On the Brink: Predicting the fates of 16 borderline NBA Hall of Famers
By Cal Durrett
16) Shawn Marion
Former Phoenix Suns star Shawn Marion was largely underrated during his 16-year playing career but has gotten more recognition since retiring. Marion's versatility as a player made him terrific, with him legitimately being able to guard point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards, and some centers. He guarded Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan at various points during Phoenix's multiple playoff run-ins with the San Antonio Spurs.
He was also one of the more effective defenders too, ranking 21st in all-time stocks (steals and blocks) with nearly 3,000 of them. Offensively, he wasn't nearly as polished with an awful-looking jumper but he shot around league-average from three and was a good free-throw shooter.
His ability to score in transition, off of cuts, and put-backs allowed him to rack up points, averaging 19.3 points over his final seven full seasons in Phoenix, resulting in four all-star and two all-NBA appearances. He later played for the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks—where he was a starter on their 2011 championship team—and finally Cleveland.
With career averages of 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds over 1,163 games, he has surprisingly strong counting stats despite never being more than a third option. 17,700 points and 10,101 rebounds is dangerously close to the big-man benchmarks for the Hall of Fame. His improved reputation should get him into the Hall, though he is probably more of a Hall of Very Good type of player.