Indiana Pacers: 30 greatest players in franchise history

26. Clark Kellogg

Clark Kellogg was primed to go down as one of the 10 or 15 best Indiana Pacers players ever before some chronic knee issues cut his career short after just barely over 4 total seasons. Playing in the 80s, Kellogg wasn’t afforded the same medical luxuries as modern NBA players, so he had to hang it up at the young age of 25 years old.

Still, Kellogg definitely made his presence known league-wide during his short playing career.

He only played 70+ games in his first three years with the Pacers, but he was a borderline all-star in all of these seasons.

As far as points and rebounds go, Kellogg’s rookie season was his best at 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. His sophomore year wrapped up at 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds, with his third season finishing at 18.6 and 9.4.

Clearly, Kellogg’s playing days got off to an amazing start in Indiana, but sadly, he was then afflicted with the ongoing knee issues that led to him only playing 19 games in year 4, followed by 4 games in year 5 before hanging up the sneakers for good.

Still, those first three seasons were good enough to land him on this list. It’s a true shame that Kellogg wasn’t able to play into what would have been the prime of his career in his late 20s. He’s one of the Pacers’ biggest “what ifs.”