Opinion: Top 5 players who had their talent wasted by their team

Plenty of professional athletes end up being drafted by bad teams and stay loyal to their organizations throughout their careers, no matter how good or bad they are.

Some teams will draft generational talents and then fail to build a winning team around that player, in turn wasting their talent. I am going to rank my top 5 players of all time that saw their talent get wasted by their franchises.

5. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), 2014-Present

Joel Embiid has experienced one of the biggest roller coasters of a professional sports career ever.

Embiid was drafted 3rd overall in 2014 by the Sixers and missed his first two seasons of NBA basketball with a broken foot. He debuted in 2016-17 where he played 31 games before going down with a torn meniscus.

The soon to be 31-year old Cameroonian-American superstar center has averaged 27.7 points per game in his career, the highest in Sixers franchise history.

Embiid won back-to-back scoring titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23 averaging 30+ points per game in each season. He is also a 7-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA, 3-time all-defensive team and was the 2022-23 NBA MVP.

The Sixers have not won anything with Embiid. They have a bunch of first and second round exits. The failures do not fall on Embiid, however. He is constantly stuck carrying a team with bad role players around him or just bad players making too much money.

Embiid has also never been healthy in the playoffs ever. In 2018 it was an orbital fracture that limited him. In 2021 it was another torn meniscus that he played through.

The following year it was another orbital fracture and the year after that it was a knee sprain.

Embiid injured his knee again last February, which required surgery. He chose to come back for the playoffs and play through it in the Olympics too.

His knee never fully recovered and has limited him to just 19 games this season. The team recently shut the star center down for the season and the future of Embiid’s career is up in the air.

4. Calvin Johnson Jr., Detroit Lions (NFL), 2007-2015

Calvin “Megatron” Johnson is one of the biggest cases of a team wasting a generational talent.

Johnson was drafted 2nd overall by the Lions in 2007 and was an instant star for Detroit. “Megatron” is widely regarded as one of the best wide receivers to ever step foot on the gridiron for a load of reasons.

First off, Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2021. He was also a 6-time pro bowler, 3-time all pro and he made the Pro Football Hall of Fame all decade team for the 2010s.

Like every athlete on this list, Johnson did not win anything on the Lions and only made the playoffs twice in his 9 NFL seasons. You can also say that Detroit wasted Johnson’s quarterback, Matt Stafford too, who won a Super Bowl after leaving the Lions.

Johnson would call it quits at the age of 30 because the Lions were not having any success, his body was beginning to break down and he had lost his passion for the game of football.

3. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (NFL), 2012-2018

Andrew Luck is the ultimate story of what could have been if he wasn’t wasted by the Colts.

Luck was drafted first overall in 2012 and was an instant sensation, taking the Colts to the playoffs, making a pro-bowl and an all-pro team as a rookie.

Unfortunately the 4-time pro bowler had a lot of injury problems after his first few seasons in the NFL. The Colts failed to give Luck any pass protection and he suffered a torn labrum in 2015 and would have nagging shoulder issues in 2016 that forced him to miss all of 2017.

Luck returned to the field in 2018, adding another pro-bowl and all-pro to his resumé while also being named AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Prior to the 2019 regular season the then 29-year-old called it quits after suffering a calf injury in training camp, stating injuries as the reason for him to retire.

The farthest the Colts would ever go with Luck was an AFC title game appearance in the 2014-15 season, which they lost. Indianapolis failed to surround their generational quarterback with a good enough offensive line and ultimately paid the price.

2. Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions (NFL), 1989-1998

Barry Sanders is one of the greatest NFL running backs of all-time, but also the biggest victim of an NFL team wasting the talent of a generational player.

Sanders was selected 3rd overall by Detroit in 1989 and made the pro-bowl in each of his 10 seasons in the league and was a 6-time all pro, 2-time offensive player of the year and a former MVP.

Sanders was one of the most electric players to watch on a football field. He had ridiculous speed combined with an incredible ability to change direction and make something out of nothing.

But to no one’s surprise, the Lions wasted the career of the hall of famer. The team won absolutely nothing with Sanders, but had a few short lived playoff appearances with him as the face of the franchise.

Sanders retired at 31 years old, citing a lack of passion to keep going with football, but many people believe it was because Detroit parted with several key pieces and were nowhere near contending when the hall of fame running back called it quits.

1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (MLB), 2011-Present

Mike Trout is the first person that comes to mind when you think of players that had their talent wasted by their team.

Trout has given his all to the Angels and the team has done nothing to build a winner around the generational outfielder.

As a 3-time American League MVP, 11-time All-Star, 9-time silver slugger winner, former rookie of the year and major league player of the year, Trout has won nothing with the Angels.

In fact the team has one lone playoff appearance with Trout in 2014, where they got swept in 3 games by the Kansas City Royals.

The New Jersey native even signed a 12-year $426.5 million contract back in 2019 to stay with an organization that has done nothing to build a winner around him. The best they did was give him Shohei Ohtani, but the duo won nothing.

Trout has struggled with injuries throughout his career and hasn’t played a full season since 2016. The Angels are failing the 33-year-old regardless, because their entire lineup revolves around him when healthy and relies on him to carry the load.

One postseason appearance in 14 Major League seasons for one of the most talented position players of all-time is a prime example of a team wasting a player’s talent.

Trout needs to get out of Anaheim to maximize his chances to win a World Series before he retires as the best position player to never win one.

Ian Rothenberg is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email imr5327@psu.edu