Which teams, players and storylines have been the most disappointing so far this NBA season?
Our Insiders debate and discuss.
1. Which is the most disappointing team in the Eastern Conference so far?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Washington. Yes, I know they've had a tough three-game schedule so far. Yes, I know three games isn't a descriptive enough sample size. But this team, which I picked to be a playoff participant, is getting beat by almost 14 points per 100 possessions, better than only the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. They're last in 3-point shooting, they turn it over more than any other team, and they have the league's worst defense.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: The Wizards. I expected them to start slowly because John Wall was coming off surgery on both knees. But he's actually looked much better than I thought and the Wizards still aren't getting it done.
More worrisome is coach Scott Brooks already pushing it with Bradley Beal's minutes, something that got Randy Wittman in trouble early last season when heavy minute loads apparently triggered another stress reaction in Beal's right leg. I realize they've had a light game load and one of the games went to overtime. It's just revealing that they (correctly) feel some early pressure.
Neil Johnson, ESPN Analytics: Probably the Indiana Pacers. Losing to the Brooklyn Nets and barely beating the Los Angeles Lakers is worrisome. Jeff Teague is struggling to fill George Hill's shoes. And they've dropped five spots in the Basketball Power Index and are now a likely lottery team, according to the BPI Playoff Odds.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: I wasn't high on Indiana before the season, but the 2-3 start must be a bit of a letdown. Their only wins came against the Lakers and Dallas, with the Pacers needing overtime to finish off the now 0-4 Mavericks at home. Their loss against the Nets doesn't look good, and neither do the blowout losses to the Bulls and especially the Bucks.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: The Washington Wizards. Instead of bouncing back after a season in the lottery, the Wizards have been even worse early this year. Through three games, their minus-13.6 net rating ranks ahead of only the 76ers. Washington's bench has been a huge disappointment. When at least one reserve is in the game, the Wizards have been outscored by 22 points in 76 minutes, per NBA.com.
2. Who's the most disappointing player in the East so far?
Elhassan: Bradley Beal. He signed the big deal this offseason but has come out of the gates slow, shooting sub-40 percent from the field and sub-30 from 3-point range. As the designated shooter on this team, he's got to get it going, as his struggles from beyond the arc have a massive impact on the rest of the offense.
Johnson: Given his new max contract, at five years, $127 million, it's Beal. While three games is a small sample, the Wizards are winless and Beal, going into his fifth season, is off to a terrible start, shooting just 38.1 percent from the field.
Engelmann: Jeff Teague. The Pacers thought they'd get an upgrade at point guard when they traded George Hill and received Teague last offseason. But Teague has been a disaster so far, having made only 15 of 61 field goal attempts and 2 of 18 3-pointers while averaging 3.5 turnovers per 36 minutes. Hill, meanwhile, is on fire, scoring 21 PPG on a 66 percent true shooting percentage.
Pelton: Jeff Teague. While former Pacers point guard George Hill is off to a strong start with the Utah Jazz, Teague is shooting 2-for-18 from 3-point range. That's obviously a fluke and won't continue, but Teague also hasn't shot much better inside the arc: 24.6 percent. Indiana expected way more from Teague after acquiring him this summer.
Windhorst: I'm not crazy about giving this evaluation at this early point, but the Knicks' defense has been quite disappointing, and Joakim Noah has not done much for them. It isn't a huge shocker, as he's coming off a major injury last season and a minor injury in camp, so this is not his best. But, you know, it's not his best.
3. Which is the most disappointing team in the Western Conference so far?
Windhorst: I'm disappointed in the Wolves so far. They lost so many close games last season, and I really expected them to clean that up and close the gap. So far that isn't happening. They have three close losses, and they blew two big leads. They're looking better and are really excelling shooting the 3, but now Ricky Rubio is already hurt again. They were hoping for a better start. There's a long way to go yet.
Pelton: The New Orleans Pelicans. It's not so much that the Pelicans have the league's worst record at 0-5; that was somewhat predictable given the absence of guards Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday, plus forward Quincy Pondexter. It's that New Orleans is 0-5 with Anthony Davis playing at an MVP level early in the season. The Pelicans haven't given Davis anything close to adequate help despite spending heavily to add depth in free agency.
Engelmann: The Western Conference standings already look almost the way they had been projected before the season, so there aren't any great disappointments. Portland (2-3) has had a tough schedule, so I'd say the Dallas Mavericks are the biggest disappointment. Zero wins with four losses looks bad, even when your best player missed two games with the flu.
Johnson: It is tough to pick one, but I will say the New Orleans Pelicans. To not have any wins in five games indicates a serious problem, especially considering the spectacular way Davis has played. With three key players expected to return this month, there is a reason for optimism, though.
Elhassan: Is it OK to say no one? Pretty much every team is operating at or near the level I expected them to. If you twisted my arm, I'd say the Warriors because I'm not accustomed to seeing them struggle defensively.
4. Who's the most disappointing player in the West so far?
Windhorst: Free-agent signee Solomon Hill isn't giving New Orleans much, just 5.6 points a game on 31 percent shooting. Omer Asik has looked even worse. And it's just unfortunate that Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday can't play yet. But in the meantime, the 0-5 Pelicans have to get production from their healthy, available guys other than Anthony Davis.
Pelton: Tony Parker. Four games into the season -- he missed one for rest purposes -- Parker has yet to score in double figures. He's shooting just 30 percent on 2-point attempts and is rarely getting to the basket. According to Basketball-Reference.com, just 12.5 percent of Parker's shot attempts have come within 2 feet, down from 31.1 percent last year.
Engelmann: Tony Parker, who is scoring 5.5 PPG and has made only 33 percent of his field goal attempts. His rebound, assist and steal rates are also down. It's a small sample, but so far the Spurs have been outscored by 13 (per 100 possessions) when he plays and have outscored opponents by a whopping 28 points when he sits.
Elhassan: Klay Thompson, especially considering how well he played in the preseason. For Thompson, who is widely considered the second-best shooter in the league, to shoot less than 20 percent from 3-point range, including only 35 percent on wide-open 3s (according to SportVU data), is highly disappointing.
Johnson: In four games, rookie Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets has scored a total of two points. Two! He is 0-for-16 from the field in 66 minutes so far. Not a good look for the seventh pick in the draft.
5. What's the most disappointing development in the NBA so far?
Windhorst: Several things come to mind, even if they are familiar sights. We have lots of people overreacting to the first week and a half. We have the Knicks and their confusion over the triangle. We have DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes getting fined. Yep, sounds about right -- nothing out of the ordinary.
Johnson: The retirement of great players who debuted in the 1990s. Kobe Bryant gave us enough time to adjust, but add Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and now Ray Allen to the list and that is just too much for one calendar year. I always held out hope Jesus Shuttlesworth would suit up at least one more time.
Engelmann: Missed travel calls. During the offseason, the NBA instructed its referees to monitor traveling violations more closely. Yet from what I've seen, players are still allowed to take as many as four(!) steps before putting the ball on the floor in a fast-break situation. Star players are also allowed to take multiple steps after picking the ball up when driving, which makes me think the league didn't get through to its referees.
Pelton: Ben Simmons' injury. Fortunately for 76ers fans, the return of Joel Embiid has helped overshadow Simmons' absence with a broken bone in his foot. Still, Sixers fans -- all of us, really -- should also be enjoying watching this year's No. 1 pick develop his unique skill set. That he's not is a tremendous disappointment.
Elhassan: The first-year rookies (meaning not Joel Embiid) have been less than enthralling thus far. We were spoiled last year with the excitement of Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis early on. But there is plenty of time for this season's rookies to impress us.