There are a plethora of players in NBA history who were crucial to their team’s success but lacked the personal accolades in order to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In this list, we will each select all 30 NBA team’s current best active players that definitely won’t make the Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Hawks: Dejounte Murray
Murray has been one of the better point guards in the league for the past five years. He’s also a pesky defender, eventually becoming the NBA’s steals leader in 2022. However, he’s still way short of gathering the necessary career accolades to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
Boston Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis
There was a time when Porzingis was considered as one of the future faces of the league. Sadly, a myriad of knee injuries kept him from reaching his true potential. He’s still a good player today but his career isn’t Hall of Fame worthy by any standards.
Brooklyn Nets: Mikal Bridges
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A budding star in his own right, everybody was surprised by Mikal Bridges’ ascension as Brooklyn’s current franchise player. Although he’s one of the better two-way players in the league, his chance of getting enshrined in basketball immortality remains slim.
Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball
LaMelo has been dealing with various injuries in the past couple of seasons. Definitely an all-star-caliber player when healthy, he hasn’t found the right formula yet on how to lead his team to make the playoffs consistently. A HOF career is a longshot for him as it often rewards winners, not perennial losers.
Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine
There’s no doubt that LaVine can score among the best in the league. The biggest knock on his game is the ability to win when it matters most. His playoff achievements are nearly non-existent. Truth be told, LaVine is just a great scorer on a bad team.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell
Unless Donovan Mitchell can shake off his reputation as a playoff choker, he’s going to be included in this infamous list today. He’s a great regular-season performer but his play often dips when it comes to the playoffs.
Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will make it and that’s why THJ is the de facto player in Dallas who will not make the Hall of Fame. To be fair, he never won any significant awards throughout his entire career because he’s not gunning for them. He knows his role and plays it well.
Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray
As great as Jamal Murray is, his personal accolades as a player remain surprisingly empty. He hasn’t been selected as an all-star or any All-NBA teams in the past. However, despite his shortcomings in the regular season, he is one of the finest playoff performers in this era.
Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey
Undoubtedly part of Detroit’s core in the future, Ivey is a decent young player with a nice upside. He won’t have a Hall of Fame caliber career but that probably doesn’t matter much to him as he’s projected to play a long time in this league.
Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins
There was a time when Kevin Durant projected Wiggins to have a Hall of Fame-worthy career when it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, KD was way off in his talent evaluation for the then-first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Wiggins isn’t a bust but he ain’t a star either.
Houston Rockets: Fred VanVleet
Even though VanVleet generally has no shot of being enshrined in basketball immortality, his rise from being undrafted into a near-max salary player is an award in its own right. Plus, he already has a championship under his belt.
Indiana Pacers: Pascal Siakam
Siakam is a decent second or third option on a contending team but not enough to be labeled as a franchise player. He does his role extremely well and does not shy away from competition. Although basketball immortality won’t be on his primary agenda, he’d still love to add it to his personal accolades someday.
Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac
There are four current members of the Clippers who’ll definitely make the HOF when it’s all said and done. George, Leonard, Harden and Westbrook will all be inducted, no doubt. Ivica Zubac, on the other hand, won’t make it and thus will take the fall in this list.
Los Angeles Lakers: Austin Reaves
Sorry Lakers fans but no matter how much you hype the admirable Reaves, his chances to be enshrined in basketball immortality are basically non-existent. He’s become a fairly good role player despite being overlooked in the past but that’s just about it.
Memphis Grizzlies: Desmond Bane
Bane has developed into a legitimate scoring option for Memphis in the last couple of years. Aside from scoring, he’s also a decent defender despite being undersized for his position. Bane is good, but his talent falls short when compared to would-be Hall of Famers.
Miami Heat: Tyler Herro
Herro may end up with one or two all-star nods down the line but getting enshrined in basketball’s most prestigious ceremony will be a longshot. He doesn’t contribute anything noteworthy on the court other than scoring for Miami.
Milwaukee Bucks: Brook Lopez
With the league becoming three-point friendly, Lopez innovated his game from being a back-to-the-basket player into a legitimate three-point threat. He may not end up in HOF but the things he did to prolong his career are nothing short of a miracle.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Conley Jr.
Conley, a one-time all-star, is perhaps one of the most consistent players in the league for nearly a couple of decades. He has won four NBA Sportsmanship Awards in his career. Sadly, basketball immortality is just not in the cards for him.
New Orleans Pelicans: CJ McCollum
McCollum’s rise as a player was unprecedented. He’s been a solid 20-PPG scorer for most of his career. His lack of personal accolades is due to the West being stacked with phenomenal players such as Steph Curry, Luka Doncic and James Harden.
New York Knicks: Julius Randle
Oklahoma City Thunder: Jalen Williams
While it’s quite unfair to judge the young sophomore forward, I think we can all agree that a couple of years from now, Chet Holmgren will be the second-best player in this young OKC core. Williams will become a solid player though.
Orlando Magic: Franz Wagner
Unless Wagner develops a consistent outside shot, he’ll always play second fiddle to franchise stat Paolo Banchero. He’ll get an all-star nod or two someday, but the HOF is just another tier above his capabilities.
Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris
Phoenix Suns: Bradley Beal
Before playing as the third option for the Suns, Beal was Washington’s longtime franchise player. During his time there, he hasn’t gathered any noteworthy accolades aside from a few all-star selections. Now with Phoenix, he’d be hard-pressed to add any awards under his name.
Portland Trail Blazers: Jerami Grant
Grant has been a good second or third option for all the teams he’s played with. Long and athletic, he’s one of the best two-way players in the league. It’s safe to say that getting enshrined into basketball immortality won’t be part of his career accomplishments.
Sacramento Kings: Harrison Barnes
While the duo of Fox and Sabonis might have a shot at the HOF if they can continue to steer the Kings into title contention, Barnes won’t have the same chance as his teammates. He was once teeming with potential but unfortunately, he had limitations on his game.
San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson
Johnson once looked like he was going to be San Antonio’s budding superstar. With the arrival of Victor Wembanyama, his limitations on both ends of the floor have definitely shown.
Toronto Raptors: RJ Barrett
Barrett was heralded as the second coming of James Harden but none of it came to fruition. He’s a good young player with still room to grow but his ceiling may be limited. He may have an all-star-worthy season along the road but that’s about it.
Utah Jazz: Lauri Markkanen
As much as everybody loves Lauri’s unprecedented rise, he’ll have a tough time cracking a spot in the HOF. The Jazz may become constant playoff participants during his reign, but winning a championship remains a fantasy for now.
Washington Wizards: Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma, despite his limitations as a player, had to become Washington’s unlikeliest franchise player. Even though he’s been given the green light to shoot, Kuzma struggled to lead this team to any relevance.
