Loy Vaught, Power Forward
For the younger Clippers fans who possibly don’t remember, Loy Vaught was an old school basketball enforcer. His 6’9″ 240lbs chiselled frame made him a deceptive offensive weapon, because it masked his greatest strength as a player. He had unbelievable intelligence both on and off the court.
Vaught, despite his appearance was never the most athletic player on the court. His fundamental game was based around an ability to outsmart defenders in the post. His signature turnaround hook shot was that move that all match-ups feared. Even though they knew it was coming, there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
Loy Vaught was a double-double machine in his years as a Clipper. Across the 8 seasons he played in Los Angeles, Vaught tallied 157, including 2 consecutive seasons averaging double digits in both points and rebounds.
The 1994-1995 season was the best chance for the former 13th overall pick to etch his name into the history books. Averaging 17.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and two assists including a monstrous 33 & 13 performance in a win against the Houston Rockets.
But that was the biggest challenge, and ultimately the reason Vaught never made it onto the All-Star team. Wins.
Across his 8 years as a Los Angeles Clipper, the team only had 1 winning season, finishing 7th in the Western Conference and subsequently being knocked out by the Utah Jazz in 5 games.