The NBA is recognized as the premier basketball league in the entire world. Prospects are scouted all across the globe in hopes to join the most competitive level of basketball. However, just because a player made an NBA roster, that doesn’t mean that particular player is in the upper echelon. Players such as Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant are surefire superstars who can average 20 points in their sleep. But there were a bevy of unlikely players in NBA history that have averaged 20 points per game throughout a season.
Unlikely Players That Have Averaged 20 PPG In a Season
Mike James, G
Former NBA point guard Mike James went undrafted in 1998 after having played collegiate basketball at Duquesne. James spent 13 seasons in the NBA and played for 11 different teams throughout his career. However, James did have a surprising campaign in the 2005-2006 season as a member of the Toronto Raptors.
Alongside Chris Bosh, James averaged 20.3 points while having played 37 minutes on average per game, respectively. James’s sudden surge in 2005 is head-scratching due to the fact he never averaged more than 12 points in the six seasons prior. Furthermore, James scoring average dipped immediately the next season and never eclipsed above 10.1 points per game.
The Raptors that season lacked a legitimate offensive threat outside of Bosh and Toronto finished that season 27-55.
Andrea Bargnani, PF
Former power forward Andrea Bargani was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft from Italy. Due to his play style and build, Bargnani drew comparisons to former NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki. The former No. 1 pick had a promising rookie season by having finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
Bargnani struggled immensely with physicality, which resulted in poor defense and rebounding overall. Bosh left the Raptors prior to the 2010-2011 season, which left Bargnani as the primary asset in Toronto. Surprisingly, the Italian big man averaged 21.4 points per game and even scored a career-high 41 points in that same season.
The Raptors finished the campaign 22-60 despite Bargnani’s best statistical season of his career. After the 2012-2013 season, Bargnani had short stints with the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets before having found himself out the league in 2016. It is fair to say Bargnani didn’t quite live up to his No. 1 overall pick draft status.
Jerry Stackhouse, SF
Jerry Stackhouse was the No.3 overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. Stackhouse was a solid, yet inefficient scorer but had averaged 20.7 points in the 1996-1997 season. However, Stackhouse did the unthinkable during his tenure with the Detroit Pistons (’97-’02) by having averaged a surprising 29.8 points throughout the 2000-2001 season.
The former No. 3 overall pick shot an inefficient 40.2 percent from the field and took 24 shots per game that season, but Stackhouse still finished second in scoring behind that season’s MVP winner Allen Iverson.
In this case, the Pistons that year didn’t have any reliable offensive weapons outside of Stackhouse. Players such as Corliss Williamson (15.2 ppg, only played 27 games), Chucky Atkins (12 ppg), and Joe Smith (12.3 ppg) were average role players and the unit as a whole finished 32-50. Stackhouse simply had the green light to shoot as much as he wanted that season.
Ricky Davis, SG/SF
Ricky Davis was drafted 21st overall in the 1998 NBA draft to the Charlotte Hornets. Davis averaged 6.3 points per game his first four seasons until his second season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the 2002-2003 season, Davis averaged 20.6 points per game while having shot 41 percent from the field and nearly 19 shot attempts per game, respectively.
Davis led the lowly-Cavaliers that season to a 17-65 record that helped Cleveland secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft, which ended up being LeBron James.
The Last Word On Unlikely Players That Have Averaged 20 PPG In a Season
In the NBA, there is bound to be seasons when a particular player can catch fire and perform well above their standards. The players mentioned above probably won’t be on anyone’s all-time top scorer list, but each of those players should look back on those seasons fondly, as scoring at least 20 points in the NBA is difficult enough.
