Ranking the Best NBA Stars Not in the 2015 Playoffs
While the 2015 NBA playoffs wound up being a star-studded affair featuring five of the top six Most Valuable Player candidates, a number of the league's biggest draws could only watch the proceedings from the sidelines.
By and large, injuries were the prevailing theme keeping said stars outside of the postseason picture. Kevin Durant, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Kobe Bryant all saw their seasons end prematurely due to some form of health-related ailment, and DeMarcus Cousins' multiweek absence early in the season sent the Sacramento Kings plummeting once more toward the lottery.
Other stars, meanwhile, simply couldn't drag their teams out of underwhelming campaigns. Whether due to trade-deadline drama (the Phoenix Suns) or an apparent locker-room cancer (the Detroit Pistons), a handful of top-tier players found themselves on the outside looking in for all the wrong reasons.
Which stars should have fans lamenting their absence from the postseason? Based on 2014-15 production, reasonable projections of what to expect from them moving forward and off-court appeal, these 10 playoff spectators rise above the pack.
Honorable Mentions
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While the following three players aren't the top attraction on their respective teams, they're legitimate stars in their own right. The playoff proceedings would unquestionably be better if any (or all) of them had qualified for a postseason berth.
Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
Goran Dragic tapered off a bit from his stellar 2013-14 campaign, but don't be fooled by his downtick in production. The 29-year-old is still one of the league's better floor generals and is wholly deserving of the massive contract he's sure to receive this summer.
Dragic's assist totals took a nosedive upon Isaiah Thomas' arrival in Phoenix, but once the Suns shipped The Dragon to Miami, he began churning out dimes regularly once more. He's not much of a defensive threat, but his elite scoring acumen and strong passing ability more than make up for his deficiencies elsewhere.
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Gordon Hayward's first go-round as the No. 1 option in Utah produced underwhelming returns, but his second try during the 2014-15 season was much more encouraging. Whereas Hayward shot a career-worst 41.3 percent from the field the previous season, he averaged a career-high 19.3 points while shooting 44.5 percent overall and 36.4 percent from three-point range this time around.
Only 10 players averaged at least 19 points, four rebounds and four assists per game this season, and Hayward is the only one who hasn't ever made an All-Star Game appearance among the bunch. So long as he continues to produce at this rate for the up-and-coming Jazz, it's just a matter of time before he sneaks into that conversation.
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Though Serge Ibaka played just 64 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery, he showed off an expanded long-range shooting stroke. To wit: After knocking down just 45 treys over his first five seasons combined, the Congolese forward drilled 77 of his career-high 205 attempts from deep in 2014-15.
Ibaka's newfound ability to reliably stretch the floor, combined with his shot-swatting proclivity, suddenly has him looking like one of the NBA's top two-way bigs. He might not be as dominant as DeMarcus Cousins or Blake Griffin, but the thought of him being the Oklahoma City Thunder's No. 3 option should have Western Conference opponents quaking in their boots.
Other Honorable Mentions: Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets; Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets; Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
10. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
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Andre Drummond doesn't yet have the national cachet of a true NBA superstar, but he's well on his way to achieving that distinction.
A slow start to the season did him no favors in that regard, but after the Detroit Pistons waived Josh Smith, the UConn product took off. Over his final 54 games, the third-year center averaged 14.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just 30.8 minutes per game, emerging as one of the league's deadliest pick-and-roll threats in the process.
Drummond still has much work to do on his offensive game—97.4 percent of his shots this season came within 10 feet of the basket—but he did make a marked attempt to improve his range somewhat. This year, 29.2 percent of his shots came from within three to 10 feet of the basket, compared to 16.4 percent over his first two seasons, as Stan Van Gundy attempted to make him an offensive focal point.
Defensively, meanwhile, few big men can match the 21-year-old's board-gobbling, shot-swatting prowess. Over the past two seasons, only two players have snatched at least 13 rebounds while rejecting 1.5 shots per night: Drummond and Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who both accomplished that feat twice.
Drummond's yeoman's work on defense may not yet have earned him a bevy of endorsements or national attention, but he's clearly on the rise as one of the league's best bigs. Assuming he continues on his upward trajectory, the Pistons center should crash the playoff proceedings soon enough.
9. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns
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Here's the complete list of players who averaged at least 17 points, five rebounds and six assists during the 2014-15 season: James Harden, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Eric Bledsoe. That's it.
While the first three finished second, third and fourth in Most Valuable Player voting, respectively, Bledsoe failed to receive a single top-five vote. Seeing his name among that company, however, should underscore how dynamic this fifth-year combo guard has become since joining the Phoenix Suns.
Bledsoe finished the season leading the team in points, assists and free throws per game while racking up the fourth-most rebounds of any Phoenix player. Trade-deadline drama ultimately undermined the Suns' playoff bid, but the former Kentucky Wildcat did all he could to help keep their postseason dream alive.
The 25-year-old still struggles with turnovers—he averaged 3.4 giveaways per game in 2014-15—and his three-point stroke isn't yet reliable enough to make opponents fear leaving him open from deep. That said, he's a bulldog of a defender, having ranked in the 69th percentile in isolation situations this season, per Synergy Sports, and few players can match his freakish athleticism.
Bledsoe isn't quite All-Star-caliber yet, especially given the glut of top-tier guards out West, but he's not far off. If he heeds head coach Jeff Hornacek's advice and becomes more consistently aggressive, it's only a matter of time before he begins attracting the national recognition he already deserves.
8. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
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Of any star featured here, Kobe Bryant is easily the most difficult to rank.
Based on off-court appeal alone, he's a clear top-five choice, if not top-three. A majority of Los Angeles Lakers fans will ardently defend the Black Mamba until their dying days, and given all he's brought to the franchise—five championships and 16 playoff appearances in his first 17 seasons—it's difficult to fault them for it.
Then again, it's even more difficult to project what to expect from the 36-year-old Bryant moving forward. He's missed 123 of the Lakers' last 164 games due to a torn Achilles tendon, a lateral tibial plateau fracture and a torn rotator cuff, which begs the question of whether his body can still withstand the grind of a full 82-game season.
Before suffering the latter injury in January, Bryant had averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, but his shooting percentages—37.3 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three-point range—left much to be desired. Head coach Byron Scott openly admitted that he mismanaged the Lakers legend this year, which could foreshadow a reduced role for him moving forward.
The 2015-16 season may wind up being a farewell tour for Bryant, and not even the most ardent Lakers detractor should enjoy the thought of him ending his career with three straight trips to the lottery. Even if the Mamba has a slightly smaller role, the 2016 playoff proceedings would be better with him in the fold.
7. Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
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During the Miami Heat's "Big Three" era, Chris Bosh often got short shrift. Once LeBron James left for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers this past summer, however, Bosh quickly went from "third banana" to a bona fide franchise player.
Though blood clots on his lung sidelined Bosh following the All-Star break, the big man was a revelation for Miami over the season's first few months. Through mid-February, he ranked second on the team in points (21.1) and rebounds (7.0) per game, and he knocked down 37.5 percent of his 168 three-point attempts on the season too.
"He is the key to the spacing of Miami's offense," Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin wrote back in February. "He can post his defender up if you go too small on him, step out and hit from the perimeter (including the three) if you go too big on him. He moves the ball, he creates matchup problems, and he's a fantastic pick-and-roll defending big."
Bosh's rebounding totals might not jump off the screen for a near-7-footer, but Hassan Whiteside is partially responsible for hoarding a number of those boards. The 10-time All-Star averaged an additional 1.7 caroms per 36 minutes with Whiteside on the bench, and he snagged 8.2 rebounds per game before Whiteside carved out a significant role in Miami's rotation.
Few bigs can match Bosh's versatility on both ends of the court, which is what makes him such a special player. Though he may never shed the perception of being the Robin to Dwyane Wade's Batman, there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't want Bosh as a No. 2 option.
6. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
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If the 2014-15 season is any indication, rumors of Dwyane Wade's demise were greatly exaggerated.
Despite turning 33 in January, D-Wade put the Miami Heat on his back for much of the year, averaging 21.5 points on 47.0 percent shooting, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. His shooting efficiency took a bit of a nosedive this season, but with LeBron James in Cleveland and Chris Bosh sidelined after the All-Star break, defenses could devote more of their attention toward stopping him.
Wade's three-point stroke remains inconsistent—he knocked down just 28.4 percent of his 102 long-range attempts on the year—but he's countered that weakness with a burgeoning "old man's" game. The Marquette product had the most post-ups of any guard in 2014-15, averaging 0.89 points per possession on such plays.
Though a handful of minor ailments caused him to miss 20 games, his oft-balky knees largely avoided any problems. Lower-body issues figure to continue sidelining Wade as he moves deeper into his mid-30s, but Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra wisely limited his minutes this season to reduce the wear and tear on his body.
The days of D-Wade routinely churning out 30-point games may be gone for good, but this three-time NBA champion isn't fading quietly into the night. Even though his vintage performances are becoming fewer and farther between, Wade remains one of the league's top 2-guards, both in on-court impact and off-court appeal.
5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
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Fresh off signing a five-year, $124 million extension with the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony slogged through one of the most trying seasons of his career.
As the Knicks sunk like a rock toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, Anthony's left knee became increasingly problematic. After suffering an injury to that knee in the second game of the season, per Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks' star forward shut himself down following the All-Star break to undergo surgery, ending his 2014-15 campaign after just 40 games.
Despite being hindered by said injury, Anthony's prolific scoring didn't experience much of a drop-off. He averaged 24.2 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting—his lowest marks in both categories since his first full season with the Knicks—but still managed to pour in eight 30-point nights in 40 tries, including a 46-point eruption against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 14.
Team president Phil Jackson said Anthony's recovery should take anywhere from four to six months, putting him on track to be fully healed by training camp. Dr. Lewis Maharam, a New York sports medicine specialist, told Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News that the eight-time All Star may need slightly more time to recover but that "this is absolutely not a career-ending issue."
The uncertainty surrounding Anthony's return is enough to drop him one slot in these rankings, but there's no denying his star power when healthy. Even on the wrong side of 30, Anthony remains one of the league's most lethal scorers.
4. Paul George, Indiana Pacers
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When the 2015-16 season begins, Paul George will be more than a full year removed from the gruesome broken leg he suffered during a Team USA scrimmage in the summer of 2014. Thanks in part to his surprising late-season return, he shouldn't have any trouble hitting the ground running this fall.
George's breakout 2013-14 campaign established him as one of the league's top young swingmen, and there's no reason to believe he won't quickly recapture that mantle in his first full season back. Though he averaged just 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in limited playing time after his return in April, he figures to reclaim a 35-minute-per-night role this coming season barring any medical setbacks.
Given George's limited playing time, there's no way to extrapolate meaningful conclusions from his 2014-15 production. However, if the Fresno State product improved his long-range shooting efficiency while recovering from his broken leg—he knocked down nine of his 22 attempted treys in 91 minutes—he'll be even more dangerous offensively.
Unlike Carmelo Anthony, George exerts significant effort on the defensive side of the ball too. He earned first- and second-team All-Defensive nods in 2013-14 and 2012-13, respectively, as his length and athleticism allowed him to emerge as one of the league's top wing stoppers.
So long as George avoids any further injuries, he'll be right back in the mix for an All-Star bid this coming season. Though his Indiana Pacers could be in a transitory state, the 25-year-old will quickly remind NBA fans what they were missing this year with him on the sidelines.
3. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
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When fully engaged, is there anyone in the NBA more terrifying than DeMarcus Cousins?
The burly Sacramento Kings center is a nightly 20-10 threat who is willing and able to exploit his size advantage over smaller frontcourt foes. Under head coach George Karl late in the season, Cousins also began showing off more flashes of his passing chops, racking up back-to-back triple-doubles at the beginning of April.
The question is: Will he continue plying his trade in Sacramento? ESPN.com's Marc Stein warned readers to "bank on" the Boston Celtics attempting to acquire Cousins via a trade this offseason, and Sean Deveney of Sporting News recently suggested Boston "might pursue" Cousins if the Kings "begin a deconstruction."
According to Bill Herenda of CSN Bay Area, however, "The Kings want to make a playoff run next season with DeMarcus Cousins as the centerpiece of the franchise." With Cousins signed to a four-year, $65.6 million deal that will only increasingly look better under the NBA's new financial landscape, the Kings are wise to balk at any offer short of the haul the Minnesota Timberwolves received for Kevin Love.
After all, 24-year-old big men capable of averaging 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game don't grow on trees. Though Cousins is still prone to suffer the occasional lapse in effort or energy, he's established himself as one of the top young foils to Anthony Davis' presumptive takeover of the big-man throne.
2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Russell Westbrook's sublime post-All-Star-break eruption will almost assuredly spur the NBA to seriously reconsider its playoff structure this offseason. Having a 38-win Brooklyn Nets team earn a postseason berth while the walking triple-double and his 45-win Oklahoma City Thunder squad missed out on the festivities was a brutal blow to all NBA fans.
Neither words nor per-game statistics can do justice to what Westbrook morphed into over the final two months of the season. The UCLA product erupted for 31.4 points, 9.9 assists and 8.6 rebounds per contest following the All-Star break, recording nine triple-doubles over that 28-game span. Somehow, that only scratches the surface of how terrifying he was to opposing defenses.
On any given night, you weren't sure if he'd go off for 50-plus points, as he did against the Indiana Pacers on April 12, or rack up a streak of seven straight games with 10 or more assists, like he did immediately following the All-Star festivities. With Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka sidelined due to injury, Westbrook almost single-handedly dragged the Thunder into the playoffs regardless.
As Bleacher Report's Dan Favale noted, however, Westbrook's offensive explosion came at a cost: The Thunder hemorrhaged points defensively with him and center Enes Kanter on the court. During the 749 minutes that two-man duo logged time together, the Thunder allowed 110.1 points per 100 possessions, a mark higher than any team allowed over the course of the full season.
One day after the Thunder's season ended, Durant described Westbrook's late-season push as "amazing to see" and a "killing spree." If Westbrook can harness that manic energy when Durant and Ibaka return from their respective ailments this fall, the Thunder figure to be right back in the title conversation.
1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Any time you hear the words "foot injury" in conjunction with an NBA player in the neighborhood of 7'0", the natural reaction is to panic. In Kevin Durant's case, however, it appears as though he dodged any risk of a career-shortening ailment.
KD's season ended after just 27 games due to ongoing issues with his recovery from the Jones fracture he suffered during the preseason. However, according to ESPN.com's Stephania Bell, the 2014 Most Valuable Player should have little trouble returning to his old self once 2015-16 training camp commences.
"Despite the failure of his foot to cooperate with the initial plan following his original injury, medical evidence suggests that Durant's chances for a successful return next season are very high," Bell wrote. Of 21 athletes examined in a 2011 study who endured a similar procedure, only one "had suffered a subsequent re-fracture," which was "sustained in a motor vehicle accident, not sports," per Bell.
In other words: The player who won four of the past five scoring titles heading into the 2014-15 season isn't gone for good. Barring any further setbacks during his recovery, he should be ready to rain hell upon opponents' baskets once more come this fall.
"I know for sure I'll be back," Durant told reporters at the Oklahoma City Thunder's annual exit interviews. "I know I'll put the work in. I know that I'm never going to just quit on anything, so I'm going to keep working until I get back right."
DeMarcus Cousins and Russell Westbrook are dominant scoring forces in their own right, but neither can match the unrelenting point-producing prowess of KD. The 2014-15 season marked the first time in six years in which Durant averaged fewer than 27 points per game, and based on his comments during OKC's exit interviews, he's more motivated than ever to return to that elite status next year.
All statistics are current through the end of the 2014-15 regular season and are via NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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