10 Biggest Disappointments At Halfway Point Of 2015-16 NBA Season

By Chipper Murphy

The 2015-16 NBA season, although entertaining, has not been without disappointing elements that have had a great impact on the watchability of games on a nightly basis. Underperforming teams and players are always at the center of attention, and this year has been no different. These are the 10 biggest disappointments of the 2015-16 season.

10 Biggest Disappointments At Halfway Point Of 2015-16 NBA Season

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Los Angeles Lakers Wasting Young Talent — It sounds extreme, but it's true that the trio of Byron Scott, Kobe Bryant and Nick Young are killing the Los Angeles Lakers. More specifically, the Lakers' young, promising players like Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell. Bryant is dominating the ball despite having one of the worst shooting seasons in the league, while Young is launching his usual ill-advised threes at an alarming rate and Scott remains as stubborn as ever despite the results.

Emmanuel Mudiay's Offensive Game — Emmanuel Mudiay was one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. After skipping college to play overseas instead, most fans had never seen him play and were eager to see what the point guard with all the hype could do. The Denver Nuggets decided to make him the future of their franchise and a large part of their culture change, but so far he hasn't lived up to the hype. He's shot just 31 percent from the field and 25 percent from downtown while averaging four turnovers per game. Mudiay has a horrific offensive rating of 78, and the Nuggets have their best offensive rating (102.3) with him off the court. The rookie has a long way to go on the offensive end.

Washington Wizards Going Small — The Washington Wizards decided to go small this season, removing Nene from the starting lineup and playing faster. Washington has jumped from 18th in pace factor last season to fifth. Unfortunately, the change hasn't had the desired affect, as the Wizards are currently 21st in offensive rating, up just one position from last year's similarly mediocre 22nd ranked offense.

Tyson Chandler's Impact On The Phoenix Suns — It's not Tyson Chandler's fault that the Phoenix Suns are a complete nightmare, but he hasn't done his job as a new free agent. Chandler was brought in to improve the defense and be a steady force in the locker room. Instead, the defense has gotten worse and the team is in worse shape than before he got there.

Lance Stephenson's Comeback — So much for Lance Stephenson's fresh start. The Los Angeles Clippers got him for nothing after he flopped in his one season with the Charlotte Hornets, and Clippers coach Doc Rivers vowed to use him as an X-factor. It hasn't worked out the way Rivers had hoped, as Stephenson has been passed in the rotation by Wesley Johnson and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, taking a DNP in the Clippers' last game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He's averaging just four points per game and creates an unfortunate minus-11.7 points per 100 possessions difference when he’s on the floor. Stephenson could be playing for another team by the trade deadline.

New Orleans Pelicans' Offense — The New Orleans Pelicans surprised people as the No. 8 seed in the playoffs last season, and the expectations were higher this year with new coach Alvin Gentry. The architect of the Golden State Warriors' offense was supposed to bring that same type of firepower to New Orleans and Anthony Davis. Instead, the Pelicans were ravaged by injuries and got off to a terrible start that they won't recover from. The offense has been worse, as both their offensive rating and the production of preseason MVP candidate Davis have significantly dipped. New Orleans is playing faster, but it just isn't working.

Milwaukee Bucks' Defense — Was Zaza Pachulia so important to the Milwaukee Bucks' defense last year that after trading him they could go from one of the league's best on that end to one of the worst? It looks like it. Without a primary scorer last season, the Bucks rode their defense to the playoffs, so after gaining Greg Monroe in free agency naturally the assumption was they'd get better. We all assumed wrong.

Derrick Rose Is Done — If the first half of the season has proven anything, it's that Derrick Rose will never return to his All-Star form. Rose is 81st of 83 possible point guards in RPM, with an offensive rating of 91, and he's hurting the Bulls by taking up a majority of the team's possessions with a usage rate of 25.5 percent. He's shooting 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from downtown, making him just third on the team in scoring. The 2011 NBA MVP is long gone.

Time To Break Up Memphis Grizzlies — The Memphis Grizzlies have always gotten by on their hard-nosed defense, but this season they have taken a real step back on offense. The Grizzlies are currently 27th in offensive rating and have just two players averaging at least 15 points per game. A large part of the problem is their two top guns — Marc Gasol and Mike Conley — are having bad seasons, by their own standards anyway.

The Houston Rockets — The Houston Rockets were expected to be a championship contender after last year's impressive run to the Western Conference Finals. Instead, they started off slow and lazy, which led to the firing of head coach Kevin McHale after just 11 games. They haven't looked much better since, as they are just 20-19 after Tuesday night's win over Memphis. Houston is now 16-12 since McHale was let go, and the defense doesn't look much better. There's no reason to think the Rockets are a title contender.

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