5 Harsh Realities of Steve Nash's Career

Steve Nash is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and deservedly so. He is the definition of what a resume of a first-ballot Hall of Famer should look like - 2-time MVP, 8-time All-Star and 7-time All-NBA Member. He was an offensive genius who controlled the opposition’s defense like a puppeteer. And his imprint can be felt throughout the league. And look no further than Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant for that example.

But, he was not perfect.

So, to close the series on Steve Nash, we dive down memory lane and revisit 5 harsh truths or realities about the great man.

#1 Defensive liability

His college coach, Dick Davey said Nash was the worst the defensive player he had ever seen. And while harsh, it was true.

Lacking the physical attributes to be a capable defender and a back which always needed fixing, Nash was always going to struggle on D. And he was routinely targeted by the opposition.

While never a hindrance in the regular season, the issue became magnified in the postseasons. He was an offensive genius and a defensive sieve.

#2 A Sun too long

Robert Sarver is a mediocre owner. He happily exchanged being a championship contender for a low wage bill. And Steve Nash never made him pay for it.

Always loyal to the fault, Nash stuck through the franchise and by default, the ownership through thick and thin.

The Suns drafted players like Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Rudy Fernandez, and Rajon Rondo. Ever seen them play for the Phoenix Suns? Know why? Robert Sarver is the answer.

Great players hold owners accountable. Nash never did. And maybe, that is why he never played for a ring.

#3 A Hollywood disaster

An example of a horrendous trade from Day 1.

Nash got injured in his preseason for the Los Angeles Lakers and never recovered. He played 65 games for them in 3 years and averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 assists.

His offensive production went down and he became a bigger defensive liability. And it was horrible to watch a legend fall in front of our own eyes.

The only positive memory from this time was him passing Magic Johnson for no. 3 on the All-Time assist chart.

#4 A 2-time MVP?

To be blunt, Shaquille O'Neal deserved the MVP in 2005. While both the Heat and the Suns rocketed up the wins chart after the addition of Shaq and Nash respectively, the Lakers, Diesel's former team, plummeted down the rankings.

And there is a good argument to be made he should not have won in 2006 too. LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant deserved it more.

A lot of intangibles were taken into account while voting in those years and there were players with stronger statistical resumes in 2005 and 2006 who possibly had a better case for the hardware.

So, maybe he should not have had an MVP to his name in those years. But, to be fair, he should have won the award in 2007 when he was an absolute monster and at the peak of his powers.

#5 Never a champion

Steve Nash never competed for an NBA title. Heck, he never reached an NBA Finals for that matter. For a career glittering with accolades, zero NBA Finals is as big a blotch as any.

The reasons can vary from untimely injuries to teammates to bad breaks like league suspensions to Nash's prime coinciding with Dirk's, Kobe's and Duncan's.

But, the fact of the matter is he was never the best player on the best team. As a matter of fact, he has played the most number of NBA Playoffs game without reaching the NBA Finals.

For all his wizardry and brilliance on the court, his best was never good enough.