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NBA power rankings: Most disappointing player edition
With the NBA season moving headlong into its post-All-Star break stretch, it's time for another power ranking of the 30 teams. But we're doing it with a twist by noting each team's most disappointing player. (Records and statistics are through Wednesday's play.)
Inner circle of contenders
These four teams have high-end talent at the top of their roster and high-end role players throughout their rotations.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 44-10
They have no player who has disappointed. Amazing. Cleveland has the deepest roster in the NBA and about a dozen guys who are legit NBA rotation players or better.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder: 44-9
Finding a disappointment on this team is nearly impossible, but if we’re splitting hairs, Ousmane Dieng hasn’t developed much in three seasons. He’s only 21 but hasn’t flashed while many of his young teammates (Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace) have excelled.
3. Boston Celtics: 39-16
Jrue Holiday, who’s averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists with 43.8-34.2-90 shooting splits, hasn’t been the All-Star-caliber role player he was last season. However, Boston shouldn’t be worried. Holiday tends to dial up the intensity in the playoffs.
4. Denver Nuggets: 36-19
Through his first 32 games, Jamal Murray was mired in an extended funk, only averaging 19 points, six assists and 3.9 rebounds with 43.5-37.2-84.7 shooting splits; in the 16 games since, he’s been "Bubble Murray," averaging 25.1 points, 6.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds with 53.2-37.9-92.6 shooting splits. Denver sure hopes that version is here to stay.
Outer circle of contenders
These four teams are good but have smaller margins for error than the group above.
5. New York Knicks: 36-18
The starters certainly haven’t disappointed, and Coach Thibs has ridden them like a rented mule. That leaves the bench, in general, as the biggest disappointment for the Knicks. The only bench player who has performed well is Miles McBride.
6. Los Angeles Lakers: 32-21
“LUKA DONCIC HAS BEEN A MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT HIS WHOLE CAREER AS A LAKER!” C’mon Luka, we know it’s only been three games, but 14.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 5.3 APG with 35.6-20.8-58.3 shooting splits ain’t gonna cut it in L.A.!
7. Memphis Grizzlies: 36-18
The Grizzlies are running teams off the court (fastest pace in the NBA at 104.2 possessions per 48 minutes), but the face of their team, Ja Morant, isn’t playing as frequently as they would like (32 of 54 games).
8. Milwaukee Bucks: 29-24
Most of the Bucks players remaining from the 2021 championship team – besides Giannis Antetokounmpo – have begun to show their age. Brook Lopez, a soon-to-be 37-year-old, is still a solid center, but he needs to be grabbing more than 4.7 RPG.
Formidable but flawed
These are playoff teams, and depending on the matchup, some of them could even pull an upset or two in the postseason. That said, they are probably too flawed to contend for a title.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves: 31-25
The return for Karl-Anthony Towns – Julius Randle and Donte DiVencenzo – has been fairly disappointing, especially considering how well KAT is performing in New York. Randle’s shooting (47-32.1-81.1 shooting splits) has really hurt the T’Wolves’ spacing and probably has a lot to do with Anthony Edwards launching more than 10 three-pointers per game.
10. Houston Rockets: 34-21
Fred VanVleet is overtaxed as the starting point guard on this surprisingly good, young team. The former All-Star is having an awful shooting season (38.7-34.4-82.4 shooting splits) and isn’t the late-game closer the Rockets need.
11. Golden State Warriors: 28-27
Brandin Podziemski is a fine role player, but he hasn’t made the jump the Warriors seemed to think he was going to make when they made him untouchable in trade talks this past offseason. They need a little more than 9.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG with 42.9-32-73.8 shooting splits from the second-year do-it-all guard.
12. Los Angeles Clippers: 31-23
Kawhi Leonard has only played 15 games this season, and he’s more of a high-end role player when he has played, averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists with 46.4-35.9-81.3 shooting splits. If he could get back to the old Kawhi for the playoffs, the Clippers could find themselves in the Outer Circle of Contenders tier.
13. Dallas Mavericks: 30-26
GM Nico Harrison is the biggest disappointment on this franchise (trade Doncic? What!), but in terms of most disappointing player, Klay Thompson is averaging the fewest points per game (13.9 PPG) since his rookie season and shooting the worst he has from the field (41.7 percent) in his career.
14. Indiana Pacers: 30-23
What's happened to Tyrese Haliburton? Through the first 30 games last season, he was an MVP candidate, averaging 24.9 points and 12.7 assists and putting up 50.1-40.8-86.3 shooting splits. This season, he’s down to 17.8 PPG and 8.5 APG with 44.9-36.9-84.6 shooting splits.
15. Orlando Magic: 27-29
We’re not giving up on the Magic, who have been rocked by injuries to their best players (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs) but could be healthy and rounding into shape when the playoffs begin. Banchero’s injury was especially tough because he looked poised to make a monster leap after last season's playoffs, when he averaged 27 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 4 APG, but missed 34 games with a torn oblique and has put up numbers more in line with last season ever since (22.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5 APG). Splitting hairs? Probably.
Rock bottom to follow
There franchises haven’t hit rock bottom yet. That will come this summer, when they must blow up their talented but flawed teams.
16. Phoenix Suns: 26-28
His descent from stardom began a couple of seasons ago, but Bradley Beal and his max contract and no-trade clause have formed an unholy alliance of disappointment in Phoenix.
17. Philadelphia 76ers: 20-34
So many questions about this team’s season from hell: Why is Paul George doing a Tobias Harris impersonation? And how did Joel Embiid go from averaging 33.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 54.1 percent shooting the previous 105 regular-season games to only 24.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.5 APG on 45.4 percent shooting this season without a major injury? Both of these guys are huge disappointments.
It’s all about the experience
These five teams may make the playoffs or fall short. The most important thing will be getting their young players reps in high-intensity games late in the season, the play-in or the playoffs.
18. Detroit Pistons: 29-26
This might be a little disrespectful to the Pistons, who are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, if they could just get a little more production out of their young center rotation, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who are only combining for 16.7 PPG and 15.9 RPG, it would eliminate some of the doubters.
19. Miami Heat: 25-28
No matter how you try to spin it, Bam Adebayo has had a disappointing season by his standards. After making the All-Star team the past two seasons and finishing in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of the past five seasons, Adebayo has put up numbers that are down across the board, including his advanced defensive metrics. He wasn’t even in consideration for the All-Star team.
20. Atlanta Hawks: 26-29
Clint Capela gets the dubious distinction of the biggest disappointment because Bogdan Bogdanovic is no longer with the Hawks. For the first time since the 2016-17 season, Capela (9.4 PPG, 9 RPG) is not averaging a double-double.
21. San Antonio Spurs: 23-29
Did you know that Keldon Johnson averaged 22 points and five rebounds just two seasons ago? Obviously, the additions of Victor Wembanyama and others were always going to cut into his production, but he’s all the way down to 11.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG this season.
22. Portland Trail Blazers: 23-32
We wonder if the Blazers regret giving Jerami Grant a five-year, $160M contract before the 2023-24 season. Doubt they’ll enjoy paying $32M, $34M and $36M the next three seasons to a soon-to-be 31-year-old averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists and shooting 38.3 percent from the field.
Hamster wheel of mediocrity
These franchises are directionless. They either don’t have -- or refuse to make -- the moves that will get them out of this rut.
23. Sacramento Kings: 28-27
The Kings are a decent, play-in-range team, but they don’t have a ton of high-upside players, especially with Keegan Murray regressing this season, putting up career lows in PPG (12), field-goal shooting (43.5) and three-point shooting (32.2).
24. Chicago Bulls: 22-33
Pick a young player, any young player — Coby White, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams — they’ve basically all plateaued. Williams is probably the most disappointing, though, especially given where he was drafted (fourth overall) and what the Bulls just paid him (five years, $90M).
Flailing for Flagg
Fans of these franchises should start working on photoshopping Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and other star draft prospects into images of their favorite team’s uniforms because the rest of the season won’t be enjoyable.
25. New Orleans Pelicans: 13-42
Zion Williamson’s continued inability to stay on the court (he’s only played in 18 of 55 games) is the most disappointing part of this disappointing season.
26. Brooklyn Nets: 20-34
Nic Claxton seems to be a little bored this season on a team that has no interest in contending. Two seasons ago, he finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and led the NBA in field-goal shooting (70.5 percent); this season, he’s only grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game and shooting a career-worst 54.6 percent from the field.
27. Utah Jazz: 13-41
Did Lauri Markkanen peak as a 25-year-old? The 27-year-old former Most Improved Player is averaging 19.6 points after putting up 25.6 PPG only two seasons ago.
28. Toronto Raptors: 17-38
The Raptors are betting on Scottie Barnes to be a superstar, but we aren’t seeing it. He’ll be a borderline All-Star, but it’s becoming patently clear that he is not going to be a great shooter (career-worst 26.6 percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game this season).
29. Charlotte Hornets: 14-39
Their entire roster has been crushed by injuries, so it’s difficult to even pinpoint a disappointing player. If we have to pick one, it’d be lottery pick Tidjane Salaun, who is shooting 31.3% from the field and 28.9% from deep and seems years away from being ready to contribute.
30. Washington Wizards: 9-45
The second overall pick of the draft, Alex Sarr, has shown flashes of potential. However, his shooting splits are UGLY: 39.3-30.8-64.
More must-reads:
- Lakers, Luka Doncic have rough night in loss to Hornets
- Doug Gottlieb hits back at LeBron James in fiery rant after NBA star's troll job
- The 'Kobe Bryant Trophy winners' quiz
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