Syracuse Basketball's Top 5 Overperforming NBA Players

Think of all the universities out there. Think about all of the promising NCAA basketball players who are doing whatever they can to make it to the NBA. Of the thousands of promising athletes, only 60 will be drafted into the NBA this year.

The average NBA career lasts only 4.8 seasons. Since only the best of the best in NCAA get drafted and careers are so short, it is incredibly rare to find sufficient success in the NBA.

Syracuse University has been known to have players with tremendous success in college, and little success in the NBA. Enough with the negativity.

This list shows the top five Orangemen who have overperformed in their NBA careers. These players have gone above and beyond expectations. This could mean moderate NCAA success and long NBA careers or it could mean playing better than scouts expected.

The NBA is a hard league to stick around in. Forget that Syracuse has had big-time busts in the NBA. They have also produced some surprising talent for the league.

No. 5: Sherman Douglas

A three-year starter at Syracuse, Sherman Douglas averaged 14.9 points per game, seven assists per game and 2.2 rebounds per game as an Orange. At the time of his graduation, he was Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and the NCAA's all-time leader in assists.

So how could he possibly overperform in the NBA?

He was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Heat in the 1989 draft. He was considered small for a guard at only 6'0''. In his second professional season, he averaged 18.5 points per game and 8.5 assists per game. His career lasted 12 seasons and after Miami he played for Boston, Milwaukee, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Douglas proved that he was more than just a great college player destined to get lost in mediocrity in the NBA. When a player's career is about eight seasons longer than the NBA average, it says something about the player.

Although he was a very successful college player at Syracuse, his NBA career exceeded expectations.

No. 4: Louis Orr

Louis Orr averaged 12.8 points per game, 2.2 assists per game and 7.6 rebounds per game in his career at Syracuse—not horrible numbers by any means, but not exceptional numbers at all.

Nonetheless, he was taken 28th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 1980 NBA draft. He lasted two years in Indiana before playing out his last six seasons as a New York Knick.

For his NBA career, he averaged 9.8 points per game, 1.5 assists per game and 3.7 rebounds per game. He never had any spectacular seasons, nor were his career stats anything flashy. However, he was able to hang around the league for eight years when competition for a roster spot was extremely fierce.

He has later gone on to be the head coach of Siena College, Seton Hall and Bowling Green. He was also named to Syracuse's All-Century Team.

His college and professional careers were nothing flashy, but he proved to be durable.

No. 3: Rony Seikaly

The 6'10'' center averaged 12.6 points per game, 0.6 assists per game and eight rebounds per game. His solid career at Syracuse helped him get drafted as the ninth pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.

Rony Seikaly's athletic ability allowed him to have an eleven-year career in the NBA. After the Heat, Seikaly played for Golden State, Orlando and New Jersey. In 1990, he was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player.

For his career, Seikaly averaged 14.7 points per game, 1.3 assists per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. He was more versatile and durable in the NBA than he was as an Orange.

He has been named to Syracuse's All-Century Team and his number has been retired by the university. He was able to hang around in the league despite only moderate success.

No. 2: Etan Thomas

In his four-year career at Syracuse, Etan Thomas averaged 11 points per game, 0.4 assists per game and 6.9 rebounds per game. In the 2000 NBA draft, the Dallas Mavericks took him 12th overall. Though he was injured and missed the whole season that year, he was traded to Washington. He was a role player before finally cracking the starting lineup in the 2006-2007 season.

Open heart surgery forced him to miss the 2007-2008 season, but he returned the next season. In the 2009 offseason, he was traded to Minnesota and from Minnesota to Oklahoma City. Following his season with the Thunder, he played for the Atlanta Hawks in 2010-2011.

He has been named to Syracuse's All-Century Team. For his NBA career, he averaged 5.7 points per game, 0.4 assists per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

His collegiate career was solid, but many Orange have had better. However, he was extremely durable and was able to hang around in the NBA for 11 years. (He actually only played nine seasons due to an injury and his open heart surgery.)

He was consistent but not flashy. He was solid enough to hang around in the NBA for a decade despite injuries and only a moderately successful collegiate career.

No. 1: Danny Schayes

The one-year starter at Syracuse averaged 8.2 points per game, one assist per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. However, Danny Schayes was drafted 13th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1981 NBA draft.

His career lasted an astonishing 18 seasons. That is nearly four times as long as the modern NBA career lasts. His mental understanding of the game and his leadership kept him in the game for as long as he was. He played in 1,138 NBA games, more games than any Syracuse alumni.

After Utah, Schayes had stints in Denver, Milwaukee, Los Angeles (Lakers), Phoenix, Miami, Orlando and Minnesota. He also played in 69 playoff games in 12 appearances. For his NBA career, Danny Schayes averaged 7.7 points per game, 1.1 assists per game and five rebounds per game.

Despite only starting 39 of his 177 games as an Orange, he was named to Syracuse's All-Century Team. The length of his career speaks for itself and shows than Schayes was a late bloomer. He kept developing over time and was able to adjust to the fast-paced game and stick around in the NBA for 18 years.