Every NBA Team's Most Disappointing Player This Season
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A quarter of the 2014-15 season has been played, and we have a pretty good understanding of who is exceeding expectations and who isn’t living up to them. Here is every NBA team’s most disappointing player.
30. Atlanta Hawks - Al Horford
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30. Atlanta Hawks - Al Horford
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Something hasn’t been right with Al Horford. When healthy, he is one of the best centers in the league. Once a double-double machine, he has only pulled down double-digit rebounds twice this season. He seems to be rounding back into shape now, and the Hawks are becoming an elite team in the East as a result. But the first quarter of the season has been mostly a disappointment.
29. Boston Celtics - Tyler Zeller
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29. Boston Celtics - Tyler Zeller
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For a team in such desperate need of rim protection and quality play from their bigs, Zeller hasn’t really delivered. He has shown flashes of brilliance, like 24 points and 14 rebounds against the Lakers, but for the most part, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. In his defense, when he gets consistent minutes, he tends to respond, but that hasn’t happened until recently.
28. Brooklyn Nets - Mason Plumlee
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28. Brooklyn Nets - Mason Plumlee
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After being a member of the gold medal winning USA Basketball team this summer, many thought Plumlee would carry over that momentum into the season. Through the first quarter of the season, he hasn’t gotten many minutes, and he isn’t doing much with the minutes he has gotten.
27. Charlotte Hornets - Lance Stephenson
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27. Charlotte Hornets - Lance Stephenson
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One of the biggest signings of the offseason, Lance Stephenson has looked uncomfortable and miscast. There’s a reason he has been a part of trade discussions already.
26. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose
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26. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose
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This one’s hard because nobody really knew what to expect entering the season with Rose. But even now that he is playing on a consistent basis, he is nowhere near the player he once was. Offensively, he has had his moments, but defensively, he has been a mess.
25. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kevin Love
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25. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kevin Love
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I think most people expected Love’s stats to take a hit with him no longer being the centerpiece of the offense, but he hasn’t even closely resembled the player he was last season. His stats are down across the board and to an alarming extent. He isn’t being utilized the way I thought he would be inside Blatt’s offense.
24. Dallas Mavericks - Jameer Nelson
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24. Dallas Mavericks - Jameer Nelson
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I considered Chandler Parsons here, but he seems to be rounding into form. I think the Mavericks expected more from Jameer Nelson entering this season than he has delivered. Devin Harris is producing at a much higher rate in fewer minutes.
23. Denver Nuggets - Kenneth Faried
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23. Denver Nuggets - Kenneth Faried
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Faried owned this summer. His performance in the FIBA World Cup had people talking about him emerging as a legitimate star. He has looked about as far away from that as possible. He is lost inside Brian Shaw’s system, and Shaw doesn’t seem to like him very much. Don’t be surprised if Faried ends the season in a different uniform.
22. Detroit Pistons - Andre Drummond
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22. Detroit Pistons - Andre Drummond
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Another Team USA player not delivering on the promise and excitement that they entered the season with is Andre Drummond. He hasn’t even looked like the player he was a year ago let alone the player most hoped he would become. Most alarmingly, his field goal percentage is down from 62 percent to 47 percent this season.
21. Golden State Warriors - Andre Iguodala
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21. Golden State Warriors - Andre Iguodala
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Iggy isn’t expected to do much on the Warriors, but he doesn’t even look like an elite defender anymore. He definitely hasn’t responded to his role off of the bench and just looks out of sorts most of the time.
20. Houston Rockets - Dwight Howard
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20. Houston Rockets - Dwight Howard
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This isn’t to take anything away from Howard. It’s more a reflection on how good this team has been. Only Howard’s absence due to injury really stands out as a disappointment.
19. Indiana Pacers - C.J. Miles
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19. Indiana Pacers - C.J. Miles
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When Miles was signed this offseason, he was supposed to replace some of the production that would be missing due to the loss of Lance Stephenson. Despite playing more minutes than any other season except for one, he is having his worst NBA season to date.
18. Los Angeles Clippers - Reggie Bullock
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18. Los Angeles Clippers - Reggie Bullock
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Year two was supposed to be the year that Reggie Bullock took a huge step forward for the Clippers. Even with the Clippers being so clearly flawed at the small forward position, Bullock has failed to make any meaningful progress.
17. Los Angeles Lakers - Wesley Johnson
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17. Los Angeles Lakers - Wesley Johnson
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This was supposed to be the year that Wesley Johnson finally fulfilled the promise that led to him being taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. But even on the talent devoid Lakers, Johnson is putting up the worst stats, almost across the board, of his career.
16. Memphis Grizzlies - Vince Carter
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16. Memphis Grizzlies - Vince Carter
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When Carter was signed in the offseason, he was viewed as perhaps being the piece that puts the Grizzlies over the hump -- from tough out in the playoffs to championship contender. Mostly due to a bum ankle, he has failed to live up to expectations through a quarter of the season.
15. Miami Heat - Josh McRoberts
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15. Miami Heat - Josh McRoberts
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We are all witnessing how important McRoberts was to Charlotte’s offense last season. It was for that same reason that many though McRoberts could play an equally important role on this year’s Heat team. Well, not only is he not a meaningful part of their offense, but he is barely playing and not producing even when he does play. He may still be trying to figure out his role on the Heat, but his performance has been incredibly disappointing.
14. Milwaukee Bucks - Larry Sanders
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14. Milwaukee Bucks - Larry Sanders
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It’s not that Sanders has been bad this season. He has actually been one of the better defensive players in the league. He just isn’t living up to the expectations that many had entering the season. Maybe it’s the $ 11 million they are paying him to put up seven points and six rebounds per game.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves - Gorgui Dieng
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13. Minnesota Timberwolves - Gorgui Dieng
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The way Dieng ended last season, most people thought he may be the clear-cut favorite for the big man of the Timberwolves' future. Even while Pekovic has been out, Dieng has failed to capitalize on his opportunities. Sure, he has had nights where he exploded for 15 points and 16 rebounds, but for the most part, he has been a disappointment.
12. New Orleans Pelicans - Tyreke Evans
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12. New Orleans Pelicans - Tyreke Evans
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Tyreke Evans’ career has been in perpetual decline since his rookie season. Many thought that this would be the year he could turn it all around. While he is the Pelicans' second leading scorer, he is doing it in a mind-bogglingly inefficient way. His offensive rating is a horrendous 97 and his PER is 15.
11. New York Knicks - Tim Hardaway Jr.
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11. New York Knicks - Tim Hardaway Jr.
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There are so many players who have been disappointments on the Knicks that it was hard to pick just one. With Tim Hardaway Jr. fresh off of his stellar Summer League performance, there were rumblings about him taking over the starting spot. But so far his inconsistent play has limited him to 17 minutes per game, and he is a part of the reason why the Knicks are one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder - Jeremy Lamb
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10. Oklahoma City Thunder - Jeremy Lamb
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While Durant and Westbrook were both out of the lineup, OKC was looking for creative ways to generate offense and Lamb was given his best opportunity as a pro to prove he could be a consistent scorer. Well, he failed in my book, and that James Harden trade is looking worse than ever before.
9. Orlando Magic - Channing Frye
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9. Orlando Magic - Channing Frye
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After proving he could be an integral part of a team’s offense in Phoenix, I thought Frye could be poised for a career year in Orlando, a team desperately looking for ways to generate offense. He is averaging only 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and while his three-point percentage is at a career high (40 percent), he is taking fewer of them and hasn’t quite figured out his place on this team.
8. Philadelphia 76ers - Nerlens Noel
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8. Philadelphia 76ers - Nerlens Noel
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It's hard to pick a disappointing player on a team with historically low expectations, but if ever there was a rookie positioned to be a dominant piece on his team, it is Noel. But so far he has been a letdown. Only scoring 8.2 points per game may have been expected, but being outrebounded by Michael Carter-Williams? That’s pathetic.
7. Phoenix Suns - Goran Dragic
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7. Phoenix Suns - Goran Dragic
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The Suns had high expectations for Dragic this season after his career-year in 2013-14. But bringing in Isaiah Thomas to add to their already stacked backcourt would prove to be a tricky proposition. The results so far? Inconclusive. Dragic has had trouble finding his way and his numbers are down across the board. That's not ideal for a contract year.
6. Portland Trail Blazers - C.J. McCollum
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6. Portland Trail Blazers - C.J. McCollum
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The Blazers have been so good this season and have gotten contributions from so many players that it is hard to pick a disappointment. But C.J. McCollum, while getting more minutes than his rookie season, has taken a slight step back in his progression, at least statistically. He is utilizing his minutes in an efficient manner and integrating with the offense nicely, but he definitely hasn’t taken the leap forward I expected.
5. San Antonio Spurs - Kawhi Leonard
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5. San Antonio Spurs - Kawhi Leonard
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With an NBA Finals MVP award comes expectations. And Kawhi Leonard, although bothered by the eye infection he had in the preseason early on, has been an incredibly inconsistent part of the Spurs’ offense. He has definitely improved over recent weeks, but he hasn’t come close to the expectations placed on him to start the season.
4. Sacramento Kings - Derrick Williams
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4. Sacramento Kings - Derrick Williams
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Really, Williams' entire career has been a disappointment. After being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Williams has been a major letdown. I thought this could be the year that he finally found his way with the upstart Kings, but he has been one of their least played, most inconsistent players. He may be good for the occasional scoring outburst, but not much else.
3. Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas
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3. Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas
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I thought Valanciunas was poised for a breakout, borderline All-Star, type of season. So far, it has been much of the same -- pretty good, but not great. It just may be a case of a slower progression than I anticipated, because he is obviously still improving. But on a team of players who meet or exceed expectations, he is the one player I can call a disappointment.
2. Utah Jazz - Trey Burke
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2. Utah Jazz - Trey Burke
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Burke has flat-out regressed in every category since his rookie season and appears to be the poster child for a sophomore slump. The most disturbing part of his regression is probably his shooting percentage, which has gone from really bad (38 percent) to worse (36 percent).
1. Washington Wizards - Otto Porter
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1. Washington Wizards - Otto Porter
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I think Porter is just one of those players we need to stop evaluating by the position he was drafted in. Taken with the No. 3 overall pick in 2013, he has definitely failed to live up to expectations. That said, he may just wind up being a decent role player who serves a specific purpose. And in that case he is just fine, but so far you’d have to say he has been a disappointment.
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