In his prime, Brandon Roy was one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. But unfortunately, he wasn’t able to progress to his true potential.
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Brandon Roy was a beast of a guard.
He was a good shooter, slasher, and playmaker, and was an adequate defender.
In his first NBA season, Roy was phenomenal. The Portland Trailblazers’ 6th overall pick averaged 17 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.
This led him to win the 2007 Rookie of the Year award, beating out draftees LaMarcus Aldridge (who also happened to be his teammate), Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and Kyle Lowry.
But not all was sweet in his rookie campaign.
Brandon Roy’s Rookie Season Injury
Due to a heel injury, Roy missed 20 games and the Trailblazers missed out on the playoffs.
And this was the theme for most of his career (much like Yao Ming’s NBA career).
When he played, he was amazing.
He was considered one of the best shooting guards in the NBA and was complimented by some of the greats -one of them being Kobe Bryant.
In 2010, the Hall of Famer said Roy was the toughest player he’s ever defended:
“He’s the most difficult player to guard, 365 days a year, 7 days a week. Roy has no weakness in his game.”
However, even though he received a lot of praise, Roy missed a lot of games due to injuries and recovery.
There was this one playoff series in 2011 -where the Blazers were taking on the Dallas Mavericks in the first round- that’s telling of his challenge with elite performances and wounds.
That season, Roy missed much of it due to injury and surgery on both of his knees and wasn’t 100 percent when he returned.
Because of that, he didn’t even start for the team.
Regardless, he still played and averaged just under 28 minutes a game. However, his performances weren’t consistent.
The Western Conference Round 1: Portland Trailblazers vs. Dallas Mavericks
When the playoffs came around, Roy’s health got a tad better. But it still wasn’t good and it showed in the first couple of games in the first round.
In Game 1, he scored 2 points on 1-7 shooting. The Mavs defeated the Trailblazers 89-81.
In Game 2, he played even worse, contributing 0 points. The Mavs beat the Trailblazers 101-89.
Believing that it was his fault his team was down 0-2, Roy got frustrated with his performances.
So, he did what Tim Duncan did in his final game and cracked open his secret stuff, and drank some. This allowed him to muster up some additional energy for the following games.
In Game 3, Roy played brilliantly and scored 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting. The Blazers beat the Mavs 97-92, getting them their first win of the series.
This gave Roy some confidence and extended the powers of his secret stuff.
In Game 4, he somehow flash-backed in time and played as if he never got surgery earlier in the season.
Roy scored 24 points on 69 percent shooting. He also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 5 assists.
The Blazers won 84-82, evening the series at two games apiece.
Unfortunately, after that game, Roy’s super-secret stuff wore off and his knee pains returned.
This affected his game negatively and he played poorly the next two games, leading the Mavs to win the series.
And for the curious readers, the Mavs went on to win the NBA championship title that year.
Brandon Roy’s Retirement
Right before the 2011-12 season kicked off its training camp, Roy announced that he was retiring from the NBA.
He said that his knees degenerated so much from arthritis that he lost cartilage in them.
Via ESPN:
“This is a very difficult and painful day,” Roy said in a statement released by the team. “I love the game, I love the Portland Trail Blazers and I love our fans, but after consulting with my doctors, I will seek a determination that I’ve suffered a career-ending injury, pursuant to the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.”
Roy, pulling a Michael Jordan, returned to the NBA one year after announcing his retirement.
But he was only able to suit up for 5 games for the Timberwolves before calling it quits for the final time.
What is Brandon Roy Doing Now?
In 2016, a few years after his NBA career ended, Roy joined the Nathan Hale High School basketball staff as their head coach.
He led the team to a 29-0 season and was awarded the Naismith National High School Coach of the Year award.
He is still currently coaching high school basketball in Seattle.
Final Thoughts
Brandon Roy was a great player who had so much potential.
During the height of his career, he was putting up numbers like the best of them and was named an NBA All-Star 3 times.
He was also an All-NBA player.
This is why he, Greg Oden, and The Portland Trailblazers are one of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history.
