Best NBA players to never make the playoffs

Welcome back to another edition of Enjoy Basketball!

Every NBA fan knows the players who have never won an NBA Championship. From Charles Barkley to Chris Paul to Steve Nash to Allen Iverson, there have been some amazing players who never managed to win it all. Winning a title is extremely hard to do, so it’s not surprising that these legends never did it.

All of them got close, though. Whether they made the Finals, Conference Finals, or multiple playoff appearances, they all were able to lead their teams to the postseason. It’s a testament to how great they were and how great their teams were.

But who are the players that can’t even claim that? Sure, not winning a championship is one thing, but what players haven’t even sniffed postseason basketball? Who are the best players in NBA history that never made the playoffs? Let’s find out.

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1. Geoff Petrie

Petrie was dubbed the ‘Original Trail Blazer,’ as he was the team’s first first-round draft pick as a franchise when they joined the NBA in 1970, as he was selected eighth overall. He spent six seasons in the league, all with Portland, before knee injuries cut his career short.

In his six seasons, Petrie averaged 21.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 45.5% shooting from the field. The 6’4 guard was a dynamic talent who was projected to be a future Hall-of-Famer. He won rookie of the year and was named to two All-Star teams during his time in the league.

Some crazy stats from Petrie’s career include his 51-point performance in 1973 and the time he played 61 minutes in a single game. Unfortunately, he ended his career with just 159 total wins. That being said, his basketball career didn’t end when he retired, as he would later enter various front office roles, including being the President of Basketball Operations for the Sacramento Kings from 1994 to 2013.

2. Tom Van Arsdale

Van Arsdale holds the unfortunate records of the most games played and most minutes played without ever making the playoffs… and it’s not even close. He played in the NBA for 12 seasons, appearing in 929 total games and playing 28,682 minutes. For reference, that’s more games than James Worthy and Allen Iverson and more minutes than Stephen Curry and Bob McAdoo.

And he was a solid player, too. It’s not like he was just an end-of-the-bench guy. Throughout his career, Van Arsdale posted averages of 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 43.1% shooting and was a three-time All-Star. The 6’5 wing was drafted in the second round of the 1965 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and went on to play for five different organizations - the Pistons, Cincinnati Royals/Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Phoenix Suns.

He averaged 10 or more points in all but one of his NBA seasons and averaged 19 or more in five seasons. Van Arsdale has 358 wins in his career. And as if that weren’t enough, he had a twin brother, Dick, who was also a three-time All-Star… but made the playoffs four times. Dick was selected one pick before Tom in the 1965 draft. What a difference one pick can make.

3. Brandon Knight

Sounds crazy, right? How can Knight possibly be on a list of the “best” anything? Well, before injuries caused his career to spiral, he was actually a great NBA point guard. After being picked eighth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, Knight looked like a future star through the first few seasons of his career.

In fact, his career averages look somewhat similar to Van Arsdale’s. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 41.1% shooting from the field and 35.2% shooting from three-point range. Knight actually played five games in the league this past season with the Dallas Mavericks, but still, he has yet to appear in a single playoff game.

Knight’s best NBA season came in 2015-16 with the Phoenix Suns. That year, Knight averaged 19.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 41.5% shooting from the field and 34.2% shooting from deep. Unfortunately, he only played in 52 games. He only accumulated 153 wins in his nine NBA seasons (451 games played).

4. Bob Rule

Just as Petrie was the ‘Original Trail Blazer,’ Rule should be considered the ‘Original Sonic.’ Except the difference is that Rule wasn’t even the team’s first pick in franchise history. That title goes to Al Tucker. Instead, Rule was the team’s second-round pick in their first draft as a franchise. And although a devastating Achilles injury effectively ended his career, early on, he looked like one of the best players ever.

He played in eight NBA seasons, appearing in 403 games and totaling 11,862 minutes. Over the course of his career, Rule averaged 17.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 46.1% shooting from the field. The 6’9 big man was an absolutely dominant scorer. During the 1970-71 season with the Sonics, Rule averaged 29.8 points and 11.5 rebounds. The craziest part about that? He wasn’t an All-Star that season.

Rule was, however, an All-Star the year prior, which marked the only All-Star appearance of his career. His career-high was 49 points, and his career-high in rebounds was 27. Rule was completely dominant during his time in the league, and it’s truly unfortunate that injuries ruined his career.

5. Eddy Curry

This is one of the most intriguing cases on this list. Curry played 11 seasons in the NBA (12 if you count the one year he sat out before being traded and bought out in 2010-11). He appeared in 527 games and held averages of 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds without ever playing a playoff game… but he has ring.

Curry was a part of the 2011-12 Miami Heat team that won the championship, but since he never played in a playoff game during the run, he technically has zero playoff experience. It’s a weird quirk in the metaphorical rules of this list, and it makes him one of the most interesting stories in NBA history.

The 7’0 center had the best year of his career in the 2006-07 season with the New York Knicks. That year, Curry averaged 19.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 57.6% shooting from the field. He never made an All-Star game, though, but his career-high of 43 points did occur that season. The other fun fact about Curry is that he shot 100% from three-point range throughout his career… on two attempts.

Some Lakers executives want to trade AD

According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, some members of the Los Angeles Lakers front office are interested in potentially trading Anthony Davis once LeBron James moves on. After James leaves, there could be some questions in regard to whether or not Davis is capable of leading them into the future.

Recent reports have indicated that James and the Lakers have discussed a potential contract extension and that those talks have gone well. However, it would only be for two seasons, and after that, James has said that he plans on playing wherever his son, Bronny James, ends up. So, at that point, would the Lakers trade Davis? Only time will tell.

Bulls, Vucevic interested in extension

According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls have begun discussions about a potential extension. The 31-year-old will be eligible for a four-year extension worth $118.2 million that would see him remain in Chicago through the 2026-27 season.

Although, with how old Vucevic is, it’s unlikely that he ends up signing for the max. It’s more likely that the two sides come to an agreement on a different contract value that would work for both Vucevic and the team. What the years and numbers would look like on that deal is unknown, but right now, it seems like both sides are interested in coming to an agreement that keeps Vucevic in Chicago.

Kyrie and Nets at peace

Despite the constant trade buzz surrounding Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and the Brooklyn Nets, Irving and the team are reportedly in a good spot. Ian Begley of SNY reported that both sides are comfortable with Irving entering the season with the Nets, which could potentially put an end to trade rumors.

Now, whether or not this is beneficial to the Nets is another question. It’s looking more and more like Irving will land with the Lakers eventually, whether that be via trade or in free agency next summer, so he’s probably not in too much of a rush. But for the Nets, would they rather trade him or lose him for nothing? Maybe they trade him at the deadline, or maybe this is just a ruse to drive up trade interest. Regardless, don’t be surprised to see Irving in Brooklyn at the start of the season.

Can Zion Williamson adapt to fit new-look Pelicans? It depends on these 3 questions - William Guillory (The Athletic)

An investigation into Austin Reaves’ misleading 3-point stroke - Alex Regla (Silver Screen and Roll)

Evaluating how 10 NBA superstars have changed as creators over time - Ethan Fuller (Basketball News)

The Quentin Grimes dilemma: Knicks' promising wing makes trading for Donovan Mitchell tricky - James Herbert (CBS Sports)

Spurs’ Depth Chart Breakdown: Keldon Johnson is the centerpiece of a deep forward corps - Jesus Gomez (Pounding the Rock)

The fact that Curry never played in a playoff game yet won a ring is absolutely baffling. When researching the players for this article, we were definitely surprised, and it made the newsletter even more interesting. Also, De’Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball were contenders for the list, but since they’re still in the league, we left them out.

What players in the league today do you think could play their entire career without making the playoffs? It’s not an easy feat, but some names that are in contention include Ball, Fox, Buddy Hield, Malik Monk, and Josh Hart. Although, all of those players have a chance to snap that streak next season.

That'll be it for us. Thanks for reading. See y'all next time.

- Jack Simone

Trivia answer: The youngest team to ever win an NBA championship was the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1976-77 season! They were led by a 24-year-old Bill Walton and a 24-year-old Maurice Lucas. Fun fact, they also had the fourth-worst regular-season winning percentage of any team ever to win a title.

Trivia Question: We’ve talked a lot about players who were great but never made the playoffs, but let’s talk about another disappointing stat. Which player has appeared in the most games played without ever scoring a point? (Hint: He dominated the G League, totaling 86 games and averaging 22.1 points.)