gold and jade outside, and shaved inside. This philosophical quote also applies to the stage of NBA. In the NBA stage where superstars gather, there is never a shortage of legends. There are many talented superstars. However, not all talents can be fulfilled. Some super stars have talent, but due to various subjective and objective factors, they are unable to succeed. They can only go through a long career in a daze and do nothing.
Today, we will take stock of the six major stars who are just a good star in the new season.
No. 6: Championship guard Lowry
Lowry, averaged 12 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 35.4% shooting percentage, 34.1% three-point shooting percentage, and 89.7% free throw shooting percentage.
Lowry was selected by the Grizzlies in the 24th pick in the first round of 2006. As a small guard, Lowry has strong attack power, fast breakthrough speed, and excellent three-point shooting rate. Although he is not tall enough, the thick body of can make Lowry extremely aggressive on the defensive end, and can also crush the thin guards through his body to make the ultimate impact and the basket. Moreover, Lowry has super psychological quality and is good at playing games at critical moments. He is a big heart star.
021-22 season, Lowry joined Heat with 85 million signing and then exchange in 3 years. As the team's biggest signing to win the championship, after Lowry joined the Heat, his peak state completely disappeared. During playoffs , Lowry became the team's biggest cancer, and he even did not come back. The team can often win, although, after the end of the season, Lowry once said that his condition was fluctuating due to family affairs.
However, after the team boss pointed out the problem, not only failed to listen to the suggestions, but instead publicly refuted it, which once caused conflicts in the Heat's locker room. Lowry also faced several trading storms, and his mentality fluctuated again.
2022-23 season opening game, faces the Bulls , which is not as strong as its own, Lowry is lost again. In the whole game, Lowry only scored 2 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, which coincides with the playoff data of last season. completely lost the strength of the champion guard, Lowry's extremely lost performance also made the Heat lose the opening game, a game Perhaps it will not have a huge impact on the entire season , but in the next game, Lowry did not become the pillar of the team. Facing the Raptors game, Lowry was lost again, scoring only 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the whole game, shooting percentage in 1/8, and three-point shooting percentage in 1/6, completely becoming a passerby. Lowry's performance was like a sleepwalking, and also became the culprit of the team at the bottom of the league .
As a strong champion defender, Lowry continued to be in a sluggish manner after joining the Heat. If Lowry keeps sleepwalking, not only will he become a high-paying and low-energy garbage player, but and even the entire team will be dragged down by Lowry. , with Lowry's so sluggish state and his rude remarks to the team boss, this is completely inconsistent with his nearly 30 million yuan worth, and it also directly confirms that Lowry is just a show.
th place: undraft legend wood
Christian Wood , averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 61.9% shooting percentage, 66.7% three-point shooting percentage, and 64.7% free throw shooting percentage.
Wood was the 2015 draft pick. After experiencing a five-year dormant period, he returned to the Rockets in 2020 and played in a peak state. After Harden and left the Rockets, Wood also ranked first in the Rockets for two consecutive years with his outstanding performance, showing the young man's potential and explosive power of the reverse growth. However, Wood's careless defense and thorny character have also become an important factor in Wood's abandonment by the Rockets.
22 offseason, the Rockets reached a big deal with Mavericks . Wood was sent to Dallas to join forces with young leader Doncic. The Rockets also freed up huge salary space and started a long road to reconstruction .
2022-23 season, Wood started his Mavericks journey. As the former top card in Rockets, after coming to the Mavericks, Kidd gave the young man a warning and made Wood a substitute for the triple crown McGee. In terms of strength, McGee is naturally incomparable to Wood, but the sophist Kid may also seem to want to set rules for Wood in this way.
After the start of the season, Wood's performance on the offensive end was still excellent, but on the defensive end, Wood's decline was extremely fast, his careless defense and lack of enthusiasm made Wood constantly penetrated by his opponents. not only caused Wood's playing time to drop sharply, but Wood's defensive end also made the Mavericks lose the strength of the dark horse last season again, and his record also fluctuated greatly.
When the Rockets are lazy and used to Wood joining a team that is determined to win the championship, naturally takes time to adapt. At the same time, as the game deepens, I believe that Wood's terrible and scary three-point shooting percentage will also drop sharply .
In other words, if Wood cannot improve his defensive awareness and defensive intensity, after losing his sight on the offensive end, Wood is very likely to be completely disliked by Kidd. Even this boss who was once the Rockets era is very likely to become an optional existence in this team with many young people .
Maybe, This is the price of Wood's tantrums. Putting a stable leader inappropriate leadership, it is very likely that even becoming the team's starter will become a luxury .
As Wood, who is at the peak of his career, if he cannot be arrogance and impetuous and forge ahead, will even completely waste this potential talent, and will only become an extremely inconspicuous blue-collar star among the countless people.
th place: Best Defensive Player Green
Draymond Green , averaged 10 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 61.4% shooting percentage, 16.7% three-point shooting percentage, and 55.6% free throw shooting percentage.
Green was selected by the Warriors in the 35th pick in the second round of 2012. As the four-time champion, Green's outstanding physical talent and overall insights have made Green not only have strong defensive capabilities, but also can become the team's organization forward on the offensive end. connects the entire team. Green also becomes the second engine of the Warriors, after Curry, the team is the important link between the Splash Brothers and the team. He is known as the Warriors' Iron Triangle along with Curry and Thompson .
2021-22 season Warriors made a comeback and won the championship of the season. This is also the Warriors' three-year dormant after Durant left. However, as the team's former core player, Green's role has been significantly reduced in this championship. Not only due to physical factors, Green's multi-purpose attitude also made Green completely lost on the offensive end. Green also once became the biggest stumbling block on the team's road to winning the championship. Even during the finals, Green was pressed on the bench by Cole , from an inside leader to the team's spectator. After Wiggins and Poole stood up one after another, Green's value to the team is gradually marginalizing .
During the offseason, Green's punching incident against Poole continued to ferment, which once put the Warriors at the forefront. Although the team responded quickly, the lightning was too fast to cover the bell and stopped the incident in the bud, but Green's damage to the team has become an indisputable fact, causing the team to experience dissatisfaction with the core star who has declined significantly and has continued to break out in locker room conflicts.
2022-23 season started, Green's role in the team is still not outstanding, and he completely lost his performance at his peak. Green's condition is getting worse, which has caused the Warriors' record to fluctuate significantly again, and even completely lost the strength of the defending champion .It is reported that , whose condition has declined sharply, has not given up on chasing the maximum salary. I believe that if Green continues to be sluggish and even refuses to cut salary, the Warriors sent away the former meritorious star of the team in advance before Green becomes a free agent, and it will be a foregone conclusion for the team to stop the loss in time.
Third place: All-round big man Downs
Downs, averaged 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 45.7% shooting percentage, 38.2% three-point shooting percentage, 96.3% free throw shooting percentage.
Downs was selected by Timberwolves in the first round in 2015. As an all-round center with outstanding technical characteristics and excellent comprehensive abilities, Towns' soft touch and solid footsteps make Towns extremely intimidating at any position in the court. As the double champion of the All-Star Skills Contest and the Three-Point Contest, Towns once became the top big center with excellent combined ability in the game and investment.
During the offseason, the Timberwolves signed a four-year, 224 million maximum salary contract with the team leader Towns, making Towns a well-deserved leader. After Edwards performed extremely abnormally in the playoffs, it still established a team-building model with Towns as the core in the next 3-5 years. From sending away Butler , Laven , Wiggins, and now giving up the young Edwards, still established Towns' absolute leadership position. It can be seen that the Timberwolves' recognition and trust in Towns, but Towns' weak style of play and lack of leadership temperament at critical moments will always be the biggest hidden danger to the team.
2022-23 season started, the inside double towers with Towns and Gobert as the core were officially unsheathed. , but as the team leader, Towns performed extremely sluggish in three games. Facing the two games of Thunder , Towns scored not even up to 20+, and its overall performance was not even as good as the explosion of Russell and the inside giant Gobert . The subsequent comparison During the game, although Towns' condition has recovered slightly, he still lacks dominance. As the absolute leader of the team and the chosen son of the chosen one with an extremely talented physical talent, Towns' performance in is indeed unsatisfactory. Not only was it down at the critical moment, but Towns was not able to perform as a superstar in regular time. As an inside giant tower with excellent physical talent, Towns of has never been able to fully realize his talent, and now he is very likely to be crushed by the young Edwards. If Towns still cannot bottom out and rebound, it may be confirmed that it is just a show.
second place: erratic Simmons
Simmons, averaged 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 44.1% shooting percentage, 0% three-point shooting percentage, and 46.7% free throw shooting percentage.
Simmons was selected by 76ers in the first round in 2016. As the successor of the Magician, Simmons' outstanding static talent and outstanding athletic ability make this All-Star guard with great organizational skills and insights an alternative existence in the league .
defensive end, Simmons' excellent physical talent not only can defend from No. 1 to No. 5, 's excellent awareness and active reading game ability, but also made Simmons the most favorable competitor to the best defensive player. With his outstanding talent, Simmons also made a top star with both organization and defense.
2021-22 season, Simmons refused to play for the team due to a conflict with Embiid . In the middle of the season, he was sent to Brooklyn by the team. After joining Nets , Simmons refused to play again due to psychological problems, and did not play for in the official game for a season.
2022-23 season started, Simmons not only completely lost his scoring ability on the offensive end in the five games he played for the Nets, but also because of his radical defensive actions on the defensive end, which frequently trapped himself in foul trouble. Simmons' downturn also put the team in prison. As a former superstar, Simmons' performance after his comeback is indeed unsatisfactory.
Although Simmons has not played for a season and his condition needs to be adjusted, Simmons is timid on the offensive end and his playing style that is not smart enough on the defensive end. It cannot be just a pretext for not playing for a long time. Obviously, Simmons' current competitive state in , let alone becoming a superstar, it will be difficult for the star performance before returning to the sky.
As a talented superstar, Simmons' self-deprecating style of play and severe psychological frustration, made Simmons, who was once known as the successor of the magician, lose his peak state early at the age of 26, and even became an extremely inconspicuous passerby among the countless people.
No. 1: The triple-double king who has become a passerby Westbrook
Westbrook, averaged 12.3 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the regular season of the 2022-23 season, 30.9% shooting percentage, 12.5% three-point shooting percentage, and 65% free throw shooting percentage.
Westbrook was selected by the Thunder in the first round of 2008. As the triple-double king, Westbrook's outstanding athletic talent and strong physical fitness once made Westbrook extremely lethal after the impact. His outstanding overall view and keen insight once made Westbrook feel at ease in the organizational end. At the same time, as a small guard, Westbrook has an agility in rebounding and is extremely sensitive to rebounding, which also escorts Westbrook's achievements in the history of triple-double kings.
2021-22 season, Westbrook was traded to Los Angeles-Lakes by Wizards . After returning to his hometown, Westbrook had not yet enjoyed the joy of returning to his hometown. Because of his deteriorating competitive state, he was bombarded by the team and public opinion again. He was even hit by Vogel once on the bench and became the most expensive bench player with annual salary.
2022-23 season, Lakers experienced a five-game losing streak at the start of the game. Westbrook was greatly affected by the Lakers storm. His competitive state fell again and even fell to the bottom. Facing the Clippers game, Westbrook scored only 2 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, and made 3 mistakes, becoming the culprit for the Los Angeles derby loss. In the game against Trail Blazers , Westbrook failed to make a lot of open shots, which also ruined the team's good situation. James even publicly mocked after the game, causing the team's locker room conflicts to continue to intensify .
Westbrook is on the verge of injury in the game against the Timberwolves, but it still cannot stop the Los Angeles people from decadence. In the game against Nuggets , Ham changed the team and once again ignored Westbrook's feelings and won it from the starter. Westbrook scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the game, and his condition recovered slightly, but he was still weak at the critical moment. The Lakers were also washed away by the Nuggets and suffered a long 5-game losing streak.
Lakers' decadence also made the Los Angeles man who was poor and wanted to change again with Westbrook. This superstar who was in danger may be traded by the Lakers again. It is reported that the Lakers are ready to take a gamble and send Westbrook and the two cost-effective first-round picks away, and the team's last goal to win the championship. There is no doubt that Westbrook once again became a victim of the Lakers' recovery dynasty, but this is the cruelty and ruthlessness of competitive sports. After all, Westbrook's decline in state is an indisputable fact. James, who is determined to win the championship, is naturally unwilling to pay for Westbrook's decline in state. In other words, even if Westbrook is killing, it is a general trend.
As a top superstar with extremely outstanding physical talent, Westbrook was indeed immersed in the triple-double data after winning the regular season MVP for triple-double in 2016-17, so he lost his ambition. After all, on this stage, the ultimate heroism of cannot be the bargaining chip for the team's victory, so this has become a real factor for Westbrook to be frequently traded. Westbrook, who has only talent, has become an overly obsessed with data, which has made him live up to his courage and is even about to endure the fate of replacing four teams in four years.
