Big-Name NBA Players Due for Comebacks in 2015-16
It happens every NBA season.
Good players—like household-name good—don't have the year they envisioned. Injuries pop up, statistics sag, and these perennial stars simply don't look like themselves.
But every October brings a new opportunity, and the following eight big-name ballers seem poised to pounce on theirs.
Some just needed a summer (or longer) to get healthy. Others saw their on-court situations improved by roster upgrades around them or a refreshing locale change.
When the 2015-16 season tips off, these notable names all have a shot to put last year's disappointments behind them.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
1 of 8
Career Averages: 25.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 54.6 TS%, 21.2 PER
2014-15 Stats: 24.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 53.1 TS%, 21.5 PER
Two numbers stood out during Carmelo Anthony's disastrous 2014-15 campaign, neither of which appears above.
The first was 42, as in the career-high games he missed because of a nagging knee injury that required surgical attention in February. The other was 65, the New York Knicks' franchise record for losses and easily the most ever posted by a Melo-led team.
Now healthy and surrounded by an upgraded supporting cast, he sounds eager to leave that nightmare behind him.
"I feel great," he said during a recent interview on NBA TV, via Andrew Keh of the New York Times. "My knee feels great. I feel at ease. Mentally, emotionally, I feel at peace."
A recharged Anthony could be a tremendous boon for the Big Apple.
Before last season, his previous two featured a 28.0 points-per-game scoring average, 56.1 true shooting percentage and 24.6 player efficiency rating. The 20.2 win shares he generated over that stretch were the seventh-most in the NBA.
He had better teammates then, of course, but the Knicks picked up some valuable pieces this offseason. Veterans Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo and Kevin Seraphin should help on both sides of the ball, and New York's draft haul included the towering ceiling of 7'1" forward Kristaps Porzingis and the versatility of 6'5" combo guard Jerian Grant.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
2 of 8
Career Averages: 19.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 57.1 TS%, 20.6 PER
2014-15 Stats: 21.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 0.6 BPG, 54.8 TS%, 19.8 PER
After serving as the third wheel behind LeBron James and Dwyane Wade the previous four years, Chris Bosh climbed back into the driver's seat last season. (Or shared driving duties with Wade, at least.)
The featured role fit Bosh fairly well. He cleared the 25-point mark 14 different times and only failed to reach 15 points on eight occasions. He converted his three-point looks at a 37.5 percent clip and posted his highest assist percentage since 2007-08 (12.0).
But he made just 44 appearances on the year. A strained calf cost him eight games in December, and his season came to a screeching halt two months later after doctors discovered blood clots on his lung.
He's blazed the recovery trail ever since and managed to take some positives out of his traumatic experience.
"It's an opportunity for me to go back in the lab and work on my game, work on my body and build that fire up. It was burning low for a little bit," Bosh said in May, per Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
The Heat look significantly stronger on paper than they did the last time Bosh played. Since his last appearance, they have added Goran Dragic, rookie Justise Winslow, Amar'e Stoudemire and Gerald Green. Bosh only logged 310 minutes alongside soaring center Hassan Whiteside and played just 183 with versatile forward Josh McRoberts.
The stage could be set for both Bosh and the Heat to reclaim their spot among the NBA's elites.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
3 of 8
Career Averages: 25.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 55.3 TS%, 23.2 PER
2014-15 Stats: 22.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 47.7 TS%, 17.6 PER
Kobe Bryant's last two seasons have been painful—both for him to play and for his fans to watch.
The 37-year-old limped through a total of 41 games over that stretch, while battling a torn Achilles, a fractured bone near his left knee and a torn rotator cuff. When he has suited up, he's looked like a shadow of his former self. Last season's true shooting percentage was the third-lowest ever recorded by a player with a 30-plus usage percentage (minimum 20 minutes per game).
Making matters worse—and not coincidentally—the Los Angeles Lakers have been abysmal. They set a franchise record with 55 losses in 2013-14, then lowered the bar with 61 last season.
The Lakers should be better this upcoming year. Only time knows how much better, but the talent base is expanding. And Bryant, for now at least, is healthy.
"I feel good," he told Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears. "... There are no question marks on what I can do. My body and my legs feel extremely strong and healthy. That's the big difference."
Granted, everyone feels great this time of year. But Bryant hasn't played in nearly eight months, and once he does return, he'll have a slew of new reinforcements around him.
The Lakers are essentially adding two top-10 picks in rookie D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, whose debut season lasted all of 14 minutes before he broke his leg. Trades and free agency delivered reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, two-time All-Star Roy Hibbert and 10-year veteran Brandon Bass. Jordan Clarkson, an All-Rookie first-teamer, played just 26 minutes with Bryant last season.
Between his health and the new help around him, Bryant should boost the quality and efficiency of his production.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
4 of 8
Career Averages: 27.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 60.1 TS%, 24.7 PER
2014-15 Stats: 25.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 63.3 TS%, 27.6 PER
How many players could average 25 points, six boards and four dimes and still be in line for a comeback season? Considering only three cleared those marks in 2014-15, the answer starts and stops with six-time All-Star Kevin Durant.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's scoring machine malfunctioned last season because of a nagging foot injury that required three surgeries in a six-month period. He set career lows in games (27) and minutes (33.8 per game), while his scoring average dipped lower than it had since 2008-09.
Still, he was lethal every time he stepped inside the lines. He was a handful of made free throws short of the second 50-40-90 shooting slash of his career. Among the 19 players to average 20-plus points, he ranked fourth in PER and second in true shooting percentage.
As Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman wrote:
"Here's a quick refresher on what Durant offers—the most varied and best scoring abilities of his generation, the possibility of a 50-point at any time, the near-certainty of a 30 points, a disarming casualness that could morph into a vicious streak at any moment, the still-jarring sight of a 7-footer playing like a guard, etc. He is a transformational figure.
"
A healthy Durant can be as good as any player in the league. In 2013-14, he captured the MVP award while becoming only the seventh player in NBA history—and the first since Michael Jordan in 1989-90—to average at least 32 points and shoot 50-plus percent from the field.
KD is that good. He's entering a contract year and will be looking to make up for the time he lost last season. As long as his foot holds up, this won't be a comeback; it'll be a merciless rampage.
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
5 of 8
Career Averages: 15.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.9 APG, 54.5 TS%, 17.2 PER
2014-15 Stats: 8.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 49.2 TS%, 13.0 PER
He made a six-game cameo late in the season, but Paul George effectively lost the 2014-15 campaign to a broken leg.
Disappearing for that amount of time could have pushed George out of the casual fan's psyche. For a quick reminder of the swingman's elite talents, he was an All-NBA and All-Defensive selection during each of the previous two seasons.
His versatile skill set allows him to do a little of everything. He's been a go-to scorer before (21.7 points per game in 2013-14), he can initiate offense as a playmaker, he's an active presence on the glass, and he defends multiple positions.
He can also seamlessly shift anywhere between the 2 and 4 positions, though he could soon become a frontcourt fixture for the smaller, faster Indiana Pacers. His 6'9", 220-pound frame is big enough to man the power forward spot in certain matchups, and he's already preparing himself for the role of small-ball 4.
"I'm working on making that change and being prepared to play some [power] forward this year," he said, per Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star. "I understand what Larry [Bird] wants as far as playing the faster pace. I mean, I'm for it. That's the way the league is going nowadays."
The Pacers are ready to bury that throttle. Frontcourt plodders Roy Hibbert and David West are out; speedsters Monta Ellis and Joseph Young are in, along with two floor-spacing frontcourt players in Chase Budinger and Myles Turner.
If Indiana's offensive additions can pull some defensive heat off George, the 25-year-old should see his efficiency skyrocket.
Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets
6 of 8
Career Averages: 17.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 52.8 TS%, 20.7 PER
2014-15 Stats: 16.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 50.0 TS%, 19.7 PER
It's been a tale of two seasons since Al Jefferson took his throwback talents to the Charlotte Hornets.
In 2013-14, the Hornets were the darlings of the basketball world, snapping a three-year playoff drought after posting a grisly 28-120 record over the previous two seasons combined. Jefferson was at the heart of that rapid recovery, commandeering the low block with 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a night, marks that earned him the first All-NBA selection of his career.
But the honeymoon ended early last season. Charlotte dropped 19 of its first 25 games and never made a serious bid to return to the playoffs. Jefferson, limited by groin and knee injuries, lost nearly three full percentage points off his field-goal accuracy (48.1, down from 50.9), and his scoring average fell by nearly 24 percent.
The stars are aligning for Jefferson to rebound, both for things he's doing and what the Hornets have done with the rest of their roster.
Back in April, he said he planned "to drop some weight to take pressure off my knees," per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Jefferson hasn't appeared on any "musclewatches" just yet, but Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Jefferson is on a month-by-month conditioning plan and is "on target," per Bonnell.
Charlotte shot a league-worst 31.8 percent from deep last season and seemed to build its offseason strategy on improving that number. The Hornets traded for Spencer Hawes (35.1 career three-point percentage), Nicolas Batum (36.3) and Jeremy Lamb (34.8), signed Jeremy Lin (34.9) and drafted Frank Kaminsky (36.9 in college).
Jefferson might not have as much weight to throw around underneath, but the paint shouldn't be nearly as crowded as it was last season.
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
7 of 8
Career Averages: 18.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 56.6 TS%, 22.5 PER
2014-15 Stats: 16.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, 56.2 TS%, 18.8 PER
Kevin Love's first go-round with the Cleveland Cavaliers was rocky.
His stat sheet figured to lose quantity since he now shared the offensive load with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. That being said, Love's numerical declines were still pretty staggering—he tallied 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists just one year prior.
But that was the least of his worries. To the surprise of many, his efficiency was hit just as hard. His shooting marks fell across the board, and his PER plummeted more than 30 percent.
He never seemed fully comfortable with his offensive role. His defensive deficiencies sometimes forced him to be a late-game spectator. He had trouble shaking a lingering back ailment and was ultimately shelved by a dislocated shoulder in the opening round of the postseason.
No one knows how much fun Love had (or didn't have) last season. But what we do know is that he signed on for five more in the Forest City this summer. And once the next one starts, he should have a clean bill of health, a better understanding of his situation, and teammates and coaches who have a better feel for how to utilize his skills.
"It's hard to fathom that a player as gifted as Love, with a world-renowned set of skills that is still widely considered to be one of the league's best, won't bounce back to his previous form, even if it's in a reduced role," wrote Fear the Sword's Justin Rowan.
If Irving's injured knee forces him to miss time—the Cavs plan to be cautious with his rehab, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes—Love will find even more touches at his disposal. If not, the ones he does find should still put him in a better position for success than they did during his first go-round.
Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks
8 of 8
Career Averages: 17.0 PPG, 8.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 55.4 TS%, 18.8 PER
2014-15 Stats: 13.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 50.4 TS%, 15.7 PER
Deron Williams needed a change of scenery.
Whatever was supposed to happen for him and the Brooklyn Nets never did. His body broke down and took his formerly star-level stats with it. The Nets paid an exorbitant price in pursuit of greatness and struggled at times to even maintain goodness.
Something had to give, and it finally did this summer. The parties agreed to a buyout, and the Dallas native latched on with his hometown Mavericks. He's been anxious to get started with his third NBA team ever since.
"A fresh start is what I'm most excited about," he told Mavs.com's Earl K. Sneed. "You know, playing with this group of guys, I feel like we have a great group of guys here, and so [I'm looking forward to] just getting everybody healthy and getting on the court with them."
Health will be key for Williams and his new teammates. He's missed double-digit games in four of the last five seasons, and his numbers have tailed off considerably the past two (the worst two scoring campaigns of his career since his rookie year). As for the Mavs, they have Wesley Matthews rehabbing his torn Achilles and Chandler Parsons recovering from knee surgery.
But if the injury bug stays away, the sharp coaching mind of Rick Carlisle might fit all these pieces together. Williams can be an elite table-setter. Since his debut in 2005-06, only Chris Paul and Steve Nash have more assists. Williams will have capable scorers around him and enough shooters to open up driving lanes.
At this point, there are no guarantees for the 31-year-old. But starting over in this town and on this team could be what he needs to get back on track.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
