Ranking the 8 Most Frustrating Players in the NBA

There are many factors that can weigh in on fans being frustrated with a particular player.

Sometimes athletes with tons of potential continually squander it. Sometimes a simple skill seems to avoid them. Others don't listen to coaching, and are too stubborn to do the things necessary to win. Injuries can also be a major reason for players being viewed as frustrating.

Inconsistencies are the biggest reason for a player being frustrating to fans. No matter the reason, there are some players (eight, in fact) who frustrate fans beyond the point of eye-rolling and hair-pulling. These are the most frustrating players in the NBA right now.

8. Al Jefferson

Just when Al Jefferson should have been entering his prime, his production fell. He experienced a solid season last year in Utah, but it paled in comparison to his 2007-09 run with Minnesota. This may be a result of not being involved enough in the offense, but it is still frustrating. 

Jefferson should have developed into a more dominant big man by now. He had all the raw tools coming into the league and has clearly honed them over the years. For whatever reason, the results are merely above-average.

He has been paid properly 'til now; in the final year of his contract, he will make $15 million. If he expects to earn Roy Hibbert/Brook Lopez-type money, there is something he must prove. 

That, is defense. Jefferson's defense is the most mind-numbingly frustrating thing about him. It drives me up a tree to watch this incredibly talented basketball player act like a revolving door to NBA big men.

Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw abused him early on in the opening round of the playoffs last season. He was also unable to protect the rim due to slow transitions. 

Big Al needs to get more mobile on that end of the floor if he wants to be considered an elite talent in the paint. 

7. Rajon Rondo

Nobody is higher on Rajon Rondo right now than me. Still, you cannot have a list of frustrating players and not include him. He can frustrate you in many ways. 

The obvious one here is free-throw shooting. A skill that, honestly, doesn't seem that hard. There are very rarely guards who struggle with it as much as he does. Even more frustrating, his best percentage came in his rookie season.

This tells me that he is not getting better at this simple part of the game. He shot below 60-percent again last season, which means he is leaving multiple points on the table every night. 

Also frustrating of late has been the minor dings and nicks his body has taken, which have eliminated him from 27 games the past two seasons. He had been fairly consistent prior to that, but this is not a good trend. 

More concerning, not all of those missed games were for injury. Maybe the most frustrating thing about Rondo is the attitude that has earned him multiple suspensions over his career.

Last year, he notably threw a ball at an official and bumped one with his chest in the postseason. These are immature moves that he must lose. 

The final note on Rondo's frustration isn't one I necessarily agree with, but is worth mentioning. Rondo has a penchant for going off in big, nationally televised games.

However, when the spotlight is lessened, so is the Rondo contribution. This frustrates a lot of fans, but as I see it, I want my star to play his best when the games matter most.

6. Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum is frustrating because he has struggled to consistently take his game to the next level. All the potential in the world is there for him to be the best big man in the league, but he has yet to fully grasp it. 

There are noted feuds with coach Mike Brown to detail his immaturity. However, despite his unprofessionalism, he has turned into an occasionally dominant NBA force.  

Whether it appeared to happen or not, he was frustrated by Oklahoma City's defense in the second round of the playoffs. Without Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol around anymore, is he set up to fail in Philadelphia?

One thing is for certain, he will be the end-all, be-all of a team for the first time in his career. He must be option one for the 76ers. Is this something both his skill set and maturity can handle? Color me doubtful.

I predict a lot of frustration coming out of Philadelphia next season.

5. Andrew Bogut

There is nothing more frustrating than a top overall pick not producing as such. Busts get fans angrier than almost anything in the NBA. While it may be unfair to label Andrew Bogut as such, his inability to stay on the court is highly frustrating.

For where he was drafted, Bogut should be one of the dominant big men in the NBA. However, despite averaging a double-double for three consecutive years from 2008-11, he hasn't been. 

Bogut cannot remain on the court long enough to be considered an elite big man. He has averaged more than 20 missed games per season. The only thing more frustrating than draft busts, are talented players who spend too much time wearing suits on the sidelines.

Bogut only saw action in 12 games last season, and has missed less than five games just twice in his career. He has not gone the full 82 since his rookie season.

He got a nice change of scenery out of Milwaukee and into Golden State, but will that be enough to keep him from frustrating a new fanbase? 

4. Josh Smith

Josh Smith has worked hard to solve the issues which have been frustrating fans for years. However, some things still remain and with Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams gone, there is legitimate concern that things will get worse.

Smith's biggest weakness on the court is his long-range shooting. However, there is seemingly nothing he loves more than jacking up threes. He shoots a career 28 percent from beyond the arc. Normal numbers for a power forward. The issue is the quantity of threes he puts up. 

It had seemed he was working on this problem, shooting fewer than 100 per season from 2007-10. A career-low of just seven threes helped him to a career-high field goal percentage of 50. However, he slipped up and posted 154 and 109 threes over the past two seasons, respectively. 

While his 33 percent from distance two seasons ago was agreeable, it was an outlier. He regressed back to 26 percent last season. 

There is so much Smith does well on the basketball court, it is a shame to see this black mark on his game. With two offensive options gone, I hope Smith doesn't take additional perimeter shooting responsibilities next season.

3. Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans has all the tools to be an outstanding NBA player. He had them when he entered the league in 2009 as the fourth overall pick. However, he has done something more frustrating than any other player on the list. 

Evans has gotten worse in every season of his career. His points, rebounds and assists per game have decreased in each of his three NBA seasons. That is one of the worst sentences a player can have attributed to his name.

It is unbelievably frustrating. More than injuries, maturity, or a lack of defense. A supposedly great player cannot let this happen. 

Evans averaged a career-low 16 points, four rebounds and four assists last season. Seeing those numbers straight up isn't all that bad. However, realizing that those were less than in his first two seasons is a bit concerning. 

Evans also has nearly no outside game, shooting just 25 percent from three-point range in his career. In addition to this, there is the worry of an injury risk. Despite the small sample size, Evans has missed 38 games in just three seasons, including 25 games two seasons ago.

The flaws in Evans' game are starting to become apparent at the same time he should be confirming his stature in the league. 

2. Dwight Howard

Raise your hand if you were sick of hearing about Dwight Howard about five months ago. 

Not for basketball reasons, but Dwight Howard may be the most frustrating player in the NBA right now. What he put the Orlando Magic through over the past year has been awful. He turned the franchise into a circus and did a lot of disrespectful things. 

Just as there is nothing more refreshing than a young star who gets it, there isn't a lot more frustrating than one who doesn't. Howard showed a glaring character flaw last season. This is something that can always come back to hurt you when dealing with a player like this.

Howard seems content now with the Lakers, but still isn't certain on when he will return. Then there is the process of growing with his teammates to worry about. 

On top of my frustration with his personality and choices, Howard's free-throw shooting hit a career-low last season of 49 percent. This brought his career average down to 59 percent. For a player who goes to the line as much as he does, it is frustrating to see all those points being left on the board.

1. O.J. Mayo

O.J. Mayo's source of frustration runs the gamut between personal issues and performance blunders. 

For starters, he was a third overall pick in the NBA draft, but within two years became a reserve player for Memphis. What is frustrating about this is that we saw the potential of Mayo to be a 20 points per game scorer, with solid range on his jumper. Then, all of a sudden, he dropped to being an average role player. 

Where did all that talent and potential go? In Years 3 and 4 of an NBA player's career, they should be really finding their groove in the league. Instead, Mayo fell behind and dropped like a stone on the Grizzlies depth chart. 

Now he has the change of scenery he wanted and will be playing big minutes in Dallas. He is a monster question mark for that team. He could turn back into the dynamic offensive weapon we all thought he was, but he could also continue to frustrate fans and alienate them like he did in Memphis. 

There have also been some well-documented off-the-court struggles. His disturbance in Memphis' locker room over gambling caused the team to ban the games. This only leads to more frustration with a player whose production dropped off so severely.