25 current NBA players who will end up in the Hall of Very Good

Obviously, to be a player of this ilk, it helps to bounce around so more fan bases get to see you on the regular. Harris has played for five NBA teams. Of course, that kind of player is usually either hunting a ring (like Shaq or Dwight Howard), challenging to get along with (like, um, Shaq or Dwight Howard), or the kind of player you like to have but don’t feel the need to build around. Harris has been the kind of guy you are happy to have as your fourth-best player and content to have as your third-best player.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the two times that Vucevic has had 20-point, 10-rebound seasons, he’s been an all-star. Those are also his only All-Star Game appearances. Vucevic has played in the NBA for a while, but usually for mediocre teams. He’s never been out of the first round of the playoffs, but he’ll be remembered as a pretty good player with a couple of quite good seasons.

If Schroder played as well for his NBA teams as he does for Germany, he’d be a borderline Hall of Famer. Instead, he’s a frequent backup point guard who has played for 10 NBA teams. Yes, 10 NBA teams. Only Atlanta, the team that drafted him, has employed him for more than two seasons. Journeymen who often handle the ball (as backup point guards do) are easier to remember.

If Barnes had lived up to the hype that greeted him at North Carolina, he would have been drafted too highly or been too in the zeitgeist to end up on this list. Instead, before he was even done with his one season as a Tar Heel, the hype cooled off. Barnes was drafted seventh, and he’s carved out a lengthy NBA career as a secondary or tertiary scorer. If you told somebody who wasn’t cognizant of basketball that Barnes had been a highly-touted prospect, they would probably be surprised.

Personality can go a long way in being remembered. So can a New Zealand accent and a bunch of tattoos. Adams has always cut a striking figure in the NBA, renowned for his toughness and considered a solid player. He’s never been an all-star, though, and he never will be. Plus, his personality isn’t so outsized that it leads to him being a frequent topic of discussion. If he goes into American media after he retires, obviously that will change things, but that doesn’t feel too likely.

Early in his tenure with Atlanta, it seemed like Collins would be a piece of the puzzle for the next really good Hawks team. Then, it became “Why don’t the Hawks move him?” Then he ended up with Utah, and it immediately became, “Why do the Jazz have a pretty-good player in his prime around while they are rebuilding? They should just move him!” Collins is now with the Clippers, but we imagine this won’t be his last stop. He’ll remain that pretty-good player that never seems like the right fit for whatever team he’s currently on.

For a while, the talk about Conley, in terms of his legacy, was that he would end up the best player never to play in an All-Star Game. Making one appearance put the kibosh on that, but of course, that also means Conley will end up remembered as an NBA “that guy.” Nobody has conversations about the best player to only make one All-Star Game, after all.

It helps that “OG Anunoby” is a cool name. It also helps that he moved from Toronto to New York. He’s played in the biggest city in Canada and the biggest city in the United States. However, Anunoby is a player recognized first and foremost for his defensive skills. He’s like if Tony Allen had better offensive skills, but with less personality. To that end, Tony Allen is entirely the kind of player thought of in this way.

People like a guy who comes off the bench and gets buckets. These players often win Sixth Man of the Year. One could argue that winning that award doesn’t guarantee you end up remembered more distinctly than the players of this ilk, but it does get you in the record books (by which we mean on a Wikipedia list these days). Monk, though, has finished in the top five in Sixth Man voting twice, but hasn’t managed to win it.

Huerter has a couple of nicknames related to having red hair, but having red hair doesn’t make you Bill Walton. He’s a good three-point shooter, but he’s never been even the second option in an offense. Because of his skill set, Huerter will likely play in the NBA for several more seasons, but now as a guy who comes off the bench to shoot a few three-pointers every game.

We’re not saying that playing in Atlanta locks you into this list…but it doesn’t hurt. The Swiss center spent many years as a defensive stalwart for the Rockets and the Hawks. He even once led the NBA in rebounds per game. However, Capela’s offensive game never really developed, and to be a defense-first center who enters the NBA firmament, you need to be a Defensive Player of the Year level guy.

Sports fans love to say, “You know, Glue Guy X is actually pretty good.” They like to keep those names in their back pocket to pull out in conversation down the line as well. That’s assuredly going to be the future for Caruso. He’s been known for his defense, but he’s now played his brand of defense for a title-winning team in the Thunder. It also helps that he was a Laker, so Los Angeles basketball fans could start fanning the “You know, Caruso is actually pretty good” flames.

Hield is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history. No, really. When he retires, he’ll be in the top 15 in made threes. So why won't Hield be remembered more resolutely? Well, eight guys ahead of him are active players. Three-point shooting has exploded. “Did you know Buddy Hield is in the top 15 for career made threes?” is going to become “top 20” and then “top 25” pretty quickly after he retires.

Middleton got to be “the other guy” next to Giannis Antetokounmpo for years. That helped him make three All-Star Games. However, the Bucks only won one title in his time, and three All-Star Games don’t make you Klay Thompson, much less Scottie Pippen. Were Middleton still a Buck, maybe he might rise above this level, but it seems he might end his career on a rebuilding Wizards franchise.

Finding a role in the NBA as a second-round pick is impressive, but Brown is already a journeyman. He’s played for six NBA teams, and his career isn’t even a decade old yet. Brown would have been primed to be forgotten, an Ish Smith type, but he played a key role off the bench for the title-winning Denver Nuggets, and that should be enough.

When the Cavaliers told Sexton his services would no longer be necessary because they had two score-first guards to build around, it changed his trajectory. An eight-overall pick, Sexton has spent his time since being in Cleveland with Utah and Charlotte. Not to cast aspersions, but those are not franchises that one shines on the national level while playing for. The only way that happens is if the team is in great shape or you’ve got a flashy game and personality like LaMelo Ball. Sexton is just a good bucket-getter.

“Oh wow, he’s still in the league” is a thing often said about players who will end up remembered in this way. Indeed, Batum is still at it, as the Frenchman has cleared 1,100 regular-season games played. While Batum was once a key player, though, he’s just sort of been hanging around the last half-decade. So, when he checks into a game, one would be forgiven for saying, “He’s still in the league!?”

“Bennedict Mathurin” is definitely a name that sticks in your brain. He’s early in his career, but his game, and his future, seem clear. He’s a secondary bucket-getter who will finish plays to the tune of 15-to-20 points per game and not do much else. Mathurin probably will never make an All-Star Game, but he’ll occasionally hang 40 on somebody. And then we will all remember the time a guy named Bennedict Mathurin scored 40.

When the Pistons drafted Jalen Duren, Stewart’s future as a backup big man was locked in. So, while will Stewart be remembered? Well, “Beef Stew” has some of that Steven Adams in it, in that he’s not afraid to mix it up. Like, at all. Stewart is built for the social media era, and the online clips era in that every season he is bound to get in a scuffle or two that gets people talking, while also being a solid big man likely to play for several seasons.

Play on bad teams, miss chunks of every season, but average 20 points per game while doing so. That’s the Grant pathway to being a “that guy” in full. Had he stuck around in Philly or OKC, Grant would have been a tertiary player likely forgotten. Instead, briefly with Detroit and then with Portland, he’s gotten a chance to take on a larger offensive role. Empty-calorie numbers still count!

The best Finnish hooper in history, Markkanen, has that going for him. He’s also won an award…but it was Most Improved Player. Though he’s played well with the Jazz, playing for the Jazz while they rebuild (and rebuild) has limited him to one All-Star Game. Maybe when he moves on to another team, the dynamic may change, but unless he wins a title as a number-three option, this is probably the level at which Markkanen is remembered.

Kuzma is not a well-liked player by fans. He’s a solid player, a good scorer, and a decent rebounder, but people don’t seem to really like him much. However, he’s not an NBA villain, per se. As time goes on the complaints will diminish, and he’s not going to go down like Dennis Rodman or Bill Laimbeer in the annals of NBA history. Someday, Kuzma’s name will come up, and somebody will say, “Oh yeah…he was good. I never liked him, though.”

Drummond was quite good in his early years with Detroit. He made two All-Star Games before turning 25 and led the NBA in rebounds per game four times. However, Drummond is one of those players who fell off fast, but also hung around so long that he outlives the timespan of “What happened to his game?” chatter. Drummond has just been around as a backup big man, hopping around the NBA for years now. Younger basketball fans who look his numbers up someday in the near future (like when he retires) are probably going to be surprised.

We wanted to end with a couple of younger players to plant our flag on them as NBA “that guys” to stick around in people's memories, but not be top of mind. Suggs hit a famous shot in college, and then he was a fifth-overall pick. That’s not first-overall, though, which in the NBA inherently puts you above this level (even for a bust like Anthony Bennett). Suggs’ best skill is his defense, but he’s also had issues staying on the court and likely will never win Defensive Player of the Year. That’s hard as a guard. If the Magic take off as expected, Suggs will be the fourth banana on these teams, the guy who plays defense so guys like Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane can focus on scoring.

Yes, Sheppard is only in his second season, but we’re calling it. This is, in a way, a vote of confidence, given Sheppard’s limited role for the Rockets thus far. With his athleticism and his three-point shooting, we think he’ll end up like a step up from Luke Kennard (or around the Jordan Clarkson level, to avoid staying within the same racial framework). Sheppard’s status as a third-overall pick who some thought might win Rookie of the Year will help as well. Of course, it might be two decades before we can be fact-checked on it.