Looking at the world's basketball leagues, the commercial value of the NBA can be described as a ride, there is a strong fan culture, professional broadcast equipment and competition venues, more than 400 top basketball players gathered together, wantonly wielding the talent visible to the naked eye, and at this time, the league in order to earn more income, tacitly acquiesced to the fans like the "superstar group" to compete for the championship.
With a loyal fan base, the NBA's commercial income has also begun to rise, followed by the salary cap of each team rising year by year, and the amount of the top salary contract is constantly being refreshed. In order to keep players, teams with the idea of competing for the championship have to offer contracts that do not match the strength and salary, which has led to the frequent emergence of many "pseudo-stars" in recent seasons.
Take stock of the seven "pseudo-stars" in the league this season:
7. Vucevic (annual salary of $24 million)
Season stats: 18.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 48 percent shooting, 31.6 percent three-point range
High and low, this is the Chicago Bulls this season to give fans the most intuitive impression, before the All-Star game, the whole team is like a tiger out of the mountain, the record in the top three in the East to create a sense of dynastic revival; after the All-Star Game, the Bulls faced the strong team repeatedly lost, the record also slipped to the fifth place in the East, at any time there is a risk of play-offs.
Just looking at the Bulls' lineup this season, Raven + DeRozan + Vucevic is a low-end version of the league's big three, of which the worst "star flavor" is Montenegro center Vucevic. With a height of 2.08 meters, an arm span of 2.28 meters, and a gentle shooting feel of a European center, Vucevic should be the most suitable center for the small-ball era, but his poor defensive habits doom him not to become a real star.
In the 2011 Draft, Vucevic was selected by the 76ers with the 11th pick in the first round, and after a year on the cold bench (averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game), he ushered in a career turning point in the summer of 2012.
During this period, "Warcraft" Howard applied for a trade with the management of his old club Magic, and finally in the Four-way deal between the Lakers, Magic, Nuggets and 76ers, Vucevic came to the Magic as a chip, and Howard formed the Big Four with Kobe, Gasol and Nash.
In his first season in the small city of Orlando, Vucevic was seen by magic management as the core of reconstruction, and after the playing time was guaranteed, the center with excellent arm span easily scored a double-double (13.1+11.9). Over the next eight seasons, Vucevic's average per game rose steadily, but the team's roster was always flawed, which allowed him to taste only two first rounds of the playoffs.
In the middle of the 20-21 season, the Magic chose to tear down the rebuild, Vucevic was sent to the Chicago Bulls, and partnered with LaVine still failed to bring the team to the playoffs. So far this season, Vucevic's play on the field has not been highlighted, averaging 16 shots per game, three-point shooting accounted for nearly 30%, as a weighty interior center, Vucevic's way of playing away from the box allows him to contribute 8.3 times per game, and the ultra-low offensive efficiency is also the main reason why the Bulls can't fight hard battles.
Although Vucevic is eligible to renew his contract with the Bulls early this summer, the poor competitive state has made him a lot of news about recent trades, and Vucevic, who will turn 32 next season, will not be paid more than $20 million for the next contract, after all, no championship team will like a poor defensive center.
6. Fox (annual salary of $28.1 million)
Season stats: 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 47.3% shooting, 29.7% three-point shooting
When it comes to the Sacramento Kings, fans have the stereotype of the Western Conference's weak team, after all, they have not entered the playoffs for 15 consecutive years, continuing to set new NBA records. The kings last made the playoffs in 2006, when it was the age of Adelman, when the team's main players were Bibi, Artest, Peja, Miller and Welles.
In the 2017 draft, the Kings drafted Wall/Schroder's Fox with the fifth pick, and he conquered many NBA scouts with his amazing breakthrough speed in college, and also impressed the Kings management.
In the three seasons since entering the league, Fox has outperformed the equally talented Hield and Bagley, gradually settling on the core of the team, averaging 21.1 points and 6.8 assists per game in the 19-20 season, and receiving a five-year, $163 million maximum salary contract.
Although Fox's stats have improved every season, the Kings have never been able to get rid of the title of "Fish Belly Team" in the West, and under the pressure of fans and management, the team that has been forgotten by fans has changed this season, sending away hierarch Hield and Haliburton, who has his own leadership temperament, and continues to see Fox as the core of reconstruction.
Judging by the trade results, keeping Fox was undoubtedly a big failure, the Kings' record did not improve, and Fox's questionable three-point shooting (15% shooting percentage) during his college years also failed to improve. As the team's main controller, Fox's big picture view and grasp of the timing of the ball are still far from the stars of the same age, such as Doncic and Trae Young.
5. Randall ($19.8 million annual salary)
Season stats: 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 41.1% shooting, 30.5% three-point shooting
Last season stats: 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 45.6% from the field and 41.1% from three-point range.
Through the comparison of the above two sets of data, it is enough to show how sluggish Randall's play this season is, last season's "Lan Dou" with a phenomenon-level play with Thibodeau's "iron barrel array", will be away from the playoffs for eight years of Knicks, with a strong return to the Fourth Place in the East, although finally in the first round of the playoffs by the Hawks 4-1 easily eliminated, but the arrogant New York fans can also be regarded as a vicious breath.
A great credit to Randall's success last season is Thibodeau's rigid defensive tactics, as the only player on the team with a small reputation, Randle's offensive organization has a grasp, and the rest of the players will focus more on the defensive end, minimizing offensive rounds, which can be said to be incompatible with the modern small ball trend. The unattractive positional battle allowed the flexible Randall to show his advantage, and then played the best performance of his career.
Last offseason, the Knicks management, which tasted the sweetness, began a series of fan operations, signing French forward Fournier for 73 million in four years, Kemba Walker who bought out with the Thunder for $18 million in two years, and renewing Burks for $30 million for three years.
With the arrival of two players with strong offensive and defensive weaknesses, Thibodeau's tactics gradually became "four different", Randle's position on the court began to blur, and the Knicks' record slid like a roller coaster to 11th in the East, withdrawing from the playoffs early.
As knicks leader, Randall's level is significantly different from That of Anthony and Ewing, and in the magical metropolis of New York, "Randou" played poorly and could not even arouse the questions of home fans, which is enough to show that he is not yet a real star. Fortunately, the Knicks only signed a four-year, $117 million contract extension with Randle, and the future lineup combination is still in the hands of the team management.
4. Russell (annual salary of $30.01 million)
Season stats: 18 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 41.2 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three-point range.
As the top pick in the 2015 draft, Russell was selected by the declining Purple Gold Lakers, and after two uneventful seasons in Los Angeles, his mediocre athleticism and inefficient offense were abandoned by management and eventually sent to the Nets as a chip to deal with Mozkov's junk contract. Russell's short time with the Lakers, the biggest highlight is that he is Kobe Bryant's teammate who scored 60 points in the final game of his career.
Russell's career experience is very close to Randle's, in the 18-19 season, Russell averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, leading the Nets to the playoffs, and personally replacing the injured Oladipo who was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career, playing the best season of his career.
The excellent performance was not recognized by the Nets management, and after learning that Irving was interested in joining the team, Russell, whose rookie contract expired, was immediately abandoned, and the Warriors, who had just lost Klay Thompson, completed a contract extension with the youngster with a four-year, $1.17 maximum salary contract.
In 33 games for Golden State, Russell averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, setting a career high in scoring, but warrior management felt that he did not match Curry's playing style, and immediately reached an agreement with the Timberwolves to send Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves to team up with his young brother "Genius Center" Towns.
Last season, the Timberwolves were at the bottom of the West due to injuries to Towns and Russell, and the team simply took the newly promoted Yuanlang Edwards as the first main point of attack, allowing the youngster to adapt to the intensity of the NBA game in advance and pave the way for the subsequent reconstruction.
The Timberwolves have proven to be very successful in this selection and decision-making, with Towns + Edwards + Russell averaging 63.6 points, 17.9 rebounds and 14.5 assists per game this season, and the Timberwolves are currently ranked seventh in the West, six wins ahead of the eighth-ranked Clippers, taking the playoff initiative into their own hands.
The Timberwolves' success this season, Russell's bright spots on the court, he does not have the efficiency of downs and Edwards offensive ends, the unreliable long-range shooting has forced the team into a desperate situation many times, relying only on the defensive and organizational ability on the court, the annual salary of more than $30 million is really a bit high.
3. Middleton (annual salary of $35.5 million)
Season stats: 20.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 44.6 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three-point range.
For the evaluation of Bucks forward Middleton, netizens can be described as a sharp point: "You say he can, he can't!" You say he's not quite good, he's OK every now and then! But without him, it will definitely not work! "Such a player, he can switch freely between stars and non-stars, the feel is like Jordan, the feel is not as good as the role players.
Looking back at Middleton's career, he was selected by the Pistons with the ninth pick in the second round at the 2012 draft, sat on the cold bench for a season and was sent to the Bucks, and then was promoted to the rotation and gradually became the core of the team's reconstruction.
Middleton, who is 2.01 meters tall and has an arm span of 2.10 meters, does not have the explosive physical fitness of the front players, and the soft shooting feel is the foundation of the league, and the Bucks offered him a five-year, $178 million maximum salary extension contract in 2019 in order to keep the scorer.
At this time, the Bucks have become the strongest kings in the East with the inner dominance of alphabet brother horror, but the playoffs have repeatedly broken the sand, making home fans disappointed by alphabet brother's shooting and the offensive inefficiency of the second boss Middleton. For a time, Middleton's top salary contract was seen by experts and the media as a winning poison, and doubts and debates continued until the end of last season.
In the 2020 offseason, the alphabet brother contract expired, and in order to keep the regular season MVP, the Bucks did not hesitate to send a number of high-quality rookies and draft picks in exchange for the Pelicans point guard Holliday, which not only retained the alphabet brother, but also let the Bucks taste the taste of the championship.
In last year's playoff competition, the team's second-in-command Middleton changed its trend, averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, and repeatedly hit key shots in the series with the Nets and Suns, helping the team win many games that could not be lost.
"God a game, a ghost", Middleton's state is like summer rain, coming fast, going fast, no one knows which game he can usher in, extreme instability may be the main reason why he can not really be called a star, but the Bucks without this "little prince of the middle shot", the playoffs only with the alphabet brother and Holliday is still difficult to go to the end.
2. Harris ($36 million annual salary)
Season stats: 17.6 points, 7 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range.
Like Middleton, fans struggle to pick out Harris' obvious shortcomings, with a well-rounded scoring streak and offensive efficiency in the upper middle and upper league, but as a $36 million-a-year star, his average per game clearly doesn't meet the expectations of fans and management. It is worth mentioning that the forward who is about to turn 30 has not yet entered the All-Star in his career.
In the 2011 draft, Tobias Harris was selected by the Hornets with the 19th pick in the first round and was sent to the Bucks to start his career. Harris's first career glow came at the Orlando Magic in 14-15, where he averaged 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before being sent to the Detroit Pistons before reaching the peak of his career at the Clippers.
Regarding Harris's peak, Coach Rivers played a crucial role, the two met in the Los Angeles Clippers, for the use of Harris, Rivers seems to have read the manual in advance, in the 18-19 season, the 2.01m tall small forward averaged 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, three-point shooting rate of 43.4%, becoming the league's most feared opponent's outside shooter.
Now, the two are reunited in the 76ers, Harris's tactical position on the court has declined significantly because of the presence of Embiid and Harden, averaging a new low in the past four seasons per game, and the once stable empty three-pointers have become no longer accurate, and it is difficult to open up space for Harden and Embiid to break through.
The 76ers want to beat the Bucks, Heat, Nets and other strong teams in the playoffs, Harris must be in good shape, but his unpredictable play just proves that he is not a natural star.
1. Wiggins (annual salary of $31.58 million)
Season stats: 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 46.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three-point range.
This season is a memorable year for Wiggins, who "played in the Buddhist family", because George and Leonard were plagued by injuries, resulting in few players in the West playing well in the frontcourt, Wiggins was elected as the starter for the first time in his career with the stable play of attack and defense and the huge number of fans of the Warriors, which can be described as a combination of strength and luck.
Since the All-Star Weekend, Wiggins' on-court form has plummeted, and some fans have attributed his slump to the comeback of Klay Thompson, believing that coach Kerr's tactical distribution is unreasonable, thus ignoring Wiggins.
But when you've seen a few Warriors games, you won't agree with the above statement, as an offensive small forward, Wiggins has poor basket finishing ability, unstable dribbling, breakthrough can not tear open the defense, using physical talent to turn over and lean back frequently to hit iron, empty three-point projection has no target, and even the free throw line free throw shooting rate is less than 70%. Such a play is placed in other strong teams, and even kicked out of the starting lineup.
In Curry's recent seven games out of the game due to injury, the Warriors have an embarrassing record of 1-6, and the team's ranking has slipped to third in the West, a five-win gap with the second-place Grizzlies, and only one win advantage with the fourth-place Lone Rangers in the West.
During the embarrassing losing streak, the team stepped forward not from Wiggins, who earned more than $30 million a year, but jordan Poole, who was still in his rookie period, who was more active and decisive than Wiggins on the offensive end, scoring more than 20 points in 14 consecutive games, which was enough to prove his efforts and dedication.
According to the league's rules, Wiggins is eligible to complete an early contract extension with the Warriors this summer, but now the bad state has made this dream a failure, and when the contract officially expires next summer, the young man who is physically talented like Jordan is afraid that it will be difficult to get a maximum salary contract.