Most overrated NBA players ever: James Harden, Tracy McGrady among most overrated ever

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry knocked down some of the biggest shots in NBA history, yet that should not overshadow the fact that over his 17-year career, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged only seven points per game. Even though he is known for his clutch moments in the playoffs, throughout 244 postseason games, Horry averaged just 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds. He was not an efficient scorer, shooting below 40% in six different seasons. Therefore, a few clutch plays don’t mean that the rest of his long NBA career should be ignored.

• Robert Horry stats: 7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 42.5% FG, and 34.1% 3FG

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It helped to play alongside one of the best passers of all time in Chris Paul, but outside of his “Lob City” days, DeAndre Jordan has had one of the most overrated careers ever. His best stretch of basketball was between 2013-2018 with the Clippers, but he was just a product of the system since most of his scoring consisted of put-back dunks and alley-oops. The 6-foot-11 big man lacks skill and scoring outside the paint, and along with that, defensively outside of being a rim protector, he was not that effective. Jordan could not switch onto guards and stop players on the perimeter and he became unplayable towards the end of games because of his poor free throw shooting at just 47.5%.

• DeAndre Jordan stats: 8.8 PPG, 10 RPG, 0.9 APG, 67.4% FG, and 15.4% 3FG

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The Los Angeles Clippers gave up a bulk of their future to partner up Paul George with Kawhi Leonard, but things did not go as planned. Pairing up two of the best two-way players in the league should not have led to anything shorter than a championship. Along with Leonard, George has played with several All-NBA talents, including Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Carmelo Anthony, but come playoff time he has just not been able to get over the hump. People still mention him in the same breath as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jayson Tatum even though his only accomplishments in Los Angeles were a few All-Star nods and an All-NBA Third Team appearance. His new contract with the Philadelphia 76ers will make him the seventh-highest-paid player next season, which is ridiculous knowing that he has only made the conference finals three times in his career.

• Paul George stats: 22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 47.1% FG, and 41.3% 3FG

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Coming out of LSU, Ben Simmons was a 6-foot-10 point guard who showed flashes of LeBron James and Magic Johnson, but the No. 1 overall pick did not live up to his expectations. Not only was Simmons a talented passer, but his ability to guard different positions on the defensive side of the floor showed a high level of potential the second he stepped foot on an NBA court. A lack of motivation seems to be holding the three-time All-Star back as he has only played in 57 games during his current stint with the Brooklyn Nets. Since the 76ers shipped him off the Brooklyn, Simmons has averaged just 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and six assists per game. In 2024-25, the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year will be making roughly $40 million and that is absurd knowing that he has not played over 58 games in a season since 2018-19. His inability to develop a consistent jumper six seasons into his career has made teams question his work ethic.

• Ben Simmons stats: 14.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.4 APG, 56% FG, 13.9% 3FG

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Coming out of Kentucky in 2012, Anthony Davis was one of the most highly anticipated draft picks in NBA history, as he was taken first overall to the New Orleans Hornets. While he has never failed to put up numbers, there is no excuse as to why a player of his status does not have an MVP. After not being able to lead his team far in the playoffs, Davis requested a trade to the Lakers, where he won his first championship. However, that shows that he does not have the ability to be a number one option on a top team in the league, despite all of the hype that has been around him throughout his career. The 6-foot-10 forward has played over 70 games in a season just three times in his 12-year career. While he is regarded as one of the best defenders in this era, he is still yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award. Despite that, he still made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team over Dwight Howard, Tony Parker, Bernard King, and Vince Carter.

• Anthony Davis stats: 24.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 52.3% FG, and 29.7% 3FG

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Before being traded from the Washington Wizards to the Phoenix Suns last summer, Bradley Beal signed a 5-year, $251 million deal which is currently the fourth-highest contract in NBA history. A player making that amount of money should be able to lead a team to a championship. During his time with the Wizards, Beal played with All-NBA guards like John Wall and Russell Westbrook, but the 6-foot-4 shooting guard could not get his team past the conference semifinals. 18.2 points per game this past season was his lowest total since 2015-16, and he was a non-factor in the Suns first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring just 16.5 points per contest. Beal was exposed defensively and his struggles playing with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker prove the fact that his game does not translate to winning. It makes no sense how Beal is getting paid that much money after just making three All-Star games and one All-NBA team 12 seasons into his career.

• Bradley Beal stats: 21.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.3 APG, 46.3% FG, and 37.5% 3FG

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There is no doubt that Jason Williams made one of the most iconic passes in NBA history, however the 6-foot-1 point guard’s flashiness on the court has made him one of the most overrated players ever. Williams averaged only 10.5 points per game throughout his 12-year career, and never made an All-Star team. The way Williams gets talked about makes it seem like he led the league in assists several times, but that just was not the case. In fact, the 1998-99 All-Rookie guard averaged more than eight assists only once in his career. Statistically, he just never stood out against the top point guards in his era and even though he was credited for being a solid three-point shooter, he made just 32.7% of his threes.

• Jason Williams stats: 10.5 PPG, 2.3 APG, 5.9 APG, 39.8% FG, and 32.7% 3FG

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Tracy McGrady’s ability to score the basketball anywhere on the court cannot be overlooked, however the 6-foot-9 forward gets too much credit considering the fact that he never won a single playoff series throughout his career. Yes, he played on some bad teams but his shot selection was poor, but he seems to get a pass for not being able to get his team over the hump in the post season. McGrady just did not have what it took to lead a team to a championship, and even though he scored 13 points in 33 seconds, he folded under pressure several times. The three-level scorer blew a two-game series lead, three separate times.

• Tracy McGrady stats: 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 43.5% FG, and 33.8% 3FG

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Everywhere James Harden has played in his career, he has caused some sort of turmoil. He wanted out of Houston, so he was shipped into a great situation alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. However, the star players only managed to play in 16 games together. Once again, Harden wanted out and was traded to Philadelphia to pair up with Joel Embiid, but that did not work out after another early playoff exit. After issues with the front office, the 6-foot-5 guard found his way to the Los Angeles Clippers to play with even more All-NBA talents in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but that ended in another first-round exit. Harden’s play style will never lead to a championship since he is a ball-dominant guard who values scoring the basketball over getting his teammates involved. In his career, Harden has the 22nd-highest usage rate of all time at 29.1, but still has not made it to the NBA Finals since his days in Oklahoma City. As talented as a scorer as Harden is, he relies too much on foul-baiting and getting to the free-throw line.

• James Harden stats: 24.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 7.1 APG, 44.1% FG, and 36.4% 3FG

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There is a strong difference between being a great rim protector and being a great defender. Rudy Gobert having four Defensive Player of the Year awards is unfair to players who spend 48 minutes a game tracking down the other team’s best player all over the court such as Kawhi Leonard, Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, and even Jrue Holiday. As good as a rim protector as Gobert is, he became unplayable at the end of games because teams would exploit mismatches where the 7-foot-1 big man would not stand a chance. It was even shown in this year’s playoffs in Game 2 of the WCF where Gobert was switched onto Luka Doncic and the Mavericks star hit the go-ahead shot over the seven-time All-NBA defensive player. His resume may get him into the NBA Hall of Fame, but the fact that the only way he can score the ball is through put-back dunks or alley-oops, as well as his inability to guard the perimeter, Gobert is the most overrated player ever.

• Rudy Gobert stats: 12.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 65.5% FG, and 0% 3FG

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