There's a player who's played 15 seasons in the NBA and has never made his career past the first round of the playoffs, can you guess who he is? With the Jazz eliminated by the Lone Rangers, Rudy Guy missed out on the second round again. As a result, Gay became the only player in NBA history to play at least 15 seasons without ever making the second round of the playoffs.
A fan left a message before: "Is Guy injured?" Why didn't the playoffs play. In fact, Guy hasn't played since April 11. He has played 55 regular season games for the Jazz this season, averaging 18.8 minutes per game, having 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1 assist, shooting 41.4 percent, 34.5 percent and 78.5 percent from three fields.
Gay's average of points, rebounds and assists per game is a career low, and the 36-year-old is no longer brave. In the 2021 offseason, Gay joined the Jazz for 3 years and $18.55 million, with player options for the 2023-24 season. By the end of the contract, Gay will be 38 years old, and he will most likely end his NBA career at the Jazz.
In the 2006 draft, Gay was selected by the Rockets with the 8th pick in the first round and was sent to the Grizzlies in exchange for Battier. The 2006 rookies are still in the league, with No. 8 guys also having Aldridge, Rondo with 21st pick, Lowry with 24th pick, Tucker with 35th pick and Millsap with 47th pick.
Gay played in three playoff appearances, the first time in 2011-12, when the Grizzlies were eliminated by the Clippers in the first round, 3-4, and Gay averaged 19 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. In fact, in the 2010-11 season, the Grizzlies created the "Black Eight Miracle", eliminating the Spurs in the first round. But Guy had shoulder surgery on March 27, 2011, and was reimbursed for the season, and he didn't play in the playoffs.
In the 2012–13 season, the Grizzlies reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history. But on January 31, 2013, Gay was traded to the Raptors, and he missed the opportunity to break through the first round. Gay's second playoff appearance was in the 2017-18 season, when his Spurs were eliminated 1-4 by the Warriors and eliminated in the first round, Gay averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Gay's third playoff appearance was in the 2018-19 season, when the Spurs were eliminated by the Nuggets 3-4 in the first round, and Gay averaged 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. His luck was so bad that he made three playoff trips, two of which were eliminated in seven battles. Gay averaged 14.2 points, 6.4 boards and 1.8 assists per game in his playoff career, shooting 41.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
One might ask: Maddy played 16 seasons, didn't he break through the first round? Not! In the 2012-13 playoffs, Maddy played in 6 games for the Spurs, including the first and second rounds of the playoffs, the Western Conference Finals and the Finals. In the Spurs vs Heat Finals, Maddy played in two games and played a total of 15 minutes.
Therefore, Gay's 15 seasons of not being able to break through the first round is a unique presence in the history of the NBA. But to put it another way, the average career of NBA players is only 4 seasons, and Gay can play in the league for so many years, which is successful enough. What other memories do you have about Guy as a player?