League, he managed 27 NBA appearances as a rookie. Middleton averaged 6.1 points in those appearances, hitting just 31.1 percent of his three-point attempts.

But then, a trade to the Milwaukee Bucks ignited his career.

Middleton has since become a three-time All-Star who's netted more than 20 points per game in four seasons. He played an integral role in the Bucks' run to a championship during the 2020-21 campaign, highlighted by a 40-point performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 6: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Chris Singleton #31 of the Washington Wizards during the game at the Verizon Center on December 6, 2013 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Considering what he's accomplished, it's reasonable to believe Giannis Antetokounmpo was a "can't-miss" talent when he arrive in the NBA in 2013. But the reality is Giannis was more of a project than an immediate-impact prospect.

In his rookie year, Antetokounmpo mustered 6.8 points per game on a modest 41.4 percent shooting. He steadily improved over the next two seasons yet didn't become Milwaukee's leading scorer until the fourth year of his career.

From there, however, he hasn't looked back.

Antetokounmpo won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2016-17, consecutive league MVPs in 2018-19 and 2019-20, along with Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20. Through the 2022-23 season, he's landed seven All-NBA and five All-Defensive team honors.

Joel Embiid

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 15: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76er and Sam Hinkie, General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers before the game against the Boston Celtics on December 15, 2014 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Injuries are just awful.

For two seasons, Joel Embiid watched helplessly from the bench. The third overall pick of the 2014 draft never suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers, who endured setback after setback in "The Process" years.

Heck, despite securing All-Rookie honors in 2016-17, he even missed 51 games that season. Embiid has proved worth the wait, but the early portion of his career certainly was an agonizing stretch.

Embiid, finally, has stayed reasonably healthy for the last six years, earning an All-Star nod in each season with a handful of All-NBA selections and three All-Defensive nods. Plus, he finished as the league's scoring leader in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, with an NBA MVP honor in the latter year.

Pascal Siakam

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 3: Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) looks to recover the loose ball from Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott (32). Toronto Raptors vs Atlanta Hawks in 2nd half action of NBA regular season play at Air Canada Centre. Raps win 128 - 84. Toronto Star/Rick Madonik (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

After the Toronto Raptors selected Pascal Siakam late in the opening round of the 2016 draft, he was barely on the radar. Siakam registered 4.2 and 7.3 points per game in his first two NBA seasons.

His ascent was well-timed, though.

Prior to the 2018-19 season, Toronto pulled off a massive trade for disgruntled San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. As Leonard guided the Raps to an NBA title, Siakam made a significant impact. He earned his first full-time starting role and scored 16.9 points per game in the regular season, lifting that average to 19.0 during the playoffs.

Siakam, an All-Star in 2020 and 2023, has notched four straight years with no less than 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and carries that streak into the 2023-24 campaign.