5 biggest disappointments of the NBA season

The 2016-2017 NBA regular season is about a third of the way completed, and that means the surprises and busts are generally well established. We’ve already shared with you some of the biggest surprises so far, and now it’s time to take a look at some of the disappointments this season.

Here’s a look at the five biggest letdowns of the season to date.

5. J.R. Smith looks like he’s still holding out

J.R. Smith is, well, J.R. Smith. Any basketball fan completely understands what that means.

The Cleveland Cavaliers also understand what that means, which is why they were reluctant to sign Smith to a long-term deal. But after his second consecutive holdout, they eventually caved and signed him to a four-year deal.

So what would J.R. Smith do with some rare contractual security? The answer to that question is not exactly what the Cavaliers were hoping for.

Not only has Smith been dealing with a variety of injuries this season, but he’s also lost a handle on the one aspect of his game that made him valuable: brilliance from long-range.

Smith has long been the king of bad shots, knocking down haymakers and miracles with shocking regularity. And when you take away that aspect of J.R. Smith’s game, all you’re left with is J.R. Smith and shenanigans like this.

Smith is shooting just 33.7 percent from the field this season, and averaging only 8.8 points per game. His 35.8 percent shooting on threes is also well below the stellar 40 percent clip he was hitting on from long range last season.

Missing way more shots than he’s making just isn’t going to get it done for Smith and the Cavaliers.

4. Injuries limiting Chandler Parsons

The Memphis Grizzlies signed Chandler Parsons to a four-year max deal after the Dallas Mavericks failed to offer the same. And so far this season, Mark Cuban appears to have been the one on the right track.

Despite being an obvious talent, Parsons has been ravaged by knee injuries. He missed the first six games of the season while recovering from meniscus surgery on his right knee and almost immediately suffered another injury upon his return. After only six games, Parsons went down with a bone bruise in his left knee and, as of Tuesday, had not taken the court since.

Even when Parsons did find his way into the lineup, he shot a career-low .391 from the field and averaged only 7.7 points per game, while contributing just 3.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Those numbers would also represent career-lows.

The Grizzlies have survived without him, but on a four-year max deal, they’re certainly not getting an early return on their investment.

3. Brandon Knight highlights Phoenix Suns’ problems

The Phoenix Suns are not a good team. They weren’t really expected to be a good team, but that doesn’t excuse the poor return they’ve gotten from Brandon Knight. Knight has been anything but what the Suns expected when they signed the former first-round pick to a five-year, $75 million extension.

Through 28 games, Knight ranks dead last in the NBA in plus-minus (per statmuse.com) at -233, and is currently shooting only 38.3 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, his true shooting percentage is a career-low 48.3.

Even Knight’s basic statistic are near or below his career averages, including points per game (12.9), rebounds per game (2.6), assists per game (2.9) and steals per game (0.6). Accordingly, the one thing that doesn’t come as a surprise is that Knight’s minutes per game have been dramatically reduced.

In the face of mounting criticism and the Suns’ overall struggles, there’s been calls for Phoenix to trade Knight. But given his contract and poor on-court performance thus far, it’s unlikely they’ll have many suitors.

2. Joakim Noah bombing in return home

When Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks signed Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72 million contract, they knew it was a potential gamble given the forward’s injury issues in recent seasons. Still, when healthy and on the court, Noah had been a defensive-minded, team oriented, sometimes dominant big man. Toss in the motivation of returning home to New York — something that brought out rare emotion in Noah — and it seemed like a calculated gamble.

Through 28 games this season, the Knicks have most certainly not come out on the winning side of that wager. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite.

Not only has Noah failed to have the sort of impact the Knicks hoped for, but he’s playing some of the worst basketball of his entire career. While Jeff Hornacek continues to put Noah’s name in the starting lineup, his minutes are fading.

Perhaps the most telling statistics regarding Noah’s struggles are his free throw percentage of only 30.6 and his decline in rebounds (currently averaging only 7.7 per game). Even on the defensive side of the ball, Noah appears to be a shell of his former self.

No one expected a superstar when Noah came to town, but this has been a personal collapse of epic proportions.

1. Portland Trail Blazers’ lack of effort

Not every letdown or disappointment can be attributed to a single player this season, and the Portland Trail Blazers are proof positive of that.

Expected to be legitimate contenders in the Western Conference when the season began, the Trail Blazers are anything but that at the moment. And despite boasting the league’s third-highest payroll behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers, the Blazers find themselves with a 13-16 record on the year and only a half-game ahead of the 9th place team in the West.

There’s plenty of finger-pointing going on inside the locker-room, but Portland’s futility has really been a collective effort. And that futility was on display during a recent blow-out loss to the Golden State Warriors, which sent a few of the team’s players completely over the edge.

“This isn’t about what the coaches are doing, this is on us. We have to take responsibility for what’s going on. This s— is ridiculous. We’ve got the talent; we’ve just got to put it together consistently,” an angry Damian Lillard told ESPN.

Currently, Portland is last in defensive efficiency (109.6) and has the net rating (minus-2.7) of a 29-win team. Needless to say, their futility is a combined effort from the coaches and players alike. They simply lack effort and discipline.