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The NBA is filled with some of the most talented basketball players in the world. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work for them to get to the very highest level.
It isn't always smooth sailing once a player makes it to the league, though. A lot of players end up succumbing to the pressure of turning pro, which leads to their failures on the court.
Another reason why a plethora of players aren't able to scale their maximum potential is unexpected injuries. These aspects derail a player's career even though he initially seemed to be living up to the hype after entering the NBA.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five active players who have failed to reach their potential in the NBA due to various reasons.
#5 Otto Porter Jr.
Otto Porter Jr. is a prime example of a player being held back from reaching his potential because of injuries. The 3-and-D wing started his NBA career with the Washington Wizards, who picked him #3 overall in the 2013 NBA draft. But he featured in only 37 games in his rookie season as he endured a hip injury at the start of that campaign itself.
Porter was able to play consistently between the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons when he improved his performances at a steady rate. He averaged roughly 13 points and six rebounds per game during that stretch. Porter, however, has endured an injury-riddled career since then.
Porter has played only 98 games since the start of the 2018-19 season, suffering various kinds of injuries during that stretch. With the way he played before that, he could have gone on to become one of the best 3-and-D players in the league today if injuries didn't hinder his growth.
The 28-year-old recently signed a minimum contract with the Golden State Warriors and will be playing for them during the 2021-22 campaign. The franchise will hope to see their summer acquisition at his best during the season.
Despite his injury struggles, Porter continues to be a highly efficient performer. He has shot 40.2% from the three-point line in his career, averaging 10.9 points and 5 rebounds per contest.
#4 Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins came into the NBA with a lot of expectations after being drafted as the #1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers (he was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves). He showed up in his first season, averaging 16.9 points per game. Wiggins also won the Rookie of the Year award.
Wiggins followed his rookie campaign with two stellar seasons. He averaged well over 20 points per game in both those campaigns. However, his numbers quite unexpectedly took a hit since his fourth campaign. To date, Wiggins' third season, where he averaged 23.6 points per game, remains his best year in the NBA.
The 26-year-old showed several glimpses of how great he can become in his first three seasons in the NBA. Wiggins could have gone onto become an All-Star by now, but that hasn't been the case. The Canadian has averaged 20 points per game in a season just thrice in his seven-year career.
Last season was the first time since his third campaign that Wiggins has displayed some promise. He averaged 18.6 points on a career-high 47.7% shooting from the field. The Golden State Warriors will be hoping for Wiggins to build on the positive year he had last season when he lines up for them during the 2021-22 campaign.
#3 Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma is the youngest current NBA player on this list. However, with the way he entered this league on the back of one of the best summer league campaigns, there is a feeling he should have done a lot more by now.
The former LA Lakers forward averaged roughly 17 points per game through his first two seasons in the NBA. Kuzma became a fan favorite in LA and was expected to reach All-Star heights soon in his career. He even outperformed his former teammate Lonzo Ball during their time together in Hollywood.
Kuzma won a championship in his third season, but he couldn't really excel individually in that campaign. He averaged a career-low 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, failing to reach expectations of being the third star on the team behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Kuzma endured an inconsistent run with the franchise post the arrival of Davis. He couldn't capitalize on the opportunities presented to him, which led to head coach Frank Vogel not being able to hand a firm role to his young star in the last two seasons.
He was resultantly traded to the Washington Wizards this offseason in a blockbuster trade that saw Russell Westbrook join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kuzma still has many years ahead of him and a great opportunity with the Wizards to showcase his potential in the NBA. It will be interesting to see how well he responds to that pressure, something his former teammates, including Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, have done exceptionally well recently.
#2 DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins should have been fighting for championships at this stage of his career. Instead, he is being bounced around in the league and is still an unsigned free agent at the time of writing.
Cousins was on a roll in his younger days as an NBA player. He was one of the most dominant bigs in the league. Cousins made four All-Star game appearances between 2015 and 2018. However, injuries hampered his career just as he prepared to enter his prime years.
Before that, he repeatedly averaged over 25 points per game during his years as an All-Star caliber player in the league. It was no mean feat as very few centers were producing the kind of numbers Cousins was when he was at his very best.
He has only played 119 games since 2018, however, even missing an entire season during the 2019-2020 campaign due to an ACL injury. Cousins played 31 games for the Houston Rockets and LA Clippers last season. His production has certainly dropped after he could only manage close to nine points per game in that period.
At 31 years of age, DeMarcus Cousins could have definitely been one of the best players in the NBA today if not for injuries.
#1 Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is another veteran who could have had a phenomenal career if not for the injuries that plagued him throughout his time in the NBA. Rose shot to fame as one of the best players in the league when he became the youngest NBA MVP award recipient at only 22 years of age in 2011.
He was expected to become one of the best point guards of all time after he won the award. However, injuries hindered his development into one of the best players in the NBA. Rose's battle with injuries started after his MVP winning season itself, and he hasn't been able to replicate a similar campaign ever again in his career.
Rose has not averaged more than 20 points per game since the 2013-14 NBA season. If not for injuties, the three-time All-Star could have had more MVP caliber seasons and could have probably even led the Chicago Bulls to an NBA championship win during his time with the franchise.
