Brandon Roy's promising NBA career was cut short by injuries and Nate Robinson thinks had he never gotten hurt, Roy would have been talked about like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
There have been many what-ifs over the years in the NBA and Roy is certainly one of them. The Portland Trail Blazers had selected with the sixth pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and he went on to win Rookie of the Year honors.
Roy then went on to be an All-Star in each of the next three seasons, with the 2008-09 campaign being his finest, as he averaged 22.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
It would also prove to be the last season where he was relatively healthy, however. Toward the end of the 2009-10 season, Roy suffered a slight meniscus tear on his right knee and things were about to get much worse from then on.
Due to a lack of cartilage, his knees were really starting to bother him in 2010-11 and he required arthroscopic surgery on both of them in January 2011. Roy did manage to return to the court that season, but before training camp opened for 2011-12, he announced his retirement due to his knee issues.
Roy then made a comeback in 2012-13 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but after playing five games he required season-ending surgery on his right knee. That was that for his career and he finished with averages of 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
Would Brandon Roy Have Been Talked About Like Kobe And LeBron?
While Roy certainly had the potential to be very special, would he have been talked about like Kobe or LeBron as Robinson believes? I don't think so. The two of them are generally regarded as among the 10 greatest players in NBA history and I don't believe Roy had the potential to be that great.
He would have been a perennial All-Star and fixture on the All-NBA teams if not for injuries, but that still isn't enough to be mentioned alongside those two. LeBron and Kobe won multiple championships and Finals MVPs, while also being named MVP, and I don't think Roy would have matched their achievements.
Robinson, a three-time NBA Slam Dunk champion, is entitled to his opinion, of course, but he might just be a little biased here. Robinson and Roy were teammates at the University of Washington for three years from 2002 to 2005, and there is clearly still a lot of love between these two.
What Could Have Been For The Portland Trail Blazers
Having one player's career be severely hampered due to injuries would be bad enough, but the Trail Blazers ended up having two such cases. A year after drafting Roy, they selected Greg Oden with the first pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.
While Roy at least managed to play in 321 regular games for the franchise, Oden only played in 82 due to injuries. Oden, Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge would play just 62 games together and the Blazers had a 50-12 record in those games, which leaves you wondering what might have been, had the two stayed healthy.
Like Roy, Oden attempted to revive his career on another team, signing with the Miami Heat in 2013. He only played for them for one season, though, and had to go overseas to continue his career. Then in 2016 at the age of 28, Oden retired from professional basketball.
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