Ranking the 25 best Kansas basketball NBA careers of all-time
462. . C. Jayhawks . Raef LaFrentz. 15. player
Career statistics: 563 games, 10.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 46.6% FG
Denver Nuggets, 1998-2002
Dallas Mavericks, 2002-2003
Boston Celtics, 2003-2006
Portland Trail Blazers, 2006-2008
A rim-protecting 7-footer who can shoot the three? What head coach doesn’t want that? That might have been more valued by teams nowadays, but LaFrentz never became the top-three talent that the Denver Nuggets thought he’d be coming out of the NBA Draft.
His lack of athleticism offset his other qualities, and an injury-plagued career did not help with his durability. LaFrentz was no stranger to being hurt — he suffered a season-ending torn meniscus just 12 games into his rookie year. Nonetheless, he was one of the best shot-blockers in the league when he played. In 2001-02, he averaged a career-high 2.7 blocks per game along with 13.5 points per game.
On top of being a threat defensively, LaFrentz could work opposing players in the post with his exceptional size. He also hit 36.3 percent of his three-pointers during his career, sinking 0.8 per game. Had his career not been cut short, he would have been much higher on the list. Despite being an NBA Draft bust, he was still an extremely effective player.