In the NBA, there are many examples of young fame. Some players have become the focus of the media since before the draft. The performance of these players continues to improve with the growth of their age, and will eventually become one of the league's signatures. However, there are also some players who enter the league with high expectations, but they often fail to meet expectations. After a few years, they gradually fade out of the league, and everyone is fascinated. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers were ranked third in the past. Jalil Okafor selected. It is not uncommon for
high-ranking players to prove that they are not uncommon. In fact, if you look at the first 20 years of the 21st century, young players called ⌈parallel import⌋ can even be ranked in the top ten. However, in terms of high probability, the higher the pick is, the more reliable it is. According to the draft rules of the past few decades, if you can get into the top 20 pick in the draft, you are basically likely to become a regular rotation player in the team.
Despite this, there are still some players who have been in the league for many years and still struggle on the court. Their current situation is quite embarrassing. If they don't seize the opportunity to show themselves, they are likely to become the next forgotten Okafor. The players to be introduced today are all ranked in the top 20, but because of their slow progress, they have begun to be questioned by many people.
Kevin Knox, New York Knicks
The Knicks management who is about to take on a new look next season should take a good look at the value of Knox. If his performance next season is still like the past season The same downturn, then he will only lose his only transaction value. Knox was selected by the Knicks with the ninth overall pick. The second season of his career was dull, and his performance was not even as good as his rookie season.
Although most second-year students will take on more important roles and make more contributions, this situation did not happen to Knox. He has averaged only 17.9 minutes per game on a 21-45 winning team this season, and he can only contribute 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. It is worth noting that Knox did not get too much trust from the head coach. David Fizdale hopes to fight for victory to keep his position (despite his defeat), and interim head coach Mike Miller seems unwilling to give Knox too many opportunities. Z1z
Knox's level of ball control is indeed not outstanding, which also makes it difficult for him to become a creative player. Although as a 2.01m forward player with explosive physical fitness can cause damage to the basket, Knox's sense of smell in the game and the handling of the ball transfer process are quite poor.
Although many people believe that he has the opportunity to develop as a scorer without the ball, the statistics he showed on the offensive end are too mediocre. He is very strenuous in continuous catch and shoot scoring, so Usually we can see that the shots about him are related to dunks.
For a player who is not very good at organizing and has obvious shortcomings in scoring ability (shooting 35.9% this season), Knox can easily fall into a ball-free situation in the contemporary NBA environment. A playable situation, despite his defensive capabilities.
Although he only passed 21 in August, the team may not be able to wait. If Knox does not show some surprising skills, it is hard to say that even this is a rebuilding ball. Will the team abandon him. Maybe the arrival of the new coach can create a system that is more suitable for him, maybe he is more suitable for a team with a more traditional style of play, but I have to say that the choice made by the Knicks with this pick at the time does not seem to be Too successful. There is no denying the ability and talent of
Knox, the key is to see if there is a chance to stimulate his potential.
Dennis Smith, New York Knicks
After every season, Dennis Smith seems to be about to explode in the next season, but the fact is that his performance is worse than one year.
Smith was selected as a rookie by the Lone Ranger with the ninth overall pick. When he first entered the league, he performed very well and became a frequent visitor to the top five, with a lot of Lillard . However, there was a decline in the second season, and thenHe was sent to the New York Knicks in the team's pursuit of Porzingis. After coming from the West to the East, he seemed to have lost himself and began to languish. After
averaged only 5.5 points and 2.9 assists in 34 games he played this season, some people may have no hope of him. This player from North Carolina State University may not be able to make a storm in the NBA anymore. The danger zone Smith is in has almost reached the edge of the NBA, and he may even need to go abroad to play.
Like Knox, Smith will usher in a new coaching team next season, and he will challenge the new season in a healthier state, so maybe the team and fans can tolerate giving him some time. You must know that the new coach of the Knicks is Tom Thibodeau, the man who did the best with Ross and . To some extent, Smith's playing style is quite similar to Rose.
Smith’s positioning remains unchanged-he is a scorer. Rather than defensively, he is more inclined to show his talent on the offensive end. He can still use his advantage to make a bloody way on the court, even though the team may just let him play a substitute role.
However, after experiencing some injuries, Smith’s explosiveness does not seem to be as good as when he first entered the league, and his shooting this season is a disaster, averaging only 34.1% from the field and only free throw percentage. Poor 50.9%, he behaved on the court as if someone had tied his hands and feet with a rope and had nowhere to go.
For Smith, there are too many good players in the entire league in the position of point guard. If he doesn’t live up to it, he will be eliminated sooner or later, let alone in the Knicks, he still faces Need to compete with Alfred Payton and Nellikina for the starting position at the same time.
Justin Jackson, Dallas Mavericks
After leading the University of North Carolina to the championship and helping the team set a single-season three-point record, Jackson was selected 15th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. After three seasons, he seems to have faded out of the fans' sight.
The 25-year-old Jackson currently plays for the Lone Ranger team is the second team of his career, this is a playoff-level team, it is hard to imagine that he can win a starting spot here.
Smith can even comfort himself with Jackson’s performance. The latter only shot 29.4% of his three-pointers this season, which is horrible. Even for a playmaker, such shooting level is not enough. The fans confessed. What's more, for fans who don't know him, shooting should be his better ability. Remember the three-point record mentioned above? But now it seems that his three-point shooting percentage (30.4%, 29.2%) in the first two years of college also reflects this to a certain extent.
Jackson, who is 2.01 meters tall, has averaged 2 assists, 3 rebounds or 1 steal in the first three seasons of his career. In addition to scoring, his overall performance is too mediocre unless he can Improve his shooting level or at least be more eye-catching in attacking the basket, otherwise Jackson will be of little use to this team. Once his rookie contract expires (in the summer of 2021), it is difficult to imagine that there will be more The team is willing to give him a chance.
TJ Liffe, the Indiana Pacers
Liffe is probably the player with the lowest sense of existence on this list. Few people remember that he was selected with the 18th overall pick in 2017. We guess who is the player behind him? John Collins, Jarrett Allen, OG Anunobi and Kyle Kuzma, there is no doubt that their careers are more dazzling.
In the first three seasons of Lieve's career, no season has been able to average more than 10 minutes of playing time. He played only 28 games this season, and has almost become a marginal figure on the team. To be fair, the reason for his lack of playing time has to do with the formation of two important inside players (Myers Turner, Sabonis) and coach McMillan. But three seasonsThe time is enough for a player to fully prepare on the training ground and wait for his own opportunity. Why did Liffe's opportunity decrease? The
Pacers' past season is also the worst season of Lieve's career so far, averaging only 41.9% from the field.
Liffe was considered to be a player with good organization and series ability in this position because of his outstanding performance in the stretchability of the fourth position. Such blind confidence masked his rough skills on the court. , And the lack of a solid foundation. His shooting didn't improve much (only 31 three-pointers in 139 games in his career), and his highly anticipated organizational ability was criticized for not being sharp enough. The
offense is considered Lieve's strength, but when he is on the court this season, the Pacers have scored 8.3 points less per 100 possessions.
If Lieve parted ways with the Pacers, there will be another team willing to see if he has the level of staying in the NBA. After all, he hasn't got much playing time in the past few years. Maybe some team will give him this. opportunity. But if he can't prove himself in another system after changing the court, then after the rookie contract ends, it may mean the end of Lieve's NBA career.
Josh Jackson
Another Jackson is the highest pick in this list. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He spent two disappointing times in Phoenix. After the season, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. But before January of this year, he played for the Grizzlies' subordinate development league team, and after returning in February and March, his performance did get some recognition, especially on March 3. During the five games on March 11, Jackson had scored more than 15 points per game, and the season was suspended.
But for a player with the fourth overall pick, such performance can only be regarded as the minimum standard.
lacks stability under the judgment of reading the game and the off-ball state. At the same time, the damage to the basket is extremely limited. Jackson should create his own business card in other styles, so that the coaching staff can find that he is not only changing the offensive level Outstanding ability outside. However, there is nothing worth discovering about him. The outstanding athletic talent of
can only grab people's attention in a short time. The diversity of skills and solid technical skills are the criteria for a player to be able to play for a long time. Although Jackson should know this, he is indeed struggling to gain his playing time. As a high-ranking player,
not only needs to bear higher expectations, but also means that the team will pay him more salaries. If you can’t show your uniqueness, why not leave a few positions What about players who are more cost-effective? There is nothing to say, the NBA is a business league.
