The Best Sports Stars Who Are on Really Awful Teams
Individual talent doesn't always equate to championships. Players can spend an eternity stuck on bad teams.
For the lucky few who escape this version of Alcatraz, the grass is always greener on the other side. Those who remain are hampered by porous rosters.
The following breakdown represents 10 sports stars who, based on production, age and talent, are currently stuck on bad teams. Let's get started.
John Wall
1 of 10
The Washington Wizards are a perplexing team to understand, even with a superstar such as John Wall leading the charge. Coming off back-to-back campaigns in which the team made the playoffs, there was an expectation that it would continue that success this season.
Things haven't quite worked out that way. The Wizards' 23-28 record is a step back for this team. It also qualifies Wall for this slideshow.
Wall is one of the NBA's elite point guards. He's a prolific scorer and passer, averaging 20 points and 9.9 assists per game this season.
Being stuck in mediocrity isn't fun. Hopefully, the Wizards are able to turn the page and become a powerhouse, batting within the confines of the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Philip Rivers
2 of 10
Philip Rivers is really good. In fact, he's been an excellent quarterback for 12 seasons running. He's managed to throw for 4,000 yards or more in seven out of the last eight years while never tossing fewer than 22 touchdown passes in a single season.
Parity in the NFL has given Rivers the chance to experience winning seasons before. But as we stand and look over the NFL landscape today, the San Diego Chargers are a bottom-dwelling franchise, coming off an injury-laden 4-12 campaign.
The franchise is now stuck between moving to Los Angeles and staying in San Diego, despite owner Dean Spanos telling Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he wants the team to stay put.
Rivers is stuck riding this terrible carousel, and that's a shame. He will go down as one of the best gunslingers to ever take the field.
Connor McDavid
3 of 10
The challenge of putting a rookie on this list is that first-year players aren't fully established as stars yet. Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is different.
McDavid is superstar, generational talent. It's only taken him 21 games of action to blow through the league, netting nine goals and 16 assists in that span. Had it not been for a collarbone injury suffered back in November 2015, it's not hard to fathom McDavid sitting at the top of people's MVP lists.
The Oilers' 22-30 record is partially because of McDavid's absence. Even so, they aren't a team ready for the big time yet. Let's not forget the fact that this franchise hasn't reached the postseason since the 2005-06 campaign.
All we can hope for now is that McDavid will turn things around and bring the glory days back to Edmonton.
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Anthony Davis
4 of 10
Anthony Davis is the New Orleans Pelicans' franchise player. He's exceeded every expectation set for him coming out of John Calipari's University of Kentucky program.
The problem is, the Pelicans haven't looked very good lately. After a masterful playoff push last season, this team has dropped off. A record of 20-33 is not what the doctor ordered.
Davis' production alone puts him toward the top of the NBA. His 23.4 points and 10 rebounds per game are enough to qualify him as a superstar.
The bottom line is this: The Pelicans need to find the right combination of players to enhance Davis' game. He's far too good a player to be left on this list.
Joey Votto
5 of 10
Joey Votto's consistency is what has turned him into a top performer. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman has been excellent over his nine years in baseball.
Trekking all the way back to 2007, Votto has managed to maintain a career batting average of .311. He's padded those totals with 192 home runs and 633 RBI.
Lately, his excellent string of production hasn't resulted in the Reds' winning ballgames. The club finished 2015 with a 64-98 record, setting expectations low for the upcoming 2016 season.
Votto is in the middle of a 12-year, $251.2 million deal. If the Reds can't find help for him in the immediate future, all that money and production will be the only thing people remember Votto for.
Carmelo Anthony
6 of 10
Putting Carmelo Anthony on this list will draw some criticism. Anthony has been a part of the New York Knicks for six seasons now, and the team has yet to take a critical and lasting step forward.
There's no doubt that Melo is a star. Even with a drop-off in points per game—he's currently sitting at 21.4 for the season—he's done enough to earn that label.
You'd think a guy such as Melo would help the Knicks be contenders in a weak Eastern Conference. That hasn't been the case. The Knicks' 23-32 record has them slotted into the No. 12 spot in the current standings.
He clearly needs more talent around him in order to thrive.
Sonny Gray
7 of 10
Sonny Gray is a 26-year-old ace for the Oakland Athletics. In 2015, he won 14 games, posted a 2.73 ERA and struck out 169 batters.
Those quality totals are further enhanced by the fact that Gray played for an Athletics team that won a lowly 68 games. A deeper dig reveals that Gray also ranked 17th amongst pitchers receiving run support over the course of nine innings, per Sporting Charts.
The good news is that youth is on his side. Being 26 gives Gray the leeway to find a new club or remain with the A's until they turn things around.
Joe Thomas
8 of 10
As far as offensive linemen in the National Football League go, it doesn't get a lot better than Joe Thomas. The Cleveland Browns may be a desolate franchise clinging on to hope, but Thomas didn't get the memo.
He's done everything in his power to better the team, walking around the locker room as a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and six-time First-Team All-Pro player.
Thomas deserves a lot more than the perpetual cycle of trash the Browns endure. Perhaps Sashi Brown—an executive with the team—discussing the future of this club, per Tom Reed of Cleveland.com, will keep him in a Browns uniform for the long haul.
Giancarlo Stanton
9 of 10
Giancarlo Stanton has two identities in baseball. He's one of the highest-paid players and a premier offensive weapon when he's on the field.
Stanton struggled in 2015 with his health, only suiting up for 74 games. Still, he knocked in 27 home runs and 67 RBI in that time frame. Not too shabby, all things considered.
The rest of the Miami Marlins can't keep up with his production. Since Stanton debuted in 2010, the club has yet to reach the postseason, leaving the 26-year-old aimlessly floating around in baseball purgatory.
Such a star deserves more.
Taylor Hall
10 of 10
We end this list by going back to the Edmonton Oilers' well. Taylor Hall, the explosive left winger, deserves more.
At 24 years old, he's put together a heck of a season, despite his club's struggles to move into playoff contention. Hall's 19 goals and 32 assists in 58 games played place him in the upper echelon of the NHL's statistical leaderboard.
He's a smooth finisher with a lot of upside to his game. Paired with Connor McDavid, the future looks bright for the Oilers.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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