TheNBA regular season is great and all, but there’s nothing like the playoffs. Winning an NBA championship can cement a player’s legacy, and going ringless will forever be a stain on their résumé.
Throughout the course of history, we’ve seen multiple players rise up to the occasion in the postseason. They put their teams on their shoulders and take their production up a notch when it matters the most.
Likewise, the opposite happens sometimes as well. MVPs, Scoring Champions, and future Hall of Famers also wet the bed in the playoffs every now and then, and we’ll talk about this year’s most disappointing playoff performers.
The Most Disappointing Players In The 2022-23 NBA Playoffs
3. Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks — Getty Images
It’s safe to say that no one expected Dillon Brooks to be a superstar in the playoffs, but he was flat-out horrible. He talked a lot, but couldn’t walk the walk, failing to embrace that villain role and playing himself out of the Memphis Grizzlies.
But even though Brooks isn’t a superstar by any means, people still expected him to be a huge defensive factor. That wasn’t the case, and two missed assignments wind up costing his team a win.
2. Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole — Getty Images
Jordan Poole acts like a superstar, but he’s not. He’s all smiles and dances when his shot is falling, but he won’t be held accountable when it isn’t. And if he’s not making shots, why is he even on the floor?
The Golden State Warriors signed him to a huge contract extension in the summer. Now, Coach Steve Kerr only played him 10 minutes because of his terrible defense and erratic offense. Oh, and he went scoreless.
1. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid — Getty Images
To be fair, this is not on him. Joel Embiid’s numbers have been fairly unimpressive in the playoffs, but that’s mainly because he was hurt and is still working his way back to full strength.
Also, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t need him to do much to get past the lesser Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Still, it’s the MVP we’re talking about, so we want to see him dominate just like he did in the regular season.
