NBA: 10 underwhelming players from the 2019-20 season
2. Mike Conley Jr., Utah Jazz ~ 13.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 40.5 FG%
Mike Conley Jr. was supposed to be Utah’s answer to their point guard woes. A revolving door of guys since the days of Deron Williams has given the Jazz some light and this was the year they struck gold. A five-year, $153 million contract put the rest of the NBA on notice that they had their missing piece for playoff contention out in the Western Conference.
Not only is Conley having a down season, but he also has similar numbers to Celtics’ point guard Marcus Smart. The problem? Smart is being paid for four years and $52 million. Utah is paying three times more for a guy who is providing statistics seen for a guy coming off the bench. There is plenty of time for Conley to turn it around over the next couple of years, but he certainly did not make a good first impression.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Every year we have a team that just does not deliver on early-season expectations. Last year’s Boston Celtics come to mind as the most recent example.
There was plenty of hope in Philly. This was their chance to go toe-to-toe against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the hopes that they could cement their dominance in the Eastern Conference. Al Horford came in, Jimmy Butler and J.J. Reddick were out. This was the 76ers’ year.
What we were given was a team that currently sits in their conference as the sixth seed. Ben Simmons has yet to advance his game to anything beyond layups. Joel Embiid has taken a step back this season with fewer points and rebounds than the year prior. Al Horford is having his worst shooting year ever (keep in mind he just signed a 4 year, $109 million deal).
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What’s worse, their second unit is in the bottom third of the entire NBA. The front office let two solid scoring options go in Butler and Reddick, gave all the money to Horford, and hoped that someone on the bench would step up. We can “Trust the Process” all we want, but soon 76ers fans are going to want to see results.