8. Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez modeled his game after the 7-foot giants who came before him. So much of his career was spent near the bucket because before the last few years, god forbid a man of his size do anything else.
Across eight seasons this decade with the Brooklyn Nets — previously of New Jersey — Lopez fulfilled his center duties rather well. He shot 50.3 percent from the field on his way to 19.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, even making the All-Star Game in 2013.
Those seemingly above-average numbers aren’t as basic as you might think. During that same period, the only other players to replicate Lopez’s stats are LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Brook Lopez every year except this season, last season and his rookie season:
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) May 16, 2019
18.8 PPG
20.4 PPG
19.2 PPG
19.4 PPG
20.7 PPG
17.2 PPG
20.6 PPG
20.5 PPG
He leads an entire franchise (Nets) in points.
Why did everyone forget this because of one bad year with the Lakers?
What kept Lopez from receiving proper recognition? Part of that falls on the Nets’ embarrassing record, where they averaged just 16 wins from 2010-12.
It wasn’t until the move to Brooklyn where the Nets began a string of three playoff appearances. By then, though, the presence of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson — and eventually Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett — cast Lopez into the shadows.
Now, Lopez is revered for his newfound shooting stroke as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s been dubbed crucial to their title hopes and one could only wonder how he’d be viewed with similar responsibilities closer to his peak.