NBA: 5 Biggest NBA Underachievers From The 2012-13 Season

Steve Nash failed to meet the expectations that were burdened on him when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. Photo Credit: (Bridget Samuels, Flickr.com)

There’s no exact science to identifying the five biggest NBA underachievers, but many factors go into the process of pegging these guys.

Salaries are a big one. If a player is making boatloads of money and isn’t producing, it’s only natural that said player has underachieved. Another big one is the “hype factor,” which basically deals with how high the expectations are on a player.

The stats for underachievers are also hard to decipher because there’s no set barometer. It’s not as simple as “if said player scores below X points, he has underachieved.” In some cases, that formula works perfectly fine. In others, you have to consider the circumstances of the player–what’s his role? Was he injured?

So, with those baselines rules of thumb out of the way, I took a look at some of the bigger-named underachievers of the 2012-13 season.

Rudy Gay wasn’t at his best in 2012-13. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies/Toronto Raptors

A late January trade bolstered his numbers slightly, but Rudy Gay did underachieve in 2012-13. Not only did he have his worst shooting season as a pro, but he just looked out of sorts. He turned the ball over 2.6 times per game, which is a career-worst mark. He also shot a mere 32.3 percent from 3-point range.

After acclimating the Raptors offense, he averaged 19.5 points in 33 games with them. Still, he shot just 42.5 percent and turned the ball over 2.8 times per game.

Gay isn’t generally known as an efficient scorer and his decision making boggles the mind at times. This, and financial matters, forced Memphis to swap him for two less-superior players because he simply wasn’t fitting in. Look where the Grizzlies are now–in the playoffs.That pretty much says it all.

Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers

Steve Nash caught the injury bug this season, which might’ve stunted his stats. He missed 32 games and really never became fully accustomed to the Lakers’ offensive schemes.

Nash’s legacy as one of the NBA’s top facilitators is slowly declining in the “right now” era. From the broad view, that legacy is still much alive and will always be.

Nash averaged 12.7 points and here’s the glaring stat–6.7 assists. That lowly assist total can tell you two things: One, he never found a consistent comfort zone because he wasn’t the primary ball-handler–his usage percentage of 17.8 is the lowest since 1999-00–and in turn, his assist totals took the beating.

With Kobe Bryant on the shelf for the playoffs, we might see some flashbacks of vintage Nash. But even a temporary vintage Nash can’t cure his lacking production in Year 1 with the Lakers.

Deron Williams led the Brooklyn Nets down the stretch, but his overall stats weren’t up to par. Photo Credit: Mark Runyan, Basketball Schedule

Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets

If it wasn’t for a late-season surge (23.3 points and 8.0 assists per game over his final 24 games), Nets fans would have reason to scrutinize Deron Williams. Worse, Brooklyn’s playoff fate and seeding might’ve been a bit more different.

Still, even that aforementioned late-season surge can’t deflect his underachiever status. His stark scoring average of 18.9 points was his worst mark since the 2009-10 campaign. His stark assist average of 7.7, meanwhile, is his worst assist total since his rookie season.

It’s hard to wholly fault Williams because, after all, the Nets are in the playoffs. And despite his struggles, he didn’t collapse in the end. The stats speak for themselves, though.

Eric Gordon is the definition of injury-prone. Photo Credit: Mark Allison, Flickr.com

Eric Gordon, New Orleans Hornets

For all the press that Eric Gordon has garnered in trade rumors over the past couple years, it all comes down to consistent production. While plagued by injuries, he failed to consistently produce in 2012-13.

Gordon amassed 17.0 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting, which is a career-worst mark. As mentioned above, Gordon did give Hornets fans occasional tastes of what he’s capable of doing. But his scoring never remained constant. Each string of good games was often-times followed by a string of average to bad games. And for the amount of money he’s making–$14-plus million annually–varied scoring outputs isn’t enough.

It’s always intriguing to imagine what type of numbers Gordon could produce when he’s not plagued by injuries. But, if his first five years in the NBA are indications of what’s to come, injuries will always be a part of him. Plus, he’s not getting any younger.

Pau Gasol’s stats were mostly career-low marks. Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels, Flickr.com

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers

Adjustments are a part of the game and for most of the season, Pau Gasol failed to adjust to Dwight Howard’s presence. He averaged a career-low 13.7 points in 33.8 minutes per game.

Saying that he wasn’t comfortable in Los Angeles’s offense would be an understatement. Not only did he shoot 37.1 percent from the mid-range, but he shot only 41.1 percent in the paint. To put those two figures into perspective, he shot 42.2 percent from the mid-range and 46.4 percent in he paint (not including the restricted area) last season.

Another telling stat of Gasol’s offensive confusion is the fact that he averaged nearly three points more per 48 minutes when Howard was on the bench.

The stats aren’t going to paint the entire picture, but you get the point: Gasol had his worst season as a pro. Perhaps the circumstances weren’t ideal for him specifically, but again, the stats don’t lie.