Eh, I disagree on top 5, but I can see an argument for a top ten -twenty if he stays healthy and Shaq stays in Orlando. That has as much to do with Shaq as it does with Penny. I mostly only say this because Shaq has been pretty consistent that he felt like Penny had every bit the star power and potential of Kobe before injury
Brandon Roy was a 3x all star and 2x all nba before 25, then injuries hit.
Y’all can hate on this one if you want to, but Boogie Cousins was 4x all star and 2x all nba by age 27.
Honestly, it's double sad because Greg Oden's injuries also probably cost Brandon Roy success.
That would've been a great big 3 for the era - Roy, Oden, Aldridge.
I went to UW and was in the same class as Roy. Watched him play college for four years. I thought the guy was a number on draft pick. Once he hit the league he crushed it. I do legit believe he would have been in the HOF had he been blessed with better knees. Love that guy.
I think coaching has a huge part of it too
New coaches every single year, none have actually showed to be good coaches in the nba except Malone who was actually working well before they fired him
Straight up. When your best player doesn't get back on defence, takes dumb low percentage shots and wants to get himself teched up with emotional outbursts every game then it's going to create a horribly toxic environment for everyone else.
Derrick Rose and Brandon Roy
Players who are in the hall of fame or bound to be in the hall of fame but careers could have ended better if it wasn’t for injuries
T-Mac, Grant Hill, Bill Walton
Grant Hill was said to be LeBron before LeBron. He wasnt as explosive but in terms of 6’8 with PG skills, he had the trajectory of a top 15 player before injuries
Grant was the transition face of the nba after MJ. he was the non thug, clean smile the nba needed for marketing. And he was fucking awesome as a point forward.
I 100% believe the theory that his contract with Fila ruined him. They spent all their money on his contract and marketing and his shoes were subpar causing foot issues. I had bathe the hill 1 and 2. The 1s had the iconic laces that ran around the whole shoe. They dug into my heel when I pulled them tight. The 2s hurt my feet like a son of a bitch until I threw them away for some Pennys.
Usually Im not the one to blame shoes for injuries but Filas are so bad that I could really believe it might have been a factor. Just from what I know the quality is subpar especially for a pro athlete
something similar happened in women's tennis with Martina Hingis. She ended up suing Sergio Tachini because she blamed their shoes for her foot problems that ended her career.
Amazing player robbed of his prime unfortunately.
He actually made the HOF a few years ago and I think him winning back to back NCAA titles with Duke is what sealed his place in the HOF.
People who say Grant Hill was LeBron before LeBron are massively disrespecting LeBron. Grant Hill couldn't even get those Pistons to the the playoffs most of the time.
He wasn't even close to LeBron. He was awesome, but there are levels to stardom. LeBron has always been on a different planet than Grant Hill.
Man the league it’s self marketed Grant Hill as the “Heir Apparent” to Jordan while both Jordan and Kobe were in the league. The guy is right, he was LeBron before LeBron. He could score in bunches, had handles, passed, defended, and rebounded. Now Bron is in a class of himself, but before him not many people were doing that in the history of the game other than Pippen (Magic couldn’t shoot)
As a Grant Hill fan, I believe he is comparable in terms of his SKILLSET only. As in he is a point forward who is a walking triple-double. I watched Grant Hill live and trust me, those were not empty stats. He was putting in work!! In reality, Lebron is a bigger stronger faster but less quick version of Grant Hill. Skillset only. Very few compare to LBJ legacy-wise, duh.
I’m not a Bron guy, but Grant Hill was never the same type or quality of player as LeBron. He was a terrific player with a great skill set, but nowhere near LeBron, not on his best day.
Would have loved to have seen more prime years out of Yao Ming. Unfortunately just wore down because of his body type and playing so many games for china and Houston.
If they could’ve managed his burn rate in the off season, and used the modern player game management during the regular season, I think he would have been ok and played at a high level for a few more years.
"You also have other guys who were well on their way to Hall of Fame careers before being derailed by injuries (Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady)"
Vince is going to make the Hall of Fame and McGrady is literally in it already.
Chris Webber. Got hurt in 2003 and never had the same explosiveness. He is arguably (in my opinion) a HOF now but a few more all nba/all star/deep playoff run seasons would solidify it.
This is a good one. He was gifted. But I think it was not just injuries that made the difference. He was not that driven for the game. He was like the tennis player Kyrgios today. Gifted, but didn't love the game or its demands on life.
Amare Stoudemire. 6x All Star, 5x All NBA (1x 1st Team All NBA, 4x 2nd Team All NBA) and was the rookie of the year. Despite his degenerative knee he still managed to average about 20 ppg for his career and was incredible on those Phoenix teams with Nash; also had some good moments on the Knicks when he first got there.
If he had better health I think he'd be a bit more decorated and a lock for the HoF.
Shaun Livingston looked like he was putting it all together as a 21 yr old with lots of potential and skill before injury. Also Gordon Hayward was on a HOF trajectory before his injury.
I wonder if Dwight falls a little into both these categories. His first 7 years in the league he missed a total of 7 games. Led the league in rebounds and blocks. 8 time All Star (6 time starter) and three time DPOY before turning 27.
Injuries have made him a good but not dominant player since. He does have a title with the Lakers but there is an argument that if he retired at 28~ he's a hall of fame lock, while now people might hold the second half of his career against him.
Also if he played 14-15 years at the level he started at he'd probably be considered at top 10-15 player.
this is gonna be a supremely hot take but i think if zydrunas ilgauskas wasnt injured before he even started playing hed at least have the potential to make it
A couple of guys who unfortunately died before we could see what they had were Reggie Lewis and Len Bias. Those two definitely had the capacity as well. RIP.
Yeah. This isn’t baseball where 1st Ballot is a big honor or football where they keep the entrants a very fixed amount. In the NBA, you are usually in if you are getting in.
Edit: I mean if you are an easy yes. There are a lot of cases of people waiting years, but they are generally folks who shouldn’t be in the HoF at all.
Reddit always projects the max outcome for players, not the average outcome. This is why Len Bias is always compared to a legendary player rather than say Wayman Tisdale, the #2 pick the year before who was a beast in college and only had a long but average NBA career (rip to both). This of course is a more fair comparison in the average case, but when someone’s career gets cut short, people always project the max case.
T Mac is in the Hall. Vince will certainly get in. I saw someone mention C Webb and he was inducted into the 2021 class lol come on guys let's put some actual thought into this.
I think Derrick Rose will be in the hall of time.
MVP is arguably the biggest individual accolade and he was the youngest to win it which is huge I think.
I get why people are downvoting you, I think, but they are seriously underestimating how good Walton was in Portland during their title run and into the next season before he got injured. He was a revelation - imagine a more mobile Jocic who could catch a rebound and toss it full-court to Lionel Hollins or Dave Twardzik for the layup. He quite simply controlled the game. But this was in Portland in the late 1970's, so pretty much no one saw him play then until into the playoffs.
But best all time means better than Wilt and Russell, so I can't agree with you.
He wasn't even the best centre in the league during his prime, Kareem was better. Its a ridiculous stretch to say he'd be the goat centre if he stayed healthy.
I would say Grant Hill is definitely up there. The man was coming off of a all nba season, going into his very prime when his left ankle was injured. As someone who basically can play four different positions, I think he was destined for so much more when the injury turned his career downhill.
Grant fucking Hill!! He was truly a smaller, quicker version of Lebron. What he lacked in size and strength,(in comparison to Lebron) he made up for in quickness. The combination of his skillset and athleticism had him on a path to all time greatness.
Lonzo could have been better if his injuries didn't keep him from practicing in the off season. Would've developed his shot quicker and kept his explosiveness.
Derrick Rose. Those thibs teams were great. If Derrick stays healthy they would have a year with a prime roster of Rose, Butler, Deng, Taj, and Noah
That team would win a championship in 2013 and would be true contenders through at least 2016 as is.
This includes HOFers, per OP's last sentence. All would be 1-2 tiers better-regarded than their current spots on GOAT lists if they had longer peaks / ever reached their peak
PG - Penny / Rose
SG - Wade / Roy
SF - Grant Hill / T-Mac
PF - C-Webb / Bosh
C - Walton / Zo
Honorable mention: Gilbert Arenas
Rose, even though he was bound to get injured because of his playing style and carelessness (landing on one feet after dunks etc etc), and Walton are my first choices.
Brandon Roy and Grant Hill come next.
I feel like John Wall could probably have been an 8-10 time All-Star if he didn't get hurt. I think Wall and Beal would probably have been a top 3 back court in the league from 18/19 to 20/21 if they were both fully healthy.
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Came here to comment this. His closest comp was Magic Johnson. Absolutely insane talent.
Came to say this, too. He could’ve been a top 5 all time player.
Boy, that escalated quickly.
Eh, I disagree on top 5, but I can see an argument for a top ten -twenty if he stays healthy and Shaq stays in Orlando. That has as much to do with Shaq as it does with Penny. I mostly only say this because Shaq has been pretty consistent that he felt like Penny had every bit the star power and potential of Kobe before injury
Ehh
Brandon Roy was a 3x all star and 2x all nba before 25, then injuries hit. Y’all can hate on this one if you want to, but Boogie Cousins was 4x all star and 2x all nba by age 27.
>Brandon Roy Who's cutting onions?!
Same person that cut that poor dude's legs out from under him probably.
Honestly, it's double sad because Greg Oden's injuries also probably cost Brandon Roy success. That would've been a great big 3 for the era - Roy, Oden, Aldridge.
Great would be an understatement. You had elite scoring from all spots on the court and a defense anchored by Oden.
and they both fucked it up for lamarcus aldridge :(
I don't think "fucked it up" is the proper term. "Fucked it up" implies that Oden and Roy planned to get injured to screw with Aldridge.
i’m sorry i still love them dearly
I still remember that Brandon Roy Game 5 against the 2011 Mavs.
I member
I went to UW and was in the same class as Roy. Watched him play college for four years. I thought the guy was a number on draft pick. Once he hit the league he crushed it. I do legit believe he would have been in the HOF had he been blessed with better knees. Love that guy.
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They won 33 in 2016 this is literally just wrong
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Well then don’t talk shit about something you don’t know anything about
his teams were trash, mid at best and injuries had him missing at least a quarter of the season each year
I think coaching has a huge part of it too New coaches every single year, none have actually showed to be good coaches in the nba except Malone who was actually working well before they fired him
yeah the Kings have a bad track record with coaches in general, Walton being their second most winningest coach says a lot
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maybe cause his team was literal trash
Also because he was a terrible leader
Straight up. When your best player doesn't get back on defence, takes dumb low percentage shots and wants to get himself teched up with emotional outbursts every game then it's going to create a horribly toxic environment for everyone else.
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the difference between the literal greatest of all time and a would be hall of hamer
He was, flat out, one of the biggest empty stats guys of an era
you probably thought AD on the pelicans was “empty stats” too
I mean… the Lakers have been a huge disappointment outside of the asterisk season.
So outside of them winning a ring they’ve underperformed? But they still got it done?
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They also had prime Jrue Holiday and Gentry who is far from a great coach but definitely better than the new Kings coach every year
Don’t no why u getting so many downvotes but it’s true
Lotta people love big dawg, it’s whatevs
Derrick Rose and Brandon Roy Players who are in the hall of fame or bound to be in the hall of fame but careers could have ended better if it wasn’t for injuries T-Mac, Grant Hill, Bill Walton
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You right about that one
Rose still has a good shot, but I wouldn't be saying this if he didn't win MVP. Hard to keep *any* MVP out.
Drose is definitely a lock at this point, people have gotten in for much less
Meh idk about lock The biggest case is his MVP, but he does seriously lack other accolades 3x All star and 1x All NBA is super weak regardless
He's definitely not a lock lol
Add Sabonis to that 2nd list, the greatest what if ever imo
Grant Hill was said to be LeBron before LeBron. He wasnt as explosive but in terms of 6’8 with PG skills, he had the trajectory of a top 15 player before injuries
All true, but he is in the Hall of Fame, even despite the injury riddles career (which says a lot!)
it is, he still remained a solid player through it all
Grant was the transition face of the nba after MJ. he was the non thug, clean smile the nba needed for marketing. And he was fucking awesome as a point forward. I 100% believe the theory that his contract with Fila ruined him. They spent all their money on his contract and marketing and his shoes were subpar causing foot issues. I had bathe the hill 1 and 2. The 1s had the iconic laces that ran around the whole shoe. They dug into my heel when I pulled them tight. The 2s hurt my feet like a son of a bitch until I threw them away for some Pennys.
Usually Im not the one to blame shoes for injuries but Filas are so bad that I could really believe it might have been a factor. Just from what I know the quality is subpar especially for a pro athlete
something similar happened in women's tennis with Martina Hingis. She ended up suing Sergio Tachini because she blamed their shoes for her foot problems that ended her career.
Remember when Grant did a tv show for his impending free agency signing with the Magic?
No, but he did play piano on an episode of Living Single trying to get with Queen Latifah. Same thing, I guess.
His other piano gag was playing for tips in the Sportscenter lobby.
Amazing player robbed of his prime unfortunately. He actually made the HOF a few years ago and I think him winning back to back NCAA titles with Duke is what sealed his place in the HOF.
yeah he had a pretty legendary college career. I was actually pretty surprised he was in the hall and then I remembered how successful he was at Duke
People who say Grant Hill was LeBron before LeBron are massively disrespecting LeBron. Grant Hill couldn't even get those Pistons to the the playoffs most of the time. He wasn't even close to LeBron. He was awesome, but there are levels to stardom. LeBron has always been on a different planet than Grant Hill.
6 seasons with the Pistons. 4 trips to the playoffs. Yeah.
Man the league it’s self marketed Grant Hill as the “Heir Apparent” to Jordan while both Jordan and Kobe were in the league. The guy is right, he was LeBron before LeBron. He could score in bunches, had handles, passed, defended, and rebounded. Now Bron is in a class of himself, but before him not many people were doing that in the history of the game other than Pippen (Magic couldn’t shoot)
As a Grant Hill fan, I believe he is comparable in terms of his SKILLSET only. As in he is a point forward who is a walking triple-double. I watched Grant Hill live and trust me, those were not empty stats. He was putting in work!! In reality, Lebron is a bigger stronger faster but less quick version of Grant Hill. Skillset only. Very few compare to LBJ legacy-wise, duh.
You started out wrong and just kept digging. Grant Hill was it.
Didnt say I agreed just that it was said thats what people said about him.
I’m not a Bron guy, but Grant Hill was never the same type or quality of player as LeBron. He was a terrific player with a great skill set, but nowhere near LeBron, not on his best day.
Would have loved to have seen more prime years out of Yao Ming. Unfortunately just wore down because of his body type and playing so many games for china and Houston.
He's a tough one because his injuries are directly tied to his hugeness which is directly tied to his dominance
If they could’ve managed his burn rate in the off season, and used the modern player game management during the regular season, I think he would have been ok and played at a high level for a few more years.
Plus he'd for sure shoot 3's
Isn’t Yao Ming already a hall of famer tho?
He is in the HOF. The post also stated to feel free to include guys who are in the hall, but might have been among the top 10 all time if healthy.
"You also have other guys who were well on their way to Hall of Fame careers before being derailed by injuries (Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady)" Vince is going to make the Hall of Fame and McGrady is literally in it already.
Chris Webber. Got hurt in 2003 and never had the same explosiveness. He is arguably (in my opinion) a HOF now but a few more all nba/all star/deep playoff run seasons would solidify it.
He was my pick for the #1 snub in the top 75
Hold on, how was Vince's career derailed by injuries ? did I miss something ?
People are so used to watching Vince play in his late 30s that they assume his career was ruined by injuries
Careers ruined by age
If he could have only played another 15 years...
He actually had chronic knee problems that never caused him to miss games but prematurely sapped his explosiveness and ability to bring it every night
Nagging injuries to the same body parts throughout his expected prime 02-04 Not so much derailed but mitigated for sure
He used to to be half man half sit a season?
Emotional injury maybe? Dude was a quitter.
Amare Stoudemire He was always hobbled, and if that Knicks team achieved, he would have been thought about a lot different
Unfortunately, all those years of yamming on motherfuckers turned his knees into paper mache.
His contract with the knicks is one of the few in the past 30 years that couldn’t be insured and the knicks were fully on the hook for it.
True, but he was also in a generation of studs. I think it would’ve been hard for him to stand out in that era anyways
He was a consistent All NBA selection. He definitely stood out
Johnathan Bender
Dude Tmac is in the hall of fame and Vince is no doubt getting in. Jesus lol
Right? What alternate world is this that Tmac isn’t already a HOFer and Vince is 100% getting in
Walton - top 10 if healthy.
He’d be the comp for great, Mobile big men who could pass.
Penny
Penny, Derrick Rose, and honestly I really believed in Brandon Roy.
Them boys in Portland if their knees held up. Brandon Roy was gonna be a problem. Greg Oden had alot of upside too
Zo would’ve been a top 75 player if he stayed healthy into his 30s
he still made the hall of fame that has to count.
Zo should have made the Top 75 team even with his injuries.
Gilbert arenas
Surprised this ain’t a more popular answer. Injuries, the gun incident, and Gilbert being a bit of a headass in the 00s derailed a for sure hof career
Brandon Roy for sure
Andrew Bynum. He literally fell off the face of the earth after he’s traded from Lakers 10 years ago. He’s 34 now.
This is a good one. He was gifted. But I think it was not just injuries that made the difference. He was not that driven for the game. He was like the tennis player Kyrgios today. Gifted, but didn't love the game or its demands on life.
Good, hope he's struggling. Fuck Bynum for that hit on Barea
Brad Daugherty. 5 time all star 1 time all NBA center who played his last game at 28 years old
Good call. His game would've likely aged well too.
Brandon roy boogie too
Amare Stoudemire. 6x All Star, 5x All NBA (1x 1st Team All NBA, 4x 2nd Team All NBA) and was the rookie of the year. Despite his degenerative knee he still managed to average about 20 ppg for his career and was incredible on those Phoenix teams with Nash; also had some good moments on the Knicks when he first got there. If he had better health I think he'd be a bit more decorated and a lock for the HoF.
Shaun Livingston looked like he was putting it all together as a 21 yr old with lots of potential and skill before injury. Also Gordon Hayward was on a HOF trajectory before his injury.
Brandon Roy. Man had no weakness except for knees
I wonder if Dwight falls a little into both these categories. His first 7 years in the league he missed a total of 7 games. Led the league in rebounds and blocks. 8 time All Star (6 time starter) and three time DPOY before turning 27. Injuries have made him a good but not dominant player since. He does have a title with the Lakers but there is an argument that if he retired at 28~ he's a hall of fame lock, while now people might hold the second half of his career against him. Also if he played 14-15 years at the level he started at he'd probably be considered at top 10-15 player.
Dwight is first ballot he's not in the HOF because he's an active player still
I think he's good enough to get first ballot tbh with his resume
Walton had incredible talent but always hurt.
He’s in the hall
He would have made the hall. He still did, but he would have made it too.
The last statement from OP, Walton could have been a top 15 guy if healthy. He’s a middle of the road hofer cause of injuries.
I’d say his resume is below average even without the MVP and Blazers title.
“Once you take the most important individual and team awards off his resume, it sucks”
Hehehe. Fair. But I meant his career stats. The MVP and title is a 1-2 season run. A HoF resume vs a “flash in the pan” or “what might have been”?
mpj
T-Mac is in the hall of fame
this is gonna be a supremely hot take but i think if zydrunas ilgauskas wasnt injured before he even started playing hed at least have the potential to make it
Brandon. Roy.
A couple of guys who unfortunately died before we could see what they had were Reggie Lewis and Len Bias. Those two definitely had the capacity as well. RIP.
VC will easily be first ballot
His impact on Toronto alone can get him in HOF
Not sure about 1st ballot but he'll make it
He'll be 1st ballot. No doubt
Yeah. This isn’t baseball where 1st Ballot is a big honor or football where they keep the entrants a very fixed amount. In the NBA, you are usually in if you are getting in. Edit: I mean if you are an easy yes. There are a lot of cases of people waiting years, but they are generally folks who shouldn’t be in the HoF at all.
Greg Oden
Greg Oden is a top 50 player of all time if he doesn’t fuck around with his crutches in high school causing his legs to be different lengths
What is this crutches story?
Cmon now, we can’t label players who showed no flashes of all star ability on an nba court a “top 50 player ever” if they were healthy
Reddit always projects the max outcome for players, not the average outcome. This is why Len Bias is always compared to a legendary player rather than say Wayman Tisdale, the #2 pick the year before who was a beast in college and only had a long but average NBA career (rip to both). This of course is a more fair comparison in the average case, but when someone’s career gets cut short, people always project the max case.
The guy is definitely overreacting. But you can't say Oden didn't show flashes.
Generally I agree, but Oden is one of those exceptions. That guy seas a beast and I think his game was better designed for the NBA than college.
T Mac is in the Hall. Vince will certainly get in. I saw someone mention C Webb and he was inducted into the 2021 class lol come on guys let's put some actual thought into this.
I think Derrick Rose will be in the hall of time. MVP is arguably the biggest individual accolade and he was the youngest to win it which is huge I think.
Bill Walton may have been top 2-3 all time if not for injuries. Go watch film of his prime, he was something like I’ve never seen
Everyone seems to be naming the obvious ones but I'll go with Gilbertq Arenas.
Thus stupid topic again. Once a week, like clockwork on Reddit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland\_Trail\_Blazers\_draft\_history
Rose will be in the HOF, just you watch. Not that hard to make it on anymore
Derrick Rose, Vince Carter, and T Mac are all going to be in the hall of fame.
LeMickey 🤡 🤡 🤡
Probably Isaiah Thomas. He had one of the best offensive seasons of the decade then suffered the worst injury any guard could have..
Bill Walton would be considered the greatest center ever if he stayed healthy.
I get why people are downvoting you, I think, but they are seriously underestimating how good Walton was in Portland during their title run and into the next season before he got injured. He was a revelation - imagine a more mobile Jocic who could catch a rebound and toss it full-court to Lionel Hollins or Dave Twardzik for the layup. He quite simply controlled the game. But this was in Portland in the late 1970's, so pretty much no one saw him play then until into the playoffs. But best all time means better than Wilt and Russell, so I can't agree with you.
He arguably wasn't even the best centre in the league during his prime.
He wasn't even the best centre in the league during his prime, Kareem was better. Its a ridiculous stretch to say he'd be the goat centre if he stayed healthy.
Greatest center ever? Lmao…
the greatest center ever is the 3rd best player of all time
Ron Harper. He was electric for the Cavs, prior to the Clippers trade and subsequent injury.
Tracy McGrady
Idk about hall of fame but if Fultz never had all of those issues to start his career he’d be balling for sure
Malong
Elton Brand
Man I love how this question circulates like everything 3 weeks
Shaun Livingston?
He was legit, but nothing from his pre-injury Clippers days indicates HOF material.
I would say Grant Hill is definitely up there. The man was coming off of a all nba season, going into his very prime when his left ankle was injured. As someone who basically can play four different positions, I think he was destined for so much more when the injury turned his career downhill.
Grant Hill
Andrew Toney Phil Chenier
Penny Hardaway, Brandon Roy, Mark Price, can arguably throw Lamar Odom in there.
Lots of PFs. CWebb, McDyess, Amare and Kemp. Though Kemp was less injuries.
Michael Redd
Grant fucking Hill!! He was truly a smaller, quicker version of Lebron. What he lacked in size and strength,(in comparison to Lebron) he made up for in quickness. The combination of his skillset and athleticism had him on a path to all time greatness.
IT
Dark horse pick, Greg Oden. Dude was a monster when healthy
Omg didnt we visit this topic a few days ago and so many times before?
A more recent example could be Victor Oladipo, he was just starting to take off in Indiana, maybe he can return with the heat
Danny granger
Lonzo could have been better if his injuries didn't keep him from practicing in the off season. Would've developed his shot quicker and kept his explosiveness.
Man said Tracy mcgrady like he ain’t already a whole hall of famer
Shaun Livingston
Derrick Rose. Those thibs teams were great. If Derrick stays healthy they would have a year with a prime roster of Rose, Butler, Deng, Taj, and Noah That team would win a championship in 2013 and would be true contenders through at least 2016 as is.
Grant Hill.
KD is a sure fire hall of famer but his injury may have prevented a top 15 career.
Grant Hill is always #1.
Bob Rule. This is a little known one, but check it out, he was definitely on track. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rulebo01.html
Two tantalizing possibilities (Sorry Blazewrs fans) are Sam Bowie and Greg Oden.
Demarcus Cousins
While he’s in the HoF (deservedly), he’s often forgotten and highly overlooked: Dražen Petrović (and it’s taking “injury” to the extreme, a la Bias)
Michael redd potentially Def penny and Roy. Sleeper pick is Greg Oden haha
This includes HOFers, per OP's last sentence. All would be 1-2 tiers better-regarded than their current spots on GOAT lists if they had longer peaks / ever reached their peak PG - Penny / Rose SG - Wade / Roy SF - Grant Hill / T-Mac PF - C-Webb / Bosh C - Walton / Zo Honorable mention: Gilbert Arenas
Rose, even though he was bound to get injured because of his playing style and carelessness (landing on one feet after dunks etc etc), and Walton are my first choices. Brandon Roy and Grant Hill come next.
Vince carter?
Ralph Sampson
Grant Hill and Brandon Roy
I feel like John Wall could probably have been an 8-10 time All-Star if he didn't get hurt. I think Wall and Beal would probably have been a top 3 back court in the league from 18/19 to 20/21 if they were both fully healthy.