The Worst Offensive NBA Players in the Modern Era

Teams played for: Hawks, Cavaliers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons
Career years: 1977-1995
Career stats: 5.4 PPG, .522 FG%, .555 TS%, 0.6 APG

Eighteen NBA seasons. An approximated $6.4 million in career earnings. Man, Tree Rollins began his NBA career three decades too early. On the court, Rollins did one thing well throughout his career, even into his advanced age: shot blocking. His career average is 2.2 BPG, but he was putting up 2.7 BPG per 36 minutes at 39 years old. Tree, however (what a first name), was immovable on both ends of the court—a good thing for a center packing the paint on defense, but quite the opposite for an offense.

Teams played for: Bullets, SuperSonics, Nets
Career years: 1994-2001
Career stats: 2.7 PPG, .446 FG%, .475 TS%, 0.3 APG

Already down in the annals of NBA history as one of the worst signings ever, Jim McIlvaine was also one of the worst offensive players to ever grace an NBA court. A key rotation big on some damned good SuperSonics teams during those peak Shawn Kemp years, McIlvaine blocked shots like hell (4.2 BPG career average per 36 minutes), and almost never touched the ball on offense. A career 10.4 usage percentage and 2.4 FGA per game speaks to how he, um, never scored.

Teams played for: Wizards, Jazz, Magic, Maverick, Hawks, Nets
Career years: 2000-2013
Career stats: 7.2 PPG, .406 FG%, .340 3P%, .487 TS%, 1.6 APG

DeShawn Stevenson will forever be an NBA legend for getting arrested two days after his Mavericks won the 2011 Finals. He was hit with a public intoxication charge after someone found him aimlessly wandering the streets, likely still in awe of himself after going 13 of 23 from three-point range in the Finals. He was an irrationally good version of his supposed three-and-D role for that series. It's too bad that for like the other 860 games of his NBA life, he shot like shit from the field, failing to shoot above 40% over his final eight seasons.

Teams played for: Jazz
Career years: 1982-1993
Career stats: 6.0 PPG, .458 FG%, .496 TS%, 1.0 APG

Mark Eaton is the closest thing the NBA will ever have to a wooly mammoth. A barrel chested, bearded man who came in a 7'4", 275 lbs, Eaton ate all oncoming drivers to his lane. He head the league in blocks four times, and accounted for 48 Defensive Win Shares over his 11 year career. He deserves his props for being a beast with his back to the rim on defense, but on offense, his 45% career shooting mark is indicative of just how much the dude struggled to get to the cup.

Teams played for: Wizards, Knicks, Rockets, Trailblazers
Career years: 2002-2013
Career stats: 4.8 PPG, .426 FG%, .250 3P%, .472 TS%, 1.3 APG

For reasons that I can't remember, because they're definitely inconsequential in my life, I'm supposed to hate Jared Jeffries. I'm a Knicks fan, and I have a hazy memory of him doing a few dumb things that cost the team victories. Or so I think. Actually, he's best remembered for a wide array of adorable team photos with Jeremy Lin. Either way, Jeffries was a rare tweener at the forward spot—quick enough to guard most 3s, and tall enough to go toe-to-toe with some skinnier 4s. A defensive role player who was paid $30 million in all by the Knicks (thank you Isaiah Thomas), Jeffries averaged 4.3 PPG as Knick, making him THE WORST PLAYER IN KNICKS HISTORY (I think).

Teams played for: Wizards, Lakers, Grizzlies, Pistons, Bobcats, Warriors, 76ers
Career years: 2001-2013
Career stats: 6.6 PPG, .492 FG%, .523 TS%, 0.9 APG

It's hard to believe that Kwame Brown, the butt of every "Michael Jordan is a terrible executive" joke, is finally out of the NBA. He lasted over a decade in the Association, because, well, former 1st overall picks without self-destructive personal habits have a longer lease on careers than they should. Athletic bigs who can take fouls and be a "presence" are also like lefty pitchers in baseball—they'll hang around so long as they just do enough. Poor Kwame never became the next Chris Webber or Karl Malone as so many expected, and the totality of his career is merely a half-empty shelf full of raw physical ability and nothing else.

Teams played for: Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls, Knicks, Thunder, Rockets
Career years: 2006-2014
Career stats: 7.9 PPG, .490 FG%, .254 3P%, .539 TS%, 1.7 APG

In a nutshell, Ronnie Brewer is a three-and-D wing player who never got the "three" part of his game down. A career 25% shooter from behind the arc, Brewer's struggles from distance can be attributed to his fucked-up looking shooting motion, which stems from an arm issue he suffered in a childhood waterslide accident. Brewer's 6'11" wingspan has made him an excellent perimeter defender throughout his career, but injury problems and his total lack of shooting ability has seen him shuffle through three teams in two years (he's currently a free agent). The NBA's Reaper has one hand on Brewer at the moment.

Teams played for: Bullets, Warriors, 76ers, Heat,
Career years: 1985-1995
Career stats: 2.6 PPG, .407 FG%, .441 TS%, 0.3 APG

All that length, and nothing to do with it. Manute Bol was one of the tallest NBA players ever, coming in at 7'7" and a slender-as-fuck 200 lbs. Bol was a shot blocking force (lead the league in blocks twice and averaged 3.3 BPG over his career), but it also made him awkward offensively. A 7'7" man should do better than 2.6 PGG, right?

Teams played for: SuperSonics, Bucks, Hornets, Thunder, Kings
Career years: 2000-2010
Career stats: 12.1 PPG, .449 FG%, .260 3P%, .509 TS%, 1.6 APG

Don't let that career statline fool you. For a career starting small forward, those look like decent numbers—nothing to sneeze at, but nothing to criticize either. Hell, he even put up 17.1 PPG one season for the Bucks. Well look at that! A great leaper and a rangy athlete, Desmond Mason made his NBA career not out of a varied skill set—something you'd expect out of a 3—but out of dunks. For his career, Mason took 35% of his shots from within 3 feet of the basket, and 21% of his shots from 3-10 feet of the basket. If he wasn't charging into the lane to bring the house down, the boy wasn't even trying to score.

Teams played for: Wizards, Magic, Pistons, Bulls, Cavaliers
Career years: 1996-2012
Career stats: 5.7 PPG, .474 FG%, .474 TS%, 1.3 APG

Offense was never Ben Wallace's forte, and that's just fine. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award a record (shared with Dikembe Mutombo) four times, and anchored the 2004 title-winning Pistons. That's a damned good NBA resume. But shit, was Wallace helpless offensively. He could finish at the rim with the same ferociousness that made him a devastating defender, but unless scoring a basket meant catching an alley-oop or taking one step (no dribble) and finishing, he wasn't putting up many points.

Teams played for: Nets, Grizzlies, Warriors
Career years: 2006-2010
Career stats: 5.6 PPG, .384 FG%, .321 3P%, .473% TS%, 2.8 APG

Marcus Williams' NBA was brief and bad. Over his four year NBA career, the Oak Hill Academy product posted +2 Defensive Win Shares, and -2 Offensive Win Shares, making his total NBA contribution a solid 0.0 wins. Nice. A point guard who shoots .384% from the floor has no business sniffing the court, even if his assist rate does stand at a cool 30.4%.

Teams played for: Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nets, Bobcats
Career years: 2001-2013
Career stats: 2.0 PPG, .427 FG%, .441 TS%, 0.4 APG

DeSagana Diop was a useless offensive player, but at least he provided fantasy basketball owners with the insanely clever "Diop It Like It's Hot" team name for over a decade. Standing at 7-feet, 300 lbs, Diop was a mamoth who was probably too big, too long (pause), and too heavy for his own good. His size and subsequent lack of coordination made him good for three things: scaring small children, altering and blocking shots, and cleaning the glass. It also made him a career .427% shooter who had no sense of mechanics and no footwork to develop post-moves.

Teams played for: Heat, Celtics
Career years: 2007-Present
Career stats: 2.3 PPG, .504 FG%, .552 TS%, 0.2 APG

Joel Anthony doesn't shoot the ball. Like ever. He gained decent minutes early in his career while the Heat were clearing house for the summer of 2010. After LeBron and Chris Bosh came down to Miami, he re-signed for 5 years and $18 million, and was tasked with providing rim protection next to Bosh. He's a terrific shot-blocker (2.2 BPG per 36 minutes) and knows how to guard his man down low, but on the other end of the floor, his career average of 1.7 shots per game speaks for itself.

Teams played for: Rockets, Kings, Raptors
Career years: 2005-Present
Career stats: 3.9 PPG, .498 FG%, .518 TS%, 1.2 APG

Before we let reality set in, giving Chuck Hayes credit for his offensive opus is due: On March 23, 2011, Hayes threw up a triple-double against the Warriors, who had a combination of Ekpe Udoh and David Lee playing the 5. Two years before that, he had the lowest points per 36 minutes average (3.8) of all qualified NBA players. Hayes makes his money off his bone-crushing screens and max-effort plays. He only stands 6'6" and 240 lbs, and to survive as a center in the NBA, those having niche skills is the difference between a rotation spot and the D-League. Unfortunately for Hayes, none of his notable skills involve putting the ball through net.

Teams played for: Trailblazers, Nets, Cavaliers, Knicks, Suns
Career years: 1987-2003
Career stats: 3.9 PPG, .412 FG%, .429 TS%, 0.4 APG

For many players on this list, they earned the spot because of their bricklaying or overall inefficiency. To achieve either of those things, a player has to at least attempt to show something offensively. Not Chris Dudley. The man only attempted 3.8 shots per game for his career, making just about none of them (okay, 42% of them, but for a big, a number that low might as well be zero). We salute Dudley, however, for being on the wrong end of some seriously timeless Shaq-Fu.

Teams played for: Bulls, Timberwolves, Suns, Knicks
Career years: 1991-2001
Career stats: 7.2 PPG, .462 FG%, .503 TS%, 1.5 APG

In the NBA, there's always a use for a man who stands 7'2" and weights 265 lbs. Shot altering and shot blocking are crucial points of productivity for NBA bigs, and although Luc Longley didn't do either of these things very well (a career 1.0 BPG 7-footer), he hung around on two Bulls championship teams. Hey, at least he was always good for providing physicality, fouls, and picking up his check on time. With the ball in his hands, Longley was a loser, needing a career 6.4 FGA per game to even get to his modest (for a career back-up center) 7.2 PPG average. That's what we like to call "inefficiency, stupid."

Teams played for: Knicks, Nuggets
Career years: 2006-2012
Career stats: 4.0 PPG, .510 FG%, .173 3P%, .532 TS%, 0.6 APG

Knicks fans, take cover. Renaldo Balkman got 15 minutes per game across two Knicks seasons that saw the team win a total of 56 games—an unforgettable stretch of futility, even by Knicks standards. Often times, there seemed to be no purpose to Balkman being out there. He couldn't shoot or pass for shit, although his 6'8" frame (a good size for a small forward) allowed him to grab rebounds at a respectable rate. Balkman's been out of the league since 2012—good riddance to this infamous Knicks bricklayer.

Teams played for: Pistons, Bulls, Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks
Career years: 1986-2000
Career stats: 7.3 PPG, .521 FG%, .546 TS%, 1.8 APG

"The Worm" was a monster on the hardwood. His NBA Hall of Fame plaque is well-deserved—there may never be a more spectacular rebounder ever again. From 1991-1998, he lead the league in rebounding, but over those years, his PPG average declined from 9.8 to 4.7. By the end of his Bulls career, he was making less than two shots per game on starters minutes. Rodman was a terror on the glass, and terrifyingly bad at getting buckets.

Teams played for: Nets, Grizzlies, Hawks, Celtics, Timberwolves, Wizards
Career years: 2001-2014
Career stats: 3.6 PPG, .410 FG%, .466 TS%, 0.9 APG

Jason Collins, the man, matters much more than Jason Collins, the athlete. For that, he deserves the utmost respect and adulation. As a pure basketball player, however, Collins is perhaps the worst offensive player in NBA history. In a career average of 18.5 MPG, he put up 4 FGA per game and 3.6 PPG—an impossibly atrocious scoring record. For a two year stretch from 2008-2010, he posted a true shooting percentage of 34.05, meaning that whenever he shot the ball—from the field or the free-throw line—it went in about 34% of the time. For a 7-foot big, that's as bad as it gets.