There are a few that strike fear into the hearts of opponents. Jared Dudley knows that fear, because he has been at the receiving end of it.
Jared Dudley Remembers the Fear
Former three-time NBA All-Star Brandon Roy did not return to the spotlight with a press conference. His name surfaced on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot in December 2025, and the conversation followed the way it always has with Roy, fast and reverent.
The debate rarely starts with whether Roy was good enough. It starts with how long he was able to be that good, and whether a peak that short can still carry a Hall of Fame case.
Those questions are back now as Denver Nuggets assistant coach Dudley has seen the career arc from both sides of the league, first as a player trying to contain elite scorers, now as a coach studying how greatness shows up on tape.
For Dudley, Roy’s case begins with a memory that still stings.
“B-Roy was big time. I remember my second or third year in the league, right after I got traded to the Suns, he gave us 50. That was the first time I’d ever seen a 50-piece in person. We had Jason Richardson and Shaq, and we were trying everything to stop him,” Dudley recently shared with PFSN.
That night, Dudley said, he captured what made Roy different. He was not just a scorer. He was a solver, the kind of guard who could read coverage, slow the game down, and still get to his spot.
“He was a complete guard. A two-guard who could handle the pick-and-roll, which was rare back then. I remember Kobe giving him a lot of praise, calling him one of the most complete guards in the league. At that time, he was right up there with Wade [Dwyane Wade] and AI [Allen Iverson].”
Roy’s résumé, at its best, is difficult to dismiss. He won Rookie of the Year in 2006-07, made three All-Star teams, and for a stretch looked like one of the league’s most reliable late-game closers.
Jamal Crawford, who has spoken often about Roy’s place in the game, put it in simple terms. “He was flawless.”
Kevin Durant has echoed that respect, describing Roy as one of the toughest covers he faced and a guard that defenses feared late in games.
What Hall Voters Weigh in Brandon Roy’s Case
Dudley did not dodge the hard part of the conversation. He met it head-on, and his framing sounded like the reality voters must live with.
“Unfortunately, injuries happen. We’ve seen it with guys like Derrick Rose, Grant Hill, and my guy, Penny Hardaway. It’s tough because if those guys had a few more healthy years, the conversation would be different. That’s where the Hall of Fame debate gets tricky: How many years is enough?
But talent-wise, Brandon Roy was absolutely a Hall of Fame talent. Nothing but respect. He was big time, ahead of his time, really. A complete package.”
Hall voters weigh careers, not flashes. But the Hall has made room before for players whose peaks were brief and undeniable.
Roy’s nomination invites the sport to decide what it values most: longevity or the rare kind of greatness that forces everyone to remember.
In the end, Dudley’s point is hard to shake. Talent was never the question with Brandon Roy. Time was.
