Preface
Although there will be many high-pick rookies entering the league every year, and some of their talents are blown by the outside world, in fact, not every young player can realize their talent after coming to the NBA, and there are more parallel goods and lists in history, such as Bennett, Kwame Brown, etc.
There are also a lot of active players of this type, some of them are high and low after entering the league, and some are praised as stars before they enter the league. The next six players are far below what people expect them to do, and even if some of them don't regain their form, they are not far from being eliminated from the NBA.
6. Henderson
Season averages: 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.3 turnovers, shooting 38.5% from the field
As the class of 2023, Henderson was once thought to be a threat to Wembanyama's position as the top show, and the template given to him by the media at that time was also Wei Shao in his prime. But now that Henderson's rookie season is coming to an end, his performance is far less than when he first entered the league, and he will most likely be selected as the best rookie of the season.
As a guard who is less than 1.9 meters tall, Henderson's dynamic talent was still very outstanding before entering the NBA, but after entering the league, the confrontation here is not at all comparable to the development league he was in before, plus there are geniuses everywhere here, and there are many people who are more talented than him. So far, Henderson's advantages have not been shown at all, but he can't project, but the shortcomings of high mistakes have been completely exposed, and it seems that he is not at the same level as Wembanyama and Miller, and it is unknown whether he can play in the future.
5. Giddey (Thunder)
Season averages: 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 turnovers per game
In 2021, Giddey was selected with the 6th pick in the first round, and the fact that Giddey was selected at such a high point in that draft year also shows that he has some special talents. As a tall guard of 2.03 meters, Giddey's ball quotient and passing ability are still very outstanding, but his offensive and projection ability with the ball is too poor, and when he first entered the league, his more reliable scoring defense was only throwing.
Now that three seasons have passed, Giddey has not only not improved, but he has also declined, and his career lows in points, rebounds, and assists per game this season have all passed. With the rise of Alexander and Jalen, Giddey's position in the Thunder is becoming more and more embarrassing, he now has no ability to score consistently, and his defense is very bad, and the Thunder have no need to cultivate him anymore, next season is Giddey's last chance to prove himself, if he doesn't grasp it, his next contract is not much better than the base salary.
4. Garland (Knight)
Season averages: 18.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.1 turnovers per game
Garland entered the league in 2019 and his performance was mediocre, and it wasn't until his second season that he gradually adapted to the intensity here, and then he also had an advantage in the competition with Sexton, and in the end, the Cavaliers chose to keep him. However, it seems that Garland is still unable to play the role of the team's core team, and he has obvious shortcomings on both offensive and defensive ends, which means that his ceiling will not be too high.
After playing for five seasons, Garland still relies heavily on his touch on the outside, and his average physical fitness makes it impossible for him to get rid of his opponents directly. Not to mention Garland on the defensive end, he is much worse than Mitchell's defense, and now that Garland is 24 years old, it is difficult for him to have a significant outburst now, and his shortcomings have nothing to do with his skills, but more of a matter of physical talent.
3. Poole
Season averages: 17.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.4 turnovers, shooting 41.3% from the field
Poole's draft pick that year was not high, and the Warriors only selected him with the 28th pick in the first round, but he brought a lot of surprises to fans after entering the league. Poole's individual performance also played a key role in the 2022 Warriors' championship, and he averaged 17 points and 3.8 assists per game in the playoffs that year, shooting 50.8% from the field, which is why the Warriors decided to sign him to a big contract.
However, Poole has been on a downward spiral since then, and he was traded to the Wizards before the start of the season, thinking that in this kind of rebuilding team, he could at least put up spectacular numbers if he couldn't bring the team to the playoffs. But now Poole's performance is completely below the fans' expectations of him, he once became a cancer of the Wizards in the middle of the season, and the team was very disappointed by various brainless operations on the court, and later he also played himself as a substitute.
2. Simmons (Nets)
Season averages: 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 turnovers per game
As the top pick in 2016, Simmons was quite optimistic at the time, and some even called him "James's successor". In his first season in the league, Simmons' performance was indeed very impressive, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, and his all-round offensive and defensive ends, also made the 76ers feel that they were not wrong this time. Later, Simmons was also selected for the All-Star team and All-Star, but as he spent more and more time in the league, his shortcomings in projection became more and more obvious.
Later, due to the lack of projection, Simmons became very easy to target on the offensive end, and he barely had any means of consistent scoring other than the fast break. After Simmons was traded to the Nets in 2021, he began to get injured frequently, and he only played 15 games this season, and his performance on the court was also miserable.
1. Ball (Wasp)
Season averages: 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8 assists, 3.8 turnovers per game
When Ball participated in the draft, his talent was visible to the naked eye stronger than his two older brothers, and his performance after entering the league really proved this, he was able to get 15+5+6 comprehensive data in his rookie season, and his gorgeous style of play also made him attract countless fans. However, Ball's problems are also obvious, he plays too much on the offensive end, which results in his offensive efficiency actually not being high, and the defensive end is also below the league average.
Although Ball's ceiling is higher than that of his eldest brother, the most important thing is that he also has to play, and the players in their family seem to be "glass people", and Ball has played a total of 58 games in these two seasons. Another problem is that although Ball's stats look good, you must know that he is playing in a bad team like the Hornets, so his stats are a little watery, and it is difficult to say whether he can help the team revive in the future.