Greatness is intoxicating, but for fans, the idea of "big things late" is also romantic.
Super-genius superstar Michael Jordan managed to do both: When Jordan soared as a professional basketball player, he was once cut by a high school team. Late Success reminds us that hard work pays off and that we won't be stuck in our current environment.
Of course, at least in a league full of the tallest, strongest, and highest jumpers, the late-in-the-top development is often caused by something he can't control: the shadow of a more famous player, an unstable team. Sometimes flowering is associated with maturation or grit; sometimes it's just about leaving a dysfunctional team.
The idea of late bloomers is worrying subjectivity, so Stacker delves into numbers to find a formula to anchor a list. Stacker used data from the Basketball Reference website to calculate a combined average of each NBA player's BPM, VORP, PER, and WS rankings over a given season.
BPM stands for Box Plus/Minus, which measures a player's shooting efficiency, playing time, rebounds, steals, blocks, assists, etc. to find out how well a player scores compared to a regular NBA player. VORP stands for Value Over Replacement Player and is quantified by dividing a player's BPM by theoretically substitute players to see how many times or how many times lower their value is than the lowest-paid player. PER is a statistic that measures a player's efficiency per minute. WS stands for Win Shares, measuring the number of points generated by a single player and trying to attribute the percentage of team wins he creates to him.
From there, we found players who didn't make the NBA's top 50 average in the first five years of their careers, but made it to the top 25 for at least one season after that. Since 1974, a total of 19 players have met the requirements; they rank from 19 to 1 based on the gap between their highest scoring year and their average before flowering in their first five years.
The NBA playoffs feature late-comers like Tobias Harris and D'Angelo Russell — two stars who need to change circumstances to reach their full potential — providing the perfect moment to learn about the NBA's most dramatic late blooms from 1974 to 2017.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" >19</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #92
- Top 25 first season: 9th
- Best Ranking: #23 (Season 9)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 2.9 (#37), PER: 20.9 (#22), BPM: 1.8 (#57), WS: 11.2 (#13)
- Best Season Stats: 27.2 PPG, 2.3 APG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.6 BPG
- Career stats: 18.1 PPG, 2.1 APG, 6.1 RPG, 0, 0.6 BPG
Although it took Tom Chambers years and a turnaround situation to peak in the NBA, the 6-foot-10-inch big forward began his first bloom in high school. As a sophomore, Chambers was a 6-foot 2- point guard; the rapid growth that had him skyrocket by 7 inches in six months made him a prospect for Division 1 and eventually the San Diego Clippers' first-round pick. Chambers shone with stardom for the first time after moving to the Seattle Supersonics, but landed with the Phoenix Suns in the late 1980s, making him an NBA elite. Chambers is one of only two players to score 20,000 career points without entering the Hall of Fame.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" >18</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #118
- First season of top 25: 6th place
- Best Ranking: #22 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 2.3 (#34), PER: 19 (#30), BPM: 1.7 (#46), WS: 9.2 (#16)
- Best Season Stats: 16.5 PPG, 1.6 APG, 8.2 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG
- Career stats: 11.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 6.5 RPG, 0.0. , 1.1 BPG
Mike Gminski was twice named the All-America Player of the Year in his four-year college career, but it took Gminski longer to become an influential player among pros. In his sixth season, as the team's starting center, Gminsky began a four-year record of averaging more than 16 points and eight rebounds per game. For a big man, he was a famous free thrower.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="20" >17</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #119
- First season of top 25: 7th
- Best Ranking: #11 (Season 7)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 6 (#4), PER: 19.3 (#36), BPM: 5.8 (#9), WS: 12.1 (#9)
- Best season stats: 14.4 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG
- Career stats: 9.3 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
As the son of one of the greatest NBA superstars in history (Rick Barry), it took Brent Barry a while to make great strides in the league. Barry was drafted by the Denver Nuggets but was traded to the Clippers before playing a game. The slender winger was an early three-point expert, but he unexpectedly won the dunk contest in 1996. In 2001-2002, the 30-year-old Barry had his best season with the Seattle Supersonics; in his 15-year career, he won two NBA championships.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" >16</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #126
- Best Ranking: #16 (Season 7)
- Best Season Advanced Stats: VORP: 3.9 (#12), PER: 18.2 (#38), BPM: 3.8 (#15), WS: 9.1 (#17)
- Best Season Stats: 13.4 PPG, 2.1 APG, 10.5 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG
- Career stats: 9.2 PPG, 1.4 APG, 8.3 RPG, 0. , 1.1 BPG
Kermit Washington excelled in college and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the fifth overall pick, but he transitioned from a small college to one of the NBA's premier teams. Prior to his first outstanding season (1979-1980), he played in 82 games for the San Diego Clippers, and he never made more than 60 appearances in a season. He played in the All-Star Game as the Portland Trail Blazers in 1980, but unfortunately for Washington, he will forever be known for his infamous courtside brawls.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" >15</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #127
- Best Ranking: #9 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 5.3 (#9), PER: 20.9 (#19), BPM: 4.3 (#23), WS: 12.7 (#6)
- Best season stats: 20.6 PPG, 7.5 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 0.0 BPG
- Career stats: 10.5 PPG, 3.3 APG, 1.9 RPG, 0. , 0.1 BPG
In 1989, Dana Barros was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in the middle of the first round and supported talented and energetic point guard Gary Payton for the first half of his career. But the 1993 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers opened up another level for Barros. Finally getting the starting spot, Barros began to show some of the shining points of his shooting guard when he was in college at Boston College. In his second season at Philadelphia, he became one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference, averaging 20.6 points and 7.5 assists per game. In the 1994–1995 season, he was named the NBA's most improved player.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="35" >14</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #152
- Best Ranking: #25 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 2.3 (#50), PER: 19.7 (#32), BPM: 2.3 (#47), WS: 7.8 (#32)
- Best season stats: 15.7 PPG, 2.0 APG, 6.2 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG
- Career stats: 14.8 PPG, 1.4 APG, 6.1 RPG, 0. , 1.3 BPG
The 7-foot-4-inch Dutch center, known as the "Slam Dutchman," finished second in the 1988 NBA Draft, behind the Indiana Pacers. Smits was immediately able to score in the NBA, using his height and his effective mid-range shooting to average 15 points per game in his second year. But it takes longer for the tall big man to grab rebounds and defense at NBA level. The Pacers center played his only All-Star Game in 1998 at the age of 31.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" >13</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #146
- First season of top 25: 8th place
- Best Ranking: #17 (Season 8)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 2.6 (#23), PER: 22.8 (#15), BPM: 3 (#41), WS: 7.5 (#20)
- Best season stats: 19.2 PPG, 2.2 APG, 9.6 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG
- Career stats: 15.7 PPG, 1.5 APG, 8.4 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 1.2 BPG
Algepherson, a 6-foot-10 center, was drafted by the Boston Celtics, but it wasn't until he was transferred to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the centerpiece of the Kevin Garnett deal that he began to shine, which gave the Celtics a late start — the 2000s Championship Game. Jefferson tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his second season with Wolves (he averaged an impressive 23 points and 11 rebounds per game), which further slowed the big man's rise. It wasn't until another deal moved him to the Utah Jazz that Jefferson began to reach his peak. In the end, the 29-year-old Jefferson became an NBA All-Star on his fourth team.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="45" >12</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #153
- Best Ranking: #24 (Season 7)
- Best Season Advanced Stats: VORP: 3.6 (#26), PER: 21.6 (#30), BPM: 4.1 (#23), WS: 7.7 (#38)
- Best season stats: 22.0 PPG, 4.7 APG, 6.3 RPG, 2.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
- Career stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.1 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1. , 0.4 BPG
Larry Hughes, one of St. Louis' greatest players, announced his NBA draft after his freshman at St. Louis university and was picked eighth by the Philadelphia 76ers. The young guard played alongside Aaron Iverson before being traded to the Golden State Warriors on a three-team trade. Hughes next played with Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards before signing a huge contract to play with Jordan's heir, LeBron James, in Cleveland. Hughes' best season came in Washington, when he averaged 22 points per game and led the league with 2.9 steals.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="50" >11</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #159
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 3.3 (#28), PER:18 (#53), BPM: 2.9 (#45), WS: 8.2 (#31)
- Best season stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.2 APG, 7.6 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 2.6 BPG
- Career stats: 10.3 PPG, 1.1 APG, 5.7 RPG, 0. , 1.5 BPG
Eldon Campbell, a 6-foot 11-inch center, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the first round after playing at Clemson University for four years. The youngster joined the legendary team in 1990, a year before Magic Johnson quit the league after being diagnosed with HIV. Campbell played for the team for several seasons before spending the best year of his career from 1995 to 1996. That season, Campbell's defense and passing shined: he had a career-high assist rate and a defensive plus-minus (a high-level statistic that shows how much more defensively than average for a position player). Aptly, the best moment of his late career came when he was playing a major defense for Shaquille O'Neal in the 2004 NBA Finals.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="55" >10</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #162
- Best Ranking: #25 (Season 8)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 4.1 (#17), PER: 17.8 (#72), BPM: 3.3 (#33), WS: 9 (#25)
- Best season stats: 19.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, 5.7 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
- Career stats: 11.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
6-foot-10-inch forward Hedo Turkoglu was one of the first big men to start shooting three-pointers with high shooting percentages. The Istanbul native played for the Turkish professional team for four seasons before being drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2000. He made three years off the bench on a much-loved team that Sports Illustrated called "the greatest show on the pitch." The sharp striker's best season came in 2007-2008, when he played alongside Dwight Howard and Rashad Lewis. The following season, Turkoglu's Magic reached the NBA Finals.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="60" >9</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #150
- Best Ranking: #13 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advanced Stats: VORP: 4.3 (#12), PER: 18.3 (#58), BPM: 4.1 (#17), WS: 9.9 (#11)
- Best Season Stats: 14.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 2.8 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
- Career stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1. , 0.2 BPG
Before being selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Mike Conley played alongside Greg Oden and Dei Quan Cook in the Ohio State Horse Chestnuts, runners-up in the National Championship. Conley started very slowly and seemed to have had to fight for his job every year thereafter. But in his sixth season, 2012-2013, Conley finally cemented his position with the Grizzlies and the league, contributing 14.6 points and 6.1 assists while being named to the best defensive second team.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="65" >8</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #171
- Best Ranking: #10 (Season 8)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 4.6 (#8), PER: 18.9 (#49), BPM: 4.7 (#13), WS: 10.8 (#10)
- Best season stats: 13.8 PPG, 2.5 APG, 7.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
- Career stats: 11.3 PPG, 1.8 APG, 6.0 SPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.7 BPG
Brazil's big man Nene entered the NBA in 2002 when he was selected by the New York Knicks with the seventh overall pick NeyMarario. Before he played a game in New York, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. During the Nuggets' first six seasons, Nene missed more than 40 percent of the game — a time he suffered from a leg injury. But starting his seventh season as a center in a team led by Cameron Anthony, Nene created the best three-year performance of his career, leading the league in terms of offensive efficiency, and his shooting percentage exceeded 60 percent.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="70" >7</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #180
- Best Ranking: #14 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 5.9 (#6), PER: 18.6 (#50), BPM: 5.9 (#8), WS: 11.6 (#10)
- Best season stats: 7.6 PPG, 1.4 APG, 13.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 3.5 BPG
- Career stats: 5.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 9.6 RPG, 1.3, 2.0 BPG
There may be no better example of a late player on this list than Ben Wallace, because in modern times, there may be no less likely player to become a Hall of Famer than Wallace. The diminutive center signed as an undrafted free agent for the Washington Bullets and played frugally in Orlando before finding his home in Detroit in 2000. In an incredible five years from 2001 to 2006, Wallace won defensive player of the year four times, was selected to all NBA teams five times, was named to the All-Star Game four times, and even won MVP votes in three different seasons.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="75" >6</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #196
- Best Ranking: #15 (Season 6)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 4 (#14), PER: 21.4 (#23), BPM: 3.9 (#25), WS: 10.3 (#15)
- Best Season Stats: 20.3 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
- Career stats: 13.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1, 0.2 BPG
Slovenian defender Goran Dragic, who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs towards the end of the 2008 draft (and then traded immediately to the Phoenix Suns), played like a late second round in his first five years. The left-hander made his first playoff role against the Spurs in 2010. The 23-year-old came off the bench in 17 minutes and scored 26 points. The Suns traded Dragic to the Rockets, but a year later he resigned with the Suns and eventually exploded as a point guard. In the 2013-2014 season, the 27-year-old Dragic won the fastest improving player, averaging 20 points per game and shooting more than 40 percent from three-point range.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="80" >5</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #202
- First season of top 25: 10th place
- Best Ranking: #20 (Season 10)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 3.1 (#28), PER: 22.6 (#16), BPM: 2.5 (#48), WS: 10.5 (#12)
- Best season stats: 20.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, 12.2 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
- Career stats: 16.6 PPG, 1.8 APG, 9.1 RPG, 0.1 RPG, 0.3 BPG
Zach Randolph entered the league with the unfortunate (and sometimes, aptly) nicknamed Portland's "Prison Trail Blazers" — a talented team that ended up derailed by a lack of cohesion and multiple run-ins with law enforcement. He then made a quick stop at two other recklessly run franchises before finding his spiritual home in Memphis. The tenacity of the late '20s forward influenced the entire Grizzlies (later known as "Grit and Grind"), and his pairing with Marc Gasol made him one of the strongest frontcourts in the league. Randolph made it to the All-Star Game in 2010 and 2013 at the age of 28 and 31, respectively.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="85" >4</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #204
- Best Season Advanced Stats: VORP: 5.2 (#11), PER: 18.9 (#48), BPM: 4.5 (#24), WS: 11.4 (#13)
- Best Season Stats: 16.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 11.4 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
- Career stats: 10.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, 8.3 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Anthony Mason, along with John Stax, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley, embodied the tenacity that became the hallmark of the New York Knicks in the mid-'90s. He's strong, but he's also a bit of a player during the Eastern Conference era when Michael Jordan ruled. But when Mason started playing meaningful playing time in 1995, he showed he could be one of the best forwards in basketball. From 1995 to 1998, he reached the top 18 in the league with a winning percentage over the bench.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="90" >3</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #203
- Best Ranking: #14 (Season 7)
- Best Season Advanced Stats: VORP: 4.3 (#11), PER: 21 (#38), BPM: 4.1 (#23), WS: 12.8 (#5)
- Best season stats: 11.5 PPG, 0.7 APG, 15.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 2.2 BPG
- Career stats: 9.6 PPG, 0.9 APG, 10.9 SPG, 0. , 1.6 BPG
The 6-foot-11-inch Texan was selected for the Clippers, which was terrible news for decades. But two years after DeAndre Jordan's career, Blake Griffin joined his frontcourt as a star, and a year later, Chris Paul moved to the running position. By 2013, jordan, 25, had become an integral part of Lobbe City. Jordan was successful from 2014 to 2017, when he shot more than 70 percent from the field while averaging more than 13 rebounds per game.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="95" >2</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #210
- First season of top 25: 7th place
- Best Ranking: #19 (Season 10)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 3.9 (#20), PER: 18.9 (#53), BPM: 3.2 (#30), WS: 10.4 (#11)
- Best season stats: 14.7 PPG, 1.5 APG, 9.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.5 BPG
- Career stats: 11.2 PPG, 1.4 APG, 6.7 SPG, 0, 0.9 BPG
Donyer Marshall ran in the NBA draft after playing a full-time U.S. third season at the University of Connecticut; he was selected fourth by the Minnesota Timberwolves midway through his rookie season before being transferred to the Golden State Warriors. But when Marshall arrived in Utah at the age of 27, he came to a team led by ferocious and discerning coach Jerry Sloan. Marshall shot fewer shots and rebounded more, making himself a winning striker.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="100" >1</h1>
- Average ranking in the league's first five seasons: #250
- Best Ranking: #19 (Season 7)
- Best Season Advancement Stats: VORP: 3.3 (#28), PER: 21.4 (#18), BPM: 2.6 (#45), WS: 10.5 (#13)
- Best season stats: 20.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, 10.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 2.3 BPG
- Career stats: 13.2 PPG, 1.4 APG, 7.2 RPG, 0.2 RPG, 1.8 BPG
Part of the reason it took Jermaine O'Neal years to find his sea leg in the NBA was that he went straight into the league at the age of 17 at South Carolina High School. The 6-foot-11-inch talented center couldn't find his footing in four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, many of whom spent college, averaging just 3.9 points per game during that time. But when O'Neal moved to the Indiana Pacers, he began to realize his potential, making him a six-year All-Star Game from 2002 to 2007 (he was only 23 years old when he first played the All-Star Game).