Photo: Maddie Meyer(Getty Images)
There is no popular sport in which the height of the player is more important than basketball, even volleyball has its space for those who are more vertically challenged. Soccer welcomes every size, tallness isn’t a precondition for stringing home runs, and Odell Beckham Jr. manages to be one of the most exciting players in the NFL with his average height. On the other hand, short NBA players have always been small in numbers, at a disadvantage, and often didn’t have significant roles.
That school of thought is being challenged heavily because of the success Isaiah Thomas had with the Boston Celtics in this season, which made us take a look at stat lines for short NBA players in this season. Short being regarded as below 6′ 0 “, which is a true rarity in the National Basketball Association, seeing how there were only six active players in the 2016-17 season beneath this threshold.
Short NBA Players – John Lucas III (5′ 11″)
The 34-year-old John Lucas III had the smallest output of the short NBA players having only played five games for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. But the point guard has had an eventful career, playing for six NBA clubs and having stints abroad.
Short NBA Players – Ty Lawson (5′ 11″)
Ty Lawson is a solid proof that you can at least be a valuable player in the NBA despite smaller height, as he has played more than 500 games in the league. This season the point guard played for Sacramento Kings, having a significant influence in his 69 games with a stat line of 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. With 25.1 minutes spent on the court on average. The highlight of the season was surely his first career triple-double he managed against the Phoneix Suns with 22 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Short NBA Players – Pierre Jackson (5′ 10″)
Another player that didn’t have a significant influence on his team, as the PG only played eight games of basketball for the Dallas Mavericks this season averaging 4.4 points and 2.4 assists per game. Jackson (25) has been more successful in Europe, which is where a lot of short players flourish due to the different style of the game there.
