
Since we recently took a look at five players who are difference-makers on winning teams, today we’ll cover the opposite end of the spectrum. We take a look at five players who are underachieving or underperforming so far this season. These five players (listed alphabetically) have either lost a step, are in a prolonged slump or in a bad situation they can’t shake.
Will any of them be able to turn it around in the second half of the season?
Why: The Hornets (8-28) have made no progress as a young team and giving Melo the ultimate green light has the franchise at a long red light.
The Lowdown: Is Ball talented? Yes, other worldly. Would contending teams love to have him? You better believe it. But he has to attempt to lead this franchise right now and even though the roster is not up to par, great players make all the difference. Melo is shooting basically the same amount of shots per minute as Wilt Chamberlain in his prime (around .73) and Michael Jordan in his early years before he molded his game into one that made him a World Champion.
Sure the 76ers and Bulls eventually put terrific pieces around Wilt and MJ, but Ball just jacking up shots and shooting at a low percentage is making the Hornets road-kill. He’s averaging 24.6 field goal attempts per game, shooting 13.2 3-pointers per game and making 33.9 of them. His overall field goal percentage is the second lowest of his career and he’s also turning the ball over at a high rate.
In order to reach the maximum of his vast potential, eventually Melo has to show he can be the difference between losing and winning and play at this level when the games are meaningful.
Why: The Suns' (19-20) NBA title aspirations need a shot in the arm and it might involve making a trade before the deadline in three weeks.
The Lowdown: The 3-time NBA all-star is putting up his lowest shooting percentage in three years (.485) and his lowest scoring average since his fourth year in Washington at 22 years old. Beal produced some terrific seasons in the nation’s capital, but the impact and numbers on a team looking to win a title hits different.
Beal is a bit one-dimensional and can’t play on the ball in a championship situation. It doesn’t mean he’s still not a valuable piece and his agent recently dismissed any trade rumors. Beal has a no trade clause in his contract (he’s making $50 million this season and $53 million in 2025-26) and any big trade for the Suns will likely have to involve him. Stay tuned.
Why: The Timberwolves (21-18) were hoping to take the next step towards a NBA Title, but the production of the veteran point guard has fallen off this season.
The Lowdown: Conley has been a valuable piece to winning teams in Memphis and Minny (with a stop in Utah in between) and this preseason when the team traded for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, it was supposed to be the move that put Minnesota over the top. With some struggles by Randle, DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels, it has made the production of Conely stick out because he’s looked at as the glue piece that keeps the engine running smoothly.
What’s transpired, however, is Conley is not the on-ball defender he once was and can’t turn the corner on offensively as he once did, either. He is averaging a career low in points and field goal percentage because defenders contest his shots better than ever.
Why: The Pacers (22-19) made the East finals last season but are not in a favorable position to get a high seed in the post-season this time around.
The Lowdown: This Olympic champion is looked at as a rising superstar and many fans expected him to take Indiana to the next level this season. That would mean playing on par or better than he did last season when he made all-NBA third team. That hasn’t happened, as Haliburton is down in every major statistical category except steals per game.
Indiana just beat the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and ended that team’s 12-game winning streak, but Haliburton didn’t play in the second half of the due to a hamstring injury. Hamstrings can be tricky and can cause a player to lose explosiveness that takes a long time to get back.
He injured the same one in the playoffs last season and the Pacers have to hope it doesn’t rear its ugly head once again because over time hamstrings also become somewhat of a mental road block.
Why: The Pelicans (9-32) had high hopes this season, but Murray’s downslide in production is just a small part of the overarching issues.
The Lowdown: Murray and Trae Young in ATL weren’t a great fit and many felt going to talent-laden New Orleans would return him to the all-star form he displayed with the Spurs in 2021-22 at 25 years old. It hasn’t happened, as the Pelicans have been decimated by injury and questionable motivation with Murray caught up in that mix of players locked in and mentally checked out.
He’s averaging nearly six points per game less than last season on career shooting lows. He might be able to bounce back in the second half, but this will likely end up a washed season for a player who is in his prime physically and should be trending upwards, not downwards.
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