The most surprising and disappointing NBA players of the 2019-20 season

Dwight Howard might have been out of the NBA entirely if DeMarcus Cousins hadn’t torn his ACL during the summer. But he became a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate with the Lakers, anchoring the bench defense and putting up his best per-minute numbers in almost a decade. The slimmed-down Howard was second in offensive rebounding percentage, had his best block rate since 2013 and didn’t try to get a single teammate traded or coach fired. Howard’s 126 offensive rating and 102 defensive rating meant the Lakers outscored opponents by a whopping 24 points per 100 possession when he was on the court. Not bad for a non-guaranteed minimum contract.

It was a terrible year for Blake Griffin, who never really recovered from the knee injury that bothered him at the end of the 2018-19 season. Griffin delayed surgery to limp his way through the playoffs, which led to his missing the Pistons’ first 10 games. After 18 games and the worst scoring and rebounding numbers of his career, Griffin had another knee surgery in January, ending his season. He has two years and $75 million left on his contract. 

Schrӧder got better at nearly everything this season with the Thunder, upping his scoring to 19 points per game off the bench and recording career highs in field goal and three-point percentage. He thrived alongside Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC’s three-guard lineup and was a huge reason they’ll enter the bubble in fifth place in the West, after most people picked them to miss the playoffs.

It’s hard to overstate how rough Dion Waiters’ 2019-20 season has been so far. First, he was suspended for the season opener for skipping a mandatory weigh-in. Then a weed gummy overdose on the team plane led to a 10-game suspension, and in December, he got six more games for “failure to adhere to team policies, violation of team rules and continued insubordination.” Overall he played 42 minutes in three games before getting traded to Memphis, which waived him. Overall, he made over $432,000 per point this season.

Usually it’s an exaggeration to say an NBA player came out of nowhere, but Duncan Robinson, who went to the Miami Heat via Maine, the G League, Division III Williams College and Exeter, pretty much did. Robinson may not have even started at Michigan, but he improved enough to set a team record with 243 threes (and counting!). He proved adept at getting open around screens and in transition, and nailed 44.8 percent of his shots from deep, fourth-best in the NBA.

Two years ago, Gary Harris looked like a perfect backcourt complement to Nikola Jokic, averaging 17.5 points per game and 39.6 percent from three at age 23. This year, he’s down to 10.4 points per game and 33.3 percent shooting from deep. Harris is still a great perimeter defender, but right now his offensive shortcomings are the main thing holding back the Nuggets attack.

The one bright spot in the Warriors’ disastrous season was second-round pick rookie Eric Paschall out of Villanova, who scored 14 points per game and may make the All-Rookie first team. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell all missing significant time, Paschall had to shoulder the scoring load, seeming to especially delight in attacking players picked ahead of him, much like another Warriors second-rounder, Draymond Green. Paschall figures to be a useful bench scorer next year, especially if he can extend his long twos (where he shot 45 percent) into three-pointers.

Twenty-two-year-old Lauri Markkanen had a great rookie season, but injuries and the coaching of Jim Boylen seem to have stagnated his development in Chicago. Markkanen posted career lows in points, rebounds and field goal attempts in a year where he struggled with nagging injuries, and he still looked mostly lost on defense. With a new front office regime in place, Markkanen could be on his way out of the Windy City.

Christian Wood had played only 51 games in his previous three NBA seasons, but he exploded offensively when he started getting big minutes. With Blake Griffin out and Andre Drummond traded, Wood scored in double figures in his last 16 games and averaged 24.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last 10. He also hit 38.6 percent of his three-pointers, meaning Wood should have some suitors as a free agent this summer.

Mike Conley was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle for the Utah Jazz, who traded a package of players and picks for the longtime Memphis guard in the summer and let incumbent point guard Ricky Rubio walk. But Conley missed 23 games and shot a career-low 40.5 percent from the field and even came off the bench midseason. He’s going to have to step up if the Jazz have any chance in the bubble playoffs.

In his third season, Bam Adebayo made his first All-Star team, after increasing his scoring from 8.9 to 16.2 points per game, his rebounds from 7.3 to 10.5 and his assists from 2.2 to 5.1. He was also a force on defense, making Miami’s defense extremely versatile, since Bam can guard anyone on the floor, from point guard to center. Bam even won the Skills Challenge at the All-Star Game. He’s only 22 years old, and he’s already a franchise cornerstone.

Dewayne Dedmon is on this list as a representative of all of Sacramento’s disastrous off-season signings. The Kings gave him $40 million for three years, and he responded with 5.1 points per game and a trade demand before 2019 was even over. A month later, the Kings gave up two second-round picks to dump his salary on Atlanta. Trevor Ariza got two years and $25 million, scored six points per game and was traded at the deadline, and Cory Joseph got three years and $36 million for his 6.3 points per game.   That’s over $100 million devoted to below-average production, and it makes the four-year, $85 million Harrison Barnes extension look fiscally prudent by comparison.

Another first-time All-Star, Domantas Sabonis averaged 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds as the Pacers’ most valuable player. He also evoked memories of his sweet-passing father by averaging 5.0 assists — and four triple-doubles.

Maybe it was the emergence of Sabonis that hurt Myles Turner this season, but he slipped noticeably on both ends of the floor. His outside shot abandoned him, and his rates for rebounds, assists, steals and blocks also declined. Perhaps he’s a bad fit next to Sabonis, as Turner took far more threes and far fewer twos this year, but whatever the cause, it’s a bad trend for the young center.

Brandon Ingram was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, and he fulfilled the promise that made him the No. 2 pick in 2016. He scored 24.3 points per game, shot a scorching 38.7 percent from three-point range, and his true shooting percentage was an impressive .590. Ingram made his first All-Star team, and at age 22 he looks like a franchise cornerstone in New Orleans.

Terrance Ferguson struggled so much this year that OKC had to dig up undrafted forward Luguentz Dort to take his place in the starting lineup. Typical for OKC prospects, Ferguson is an athletic wing who can't shoot at all. He’s still young so he’s not doomed, but Ferguson was absolutely the weak link among the otherwise excellent Chris Paul-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Danilo Gallinari- Steven Adams group.

Former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams bounced around the league after falling victim to Sam Hinkie’s relentless Process trading, but he’s found a home in Orlando. MCW is a tenacious on-ball defender and might be even better guarding the pick-and-roll. He’s the best defender on an excellent defensive team, and even without a strong outside shot, he’s smart and active enough to make teams pay for leaving him on the perimeter.

The Cavaliers have been a disaster since LeBron left a second time, but this is the year Kevin Love seemed to give up. He yelled at his teammates and coaches and openly pouted on the bench (and the floor!), and his defense went from limited to lazy. It’s hard to have faith in Love’s athleticism going forward — he’s signed for three more years — after a year where he dunked the ball only three times.

The biggest bright spot of the season for the Charlotte Hornets was the emergence of Devonte’ Graham, who played his way into the starting lineup and averaged 18.2 points and 7.5 assists. It was a huge improvement for the second-year guard, especially from three-point range and in the pick-and-roll, and helped lessen the sting of Kemba Walker’s Hornets departure.

Signing Al Horford looked like a real coup for the 76ers, especially after a postseason where the team took a nosedive whenever Joel Embiid was on the bench. But in the first year of a four-year, $97 million deal, Horford struggled to play alongside Embiid and eventually started coming off the bench. His shooting numbers dropped across the board, and the Sixers stumbled all year long. It’s not really Horford’s fault that Philly already had three other bigs and little shooting, but that contract currently looks like a millstone.

It’s not a surprise that Jayson Tatum turned into an All-Star, but it was a surprise that he did it so soon. At 21, Tatum took a much larger offensive load, scoring 23.6 points while actually improving his efficiency numbers. But even more encouraging was his defensive improvement. Tatum started blocking more shots, deflecting more passes and grabbing more steals, looking like the rare two-way threat that leads teams to titles.

Honestly, the entire Warriors franchise could have this slot, along with the season ticket holders who shelled out huge bucks on a brand-new arena hosting the NBA’s worst team. And Green never had a chance when Steph Curry, D’Angelo Russell and Kevon Looney joined Klay Thompson in the trainers room for most of the season. But let’s just say Draymond’s defense was not especially energetic. He scored eight points per game, made only 27.9 percent of his three-pointers and put up his worst rebounding numbers since 2013-14, which is especially depressing, considering how many shots the Warriors missed this year. The Dubs better hope Green was conserving his energy in a lost season rather than beginning his decline.

When Marcus Morris reneged on his deal with the Spurs to sign with the Knicks, no one expected the white-hot offense he delivered. Finally the first option on a team, Morris absolutely thrived, putting up 19.6 points per game and making almost 44 percent of his threes. He was so good that the Knicks were able to get a first-round pick when they flipped him to the Clippers (along with a hilarious 2021 pick swap option). Morris got the best of both worlds: lighting it up on a bad team while still getting to close games on a championship contender in the playoffs.

Another beneficiary of the failed Morris deal with the Spurs was Davis Bertans, who was moved to Washington to clear cap space. Free from the tyranny of Gregg Popovich and his love of the mid-range two, Bertans took nearly nine threes a game and hit 42.4 percent of them. Only six players in the league had more than Bertans’ 200 three-pointers, and after sitting out the bubble, he’ll be one of the most sought-after free agents in the NBA this fall.

The Memphis Grizzlies were a nice surprise this year, but Dillon Brooks was quietly dragging down the team. He scored 15.7 points a game, but on 40 percent shooting, with very few rebounds or assists. The advanced stats hated him, with Brooks giving up 13 points per 100 possessions and logging a -4.3 box score plus-minus. He also led the league in fouls by a mile with 246 despite playing just 28 minutes per game.