In light of the outlandish comments continuously streaming from LaVar Ball, we could all benefit from some lighthearted context when it comes to understanding just how poorly he performed in his one-year playing career at the D-1 collegiate Basketball level.

In case you haven’t heard, LaVar Ball’s 1987-1988 statistics while playing with the Washington State Cougars were as follows, according to Sports Reference.

  • 2.2 Points Per Game
  • 2.3 Total Rebounds Per Game
  • 1.0 Assist Per Game

When you limit the pool of NBA players to just those ones that have actually received playing time in a reasonable amount of games this season, it takes a lot of scrolling to find players that have put up as poor of numbers as LaVar Ball did with Washington State.

However, they are there (if you’re willing to search them out near the bottom of the respective leaderboards).

Keep in mind that these players are putting up these numbers at the NBA level, a level which LaVar Ball has no experience at. Also keep in mind that this is a “just for fun,” apples to oranges comparison. Obviously, there are problems with comparing players at different levels and different minutes per game. That being said, here are the three NBA players that are putting up statistics that most resemble what LaVar Ball accomplished at Washington State.

LaVar Ball’s points per game protege: Semi Ojeleye

At 2.4 points per game, a figure slightly higher than what LaVar Ball was able to score in his time at Washington State, Semi Ojeleye has the 4th lowest points per game out of all qualifying players in the NBA this season, according to RealGM.

In case you’re wondering, it has taken 13.9 minutes per game and a field goal percentage of 31.2 percent in 38 games this season for Ojeleye to hit this 2.4 figure.

Silver lining? As you can see from the above video, the guy has a sweet nickname - the “Terminator.” Also, he’s a rookie, so the only way to go is up.

LaVar Ball’s total rebounds per game protege: Jameer Nelson

In 35 games with the Pelicans this season, at a rate of 22.7 minutes per game, Jameer Nelson has been a carbon copy of LaVar Ball’s Washington State rebounding statistics, hauling in 2.3 total rebounds per game, according to RealGM. In other words, a 35-year-old, 6’0 guard is currently rebounding at the same clip that a collegiate, 6’6 forward was able to achieve.

LaVar Ball’s assist(s?) per game protege: Doug McDermott

At 40 games played for the Knicks this season, and 24 minutes per game, Doug McDermott definitely sees the court a fair amount. What he doesn’t get a fair amount of, however, are assists. Like Jameer Nelson, Doug McDermott is an exact match for LaVar Ball’s achievements in the assist category, clocking in at 1.0 per game, according to RealGM. As you can see with the above heading, this creates some confusion for sports writers: is it “assists” per game, or “assist” per game?

So there you have it. LaVar Ball’s D-1 basketball accomplishments are reminiscent of a blend of Semi Ojeleye, Jameer Nelson, and Doug McDermott. What does that mean?

Well, some might find it even easier to understand Rick Carlisle’s frustration with a man with such pedestrian basketball merits criticizing NBA-caliber coaches and players. Can you imagine if any of these three players retired tomorrow, and started bashing coaches left and right?

The response would most likely be: “Well, what have YOU done?”
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