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Every season in the NBA, there are a handful of teams that are a big surprise, enjoying unexpected success. Conversely, there are always some teams that are massive disappointments. It obviously goes without saying that the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season would fall into the latter. They are of course less than two years removed from winning an NBA Championship. They still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Nevertheless, Los Angeles was eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night.
That got us thinking, who are this year's biggest disappointments in the NBA. So, let's go ahead and rank them.
5 Biggest Disappointments in 2021-2022 NBA Season, Ranked
5. Portland Trailblazers
This one does not seem quite so obvious from the onset. After all, the Portland Trailblazers have been tanking for quite some time. But it's easy to forget that when the season began, there were high hopes in the great northwest. The last time the Blazers did not reach the postseason was the 2012-2013 season. That was Damian Lillard's rookie season.
Since then, they have been a perennial contender, having climbed as high as third in the west a couple of times.
But injuries derailed this season early on. Lillard and fellow All-Star guard CJ McCollum both missed large portions of the season. McCollum missed practically the first two months, which set the rebuild in motion. Once he was healthy, they lost Lillard. With no hope in sight, Portland traded McCollum away to the New Orleans Pelicans. They have since shut down nearly anyone of value. That's a far cry from where Blazers fans had hoped they would be at this time of year.
Another largely disappointing season happened in New York. The Knicks entered the 2021-2022 NBA season with momentum. They had finally reached the postseason again the year prior. Power forward Julius Randle was an All-Star and looked like the future of the franchise. Things were looking up in the Big Apple.
Then this season happened. The Knicks are 35-44 and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Randle has to be one of the biggest reasons why. His production on the court has not dipped too dramatically. He's still averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game this year. But his inability to take on more of a leadership role has been prominent.
It certainly did not help when he gave his home crowd a thumbs down following a comeback win over the rival Boston Celtics. He admitted after the game to reporters he was telling his home fans to “shut the f**k up,” as ESPN noted.
You can certainly make the argument that the Brooklyn Nets should be number one on this list. They began the year with three of the best players in the world in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Of course, we all know about the Irving drama surrounding his vaccination status. That kept him from playing more than half the games this year. Harden then pulled a James Harden, essentially quitting on his team as he wanted out of Brooklyn.
The Nets also dealt with a Durant injury that was unforeseen. Without KD on the court, the Nets were a mess.
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The only reason they are not higher on the list is because they now have Kyrie back full time. Durant is healthy. Assuming they win their play-in game, they are still one of the favorites for the NBA title. Nevertheless, it's a disappointment as they expected to be atop the Eastern Conference, not fighting for their lives in the play-in tournament.
One of the NBA's biggest surprises last season is this year's second biggest disappointment.
The Atlanta Hawks had got all the way to the Eastern Conference finals in 2020-2021. They ultimately fell to the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks. But they looked every bit the part of a true contender. They played good defense and were as lethal as any team in the league offensively.
Trae Young took a massive leap forward into superstardom. Clint Capela had become a prominent figure in the paint defensively. The emergence of DeAndre Hunter as a solid two-way player helped the team as well. Atlanta brought back essentially the same team and have fallen flat on their face.
John Collins' injuries throughout the season obviously don't help. But that can't excuse this big of a fall. The Hawks are headed for the play-in tournament and likely a one-and-done if they face the Nets.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers must be the biggest disappointment this season. It's not only how bad they have been playing. This team looks ancient on the court. They get blown out what feels like twice a week. They are not even competitive. That was with or without LeBron James.
Gone are the days when James can simply carry his team to victories. Age and injuries are finally catching up. Anthony Davis, of course, missed a number of games with injuries as well.
Per LeBron's request, the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook instead of trading for DeMar DeRozan. Oops.
They signed 54-year old Carmelo Anthony. Ok, obviously Melo is not 54 years old, but sometimes he looks it on the court. He's never been known for his defense and now he is no longer an effective scorer. So, why is on the team? Oh, that's right.
But not only are the Lakers going to miss the playoffs, which will be the first time in James' career, but the franchise appears to have no future.
