The NBA hands out annual individual awards to players who had an exemplary season. These awards are handed out during the NBA’s Annual Awards Night, after the NBA season. But while some played well enough to deserve individual awards, some players didn’t live up to the expectations and played below par this season. These players aren’t recognized in the Awards Night but just the same, they are worth mentioning not to shame them but so that they will know that they have to do better the next time around.
Here are the five most overrated players in the NBA during the 2019-20 season, but why not take a look to our top 15 NBA’s greatest games article here:
Green is a former Defensive Player of the Year winner, a three-time NBA champion, three-time NBA All-Star, a four-time member of the All-Defensive team, and two-time member of the All-NBA team. Despite those accolades, Green is overrated. Even his co-players agree. The 30-year old green was once hailed as one of the best undersized centers in the league.
At 6-6, Green is described as a very versatile player who can do so many things inside the basketball court. His best asset was his defense and because of his size, he could defend players from different positions. He was one of four All-Star players in the Warriors with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant when they won back to back NBA titles in 2017 and 2018. During the 2019-20 season, Durant left while Curry and Thompson were injured. Green was supposed to be the best player on the team without the three but he averaged only 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Those are good all-around numbers but not good enough for a player with his resume.
When The Los Angeles Lakers went fishing for Anthony Davis, the Pelicans asked for their young core. The Lakers were willing to part with any of their young stars except Kyle Kuzma. New Orleans accepted a package minus Kuzma and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said afterwards that it was a win-win situation to get AD without trading Kuz. Kuzma was coming off his best season ever as he provided instant offense for the Lakers while displaying improved shooting which he worked on the previous summer. By all accounts, Pelinka and the Lakers were expecting a breakout season from Kuzma in 2019-20 despite coming off an injury.
After playing 54 games this season, Kuzma averaged just 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting only 43.2% from the floor and 29.7% from behind the three-point line. This is a significant decline from his 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 56.6% FG shooting average last season. Because of his poor play, his minutes declined from 33.1 last season to just 24.6 this year. Of course, you can say that the arrival of AD took some of his shots and you can also justify that he couldn’t train much during the summer due to injury but obviously, he’s not the third option that the Lakers were hoping he would be this year. Was his decline due to the Kardashian curse? Maybe.
Make no mistake about that. Kyrie Irving is one of the most gifted offensive players we have ever seen. Irving’s handles are insane and his shot-making skills are very impressive. I remember how he made the game-winning three-pointer that sealed Cleveland’s first NBA title. But when he came to Boston, he didn’t live up to the expectations. Of course, the injury to Gordon Hayward hurt the Celtics but while Irving played some terrific games, he was a disappointment overall. Then Irving transferred to Brooklyn this season to team up with Kevin Durant. He dropped 50 in his Nets debut but they lost the game. That was a sign of things to come.
The Nets were 7th in the Eastern Conference when play was halted but they were just 30-34 overall. Irving’s season ended after playing last February 2, 2020 as he underwent shoulder surgery. He played just 20 games this season and the Nets were 8-12 with him in the line-up. Without Kyrie, Brooklyn was an even 22-22. Spencer Dinwiddie made more difference as he is having a breakout season with 20.2 points per game. Caris LeVert has emerged as a scorer and a well-rounded defender. Jarret Allen Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, and Garrett Temple have been solid enough to help the Nets win even without Irving. Kyrie is putting up 27.4 points per game this season but the Nets could still have won games even without him.
It wasn’t Lonzo Ball’s fault why he was one of the most well-talked about players heading to the 2017 NBA Draft. That’s because his loud-mouth dad was doing all the publicity stuff for him. Because of Lavar’s mouth, the Los Angeles Lakers were duped into picking Zo with the 2nd overall pick of the draft, one pick higher than Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. Ball was also picked higher than Donovan Mitchell, John Collins and De’Aaron Fox. He was labeled as the Lakers’ next big star. His passing skills were likened to Magic but when he came to the NBA, not only was he overrated, he didn’t know how to shoot.
Fast forward to three years later. Ball is shooting well from the outside. He shot a career-best 38.3% from the three-point area this season and was averaging 12.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game.
Those are decent numbers and proof that he is a good all-around player. But good is different from great. While in Los Angeles, he was overshadowed by Kyle Kuzma. Now that he is in New Orleans, he will have to play behind Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Jrue Holiday. That’s not what we were expecting from a #2 overall pick. Draft bust? Yes. Overrated? Sure as hell. Thanks or not thanks to Lavar.
When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Al Horford during the offseason, everyone was saying how good the Sixers will be this season. Philly has a young dynamic duo in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They also have a terrific scorer in Tobias Harris and a new addition in Josh Richardson. Al Horford, a five-time NBA All-Star and one time All-Defensive Second team member, would provide the team with stability and veteran presence. Horford was the stabilizing presence when he was in Boston, despite the Celtics having more prominent stars like Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, and Jaylen Brown.
However, Horford has been a surprise disappointment in the City of Brotherly Love. The 33-year old forward/center was averaging just 12.0 points per game this season, his fewest since 2009. Horford was also shooting at a career-low 44.2% from the floor this season. This season is also the first since his rookie year where he averaged less than one block per game. As a result, the Sixers struggled this season, especially on the road, where Horford’s veteran experience and savvy would have been very important. No question about it, Al Horford is having one of his worst seasons ever this year and that makes him the last member of this overrated team.
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