Like all professional sports leagues, the NBA has high expectations, for all players. They look for the best of the best, from all over the world, to join and compete, for a chance to win and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Athletes may come from different parts of the world but reliably are chosen out of NCAA Division I schools. However, not every shining star, selected from an NCAA Division I school, reaches that icon status, in the NBA.
These are 10 basketball players who were star-status in college, but were only average in the NBA- but may still be reliable role players in the league.
From College basketball star to only average in the NBA
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Christian Laettner
Laettner was a star power forward/ center for the Duke Blue Devils, during their rise to dominance in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Laettner averaged 16.6 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, as a Blue Devil. He helped the Blue Devils win back-to-back NCAA Championships in 1991 and 1992, helped Team USA win gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and racked up many other awards, during his time as a Blue Devil. Laettner was drafted third overall in the 1992 NBA Draft, by the star needy Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unfortunately, the Timberwolves had three last-place finishes despite some good on-court performances from Laettner. Laettner played well, with the T-Wolves, from 1992 until he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 1996. Laettner made the NBA All-Star game once in 1997, then bounced around the league with stints with the Detroit Pistons from 1998-2000, and the Washington Wizards (where he got to be Michael Jordan’s teammate from 2001-03) from 2000-2004, and last played for the Miami Heat in the 2004-05 season.
Laettner averaged 12.8 points per game during his time in the NBA and made it to the playoffs six times in his career. During his final season in the NBA, Laettner wasn’t a starter with the Heat, but did contribute as a veteran backup, on a team consisting of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The Heat made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005, but were knocked out by the defending champion Detroit Pistons, who lost the 2005 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. Laettner retired from playing after the 2005 season and the Heat went on to win the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks in 2006.
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Derek Anderson
Anderson was a star with the Kentucky Wildcats after transferring from Ohio State and helped the Wildcats win the NCAA Championship in 1996 against the Syracuse Orange. Anderson did miss the second half of Kentucky’s 1996-97 season with an injured ACL but was still drafted in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anderson averaged 15.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds, during his collegiate career. Anderson started 26 games during his two seasons in Cleveland and was the last player on the Cavs to wear 23 until LeBron James was drafted in 2003.
Anderson bounced around the NBA with stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (Where he averaged 16.9 points per game {the most in his career}), San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat (where he was a part of the team that won the 2006 NBA Championship), and the Charlotte Bobcats. By any stretch of the imagination, Anderson wasn’t an All-Star but showed a great veteran presence on the court. Anderson averaged 12 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game during his 12 seasons in the NBA.
Jason Richardson
Richardson was a star shooting guard/ power forward for the Michigan State Spartans, as he helped them capture the 2000 NCAA Championship, against the Florida Gators. Richardson averaged 9.6 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game during his two seasons as a Spartan. Richardson declared for the NBA Draft after the 2001 season and was drafted by the Golden State Warriors fifth overall. Richardson won two slam dunk competitions at Golden State but wasn’t an All-Star. He averages 18.3 points per game during his time in the Bay Area.
Richardson helped the Warriors make the playoffs once and that was during the 2007 season when the eight-seeded Warriors stunned the defending runner-up Dallas Mavericks and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals where they lost to the Utah Jazz in five games. Richardson bounced around the league with stints with the Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers. Richardson retired from the NBA after the 2015 season due to bone spurs in his right knee, which he feared would’ve derailed his ability to walk. Richardson may not have been an All-Star, but he showed a great and strong veteran presence, no matter where he went.
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Ty Lawson
Lawson was on the 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels team that won it all against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans. Lawson averaged 13.1 points per game. 2.9 rebounds per game, and 5.8 assists per game. The Denver Nuggets drafted Lawson in the 2009 NBA Draft. Lawson played for the Nuggets for six seasons and averaged 14.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 6.6 assists per game. Lawson was traded from the Nuggest to the Houston Rockets in the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately, Lawson’s time in Houston wasn’t long, as he dealt with off-the-court issues, which led to his suspension for three games.
Lawson then joined the Indiana Pacers, then signed with the Sacramento Kings for a season, then took his talent to China and played for the Shandong Golden Stars for a season, and lastly, back in the US, played in the NBA with the Washington Wizards for the 2018 NBA Playoffs. Lawson has played basketball overseas in recent years with the Golden Stars and Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, the Kolossos Rodou B.C. of the Greek Basketball League, US Monastir in Tunisia, and Gaiteros del Zulia of Venezuela. Will Lawson ever return to the NBA? Who knows? Only time will tell.
Raymond Felton
Felton was a star at the University of North Carolina, who helped the Tar Heels win the 2005 NCAA Championship against Deron Williams and the Illinois Illini. Felton was a featured athlete on the cover of the NCAA March Madness 06 video game, and racked up numerous awards in college including the Bob Cousy Award. Felton averaged 12.9 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists as a Tar Heel. Felton was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats fifth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. Felton played well for the Bobcats, but the team lacked any true All-Star Talent for Felton to work with. Felton was traded to the New York Knicks for the 2010-11 season where he had a career-high 17.1 points per game, before getting traded to the Denver Nuggets, as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade.
Felton was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2011 NBA Draft for the 26th pick of the draft. Felton’s time with the Trail Blazers was short-lived as he was shipped back to the Knicks. Unfortunately, Felton’s time with the Knicks wouldn’t last long as he had off-the-court issues, which resulted in Felton getting suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season. Felton would get traded from the Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks where he played for them from 2014 until 2016. Felton had two more stops in the NBA with stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder before retiring after the 2019 season.
Sean Higgins
Higgins was a part of the 1989 Michigan Wolverines team that won the NCAA Championship against the Seton Hall Pirates. Before that, Higgins hit the game-winning basket against Illinois in the Final Four, that same year. Higgins averaged 12.5 points per game, 3.3. He rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game for his three seasons at Michigan. Higgins was drafted in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Higgins’ time in the NBA felt more like a carousel, as he played for seven NBA teams (San Antonio Spurs 1990-91, Orlando Magic 1992, Golden State Warriors 1993, New Jersey Nets 1994-95, Philadelphia 76ers 1995-96, and the Portland Trail Blazers 1997) in seven years.
Higgins last played in the NBA in the 1997 season in two games with the Trail Blazers and had two steals. Higgins also played overseas for Aris Basketball Club in Greece from 1993-94, Ülkerspor Istanbul from 1996-97, Iraklio Crete in 1998, Crocodrilos de Caracas from 1998-99, and Ural Great Perm from 1999-00. Higgins finished his playing career with the semi-professional Detroit Dogs in 2000-01. Higgins averaged 6.3 points per game in the NBA, which is a major drop from his production at the University of Michigan.
Eric Montross
The late Eric Montross was a force to be reckoned with during his collegiate years, at the University of North Carolina in the 1990s. He helped the Tar Heels win the 1993 NCAA Championship over the Fab-Five and the Michigan Wolverines. Montross earned two consensus second-team All-American awards in 1993 and 1994 and was named first-team All-ACC in 1993 to name a few of his accolades. Montross averaged 11.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game as a Tar Heel. Montross was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1994 where he averaged 8.8 points per game in his two seasons in Beantown. Critics of Montross later said the Celtics should’ve drafted Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones, and Jalen Rose at the time.
Montross was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1996, where he played in 47 games before getting traded to the New Jersey Nets. Montross was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997 and then to the Detroit Pistons, in the same season. Montross spent four seasons in the Motor City before getting traded, one last time, to the Toronto Raptors in 2001. Montross retired from playing basketball after the 2002 season and was a color commentator for the Tar Heels. Sadly, Montross passed away after his battle with cancer on December 17, 2023, at 52 years old. He averaged 4.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game during his NBA career.
Tyler Ennis
Ennis was a college basketball Superstar for the Syracuse Orange. He helped the Orange reach the NCAA Tournament, where they were ultimately knocked out, by the Dayton Flyers in the Round of 32. Ennis averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game in his lone season at Syracuse. Ennis was drafted by the Phoenix Suns, with the 18th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Ennis played in eight games for the Suns and was assigned to play for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League. Ennis bounced around the NBA with stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Ennis averaged 4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Ennis took his talent overseas, with Fenerbahçe Basketball in Turkey, from 2018-19. He racked up one more attempt in the NBA, with the Toronto Raptors, but was assigned to the NBA G-League’s Raptors 905 from 2019-20, Turk Telecom from 2020-22, Tofaş S.K. from 2022-23, and recently Napoli Basket in Italy. Will Ennis return to the States for another run with an NBA Team? Only time will tell.
Shabazz Napier
Napier was a two-time NCAA Champion, with the UConn Huskies in 2011 and 2014. He racked up numerous awards during his time in college. He was named the NCAA Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, in 2014 and a consensus First-Team All-American. Napier averaged 13.7 points, four rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in his four years as a UConn Husky. Napier was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 24th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Napier played in 51 games for the Heat and started 10 of them.
He was assigned to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G-League, twice. Napier was traded to the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers until he signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Napier got traded from the Nets to the Minnesota Timberwolves and last played in the NBA in 2020 with the Washington Wizards, where he averaged 11.6 points per game with the team. Napier averaged 7.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in the NBA. Napier took his talents overseas where he played for Zenit Saint Petersburg, Captianese de Ciudad de México, Olimpia Milano, and Crvena Zvezda respectively. Will Napier return to the NBA? Only time will tell.
Frank Kaminsky
Kaminsky was a superstar for the Wisconsin Badgers, who led them to the 2015 NCAA Championship game, where they ultimately fell to the Duke Blue Devils, 63-68. Kaminsky averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game as a Badger. Kaminsky was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the ninth pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. Kaminsky did help the Hornets reach the 2016 NBA Playoffs, where they were jumped by the Miami Heat in seven games. Kaminsky then signed with the Phoenix Suns from 2019 until 2022 where he helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021.
Unfortunately, the Suns lost the 2021 NBA Finals to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Kaminsky then signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2022 and was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2023. Kaminsky recently took his talents overseas and is currently with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. Kaminsky has averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in his nine seasons in the NBA. Will Kaminsky return to the NBA in the future? It is anyone’s guess.
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