The draft class of 2014 arrived into the NBA with plenty of hype, though that fanfare quickly wore off as many of the draftees struggled to make an impact in the league. Four of the top seven overall picks missed significant time courtesy of injuries, and only three of the top 10 selections assumed starting roles for the squads last season. But it wasn’t all bad for the class of 2014, with Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Mirotic, Elfrid Payton, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Nerlens Noel all showing flashes of potential, and in every case but Wiggins’, exceeding preseason expectations. That’s not to disparage the rookie season that Wiggins put together, but it would have been nearly impossible for the young Canadian to live up to the hype that preceded his first game at Kansas, much less the inclusion of him as the centerpiece of the Timberwolves’ return for star player Kevin Love.
In yesterday’s Shootaround we discussed which players would have breakout second seasons in the league. Today, we take a slightly less optimistic approach, which segues into the topic of the day: Which NBA sophomore will regress the most during the 2015/16 season?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on which second-year player’s performance will disappoint the most, and more interestingly, why you feel that way. If you are an eternal optimist and believe in your heart that the class of 2014 will rise to heights previously unreachable by mere mortals, we want to hear about that as well. We look forward to what you have to say on these matters.
Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot me a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter at @EddieScarito to submit topics or ideas for what we should present in future posts.
The sophomore who regressed the most, even from an already humble beginning, through no fault of his own, is Embiid. His stock as a prospect has plummeted in the last 16 months.
It’s definitely a tough blow for the Sixers and Embiid, though I don’t know if I’d say he’ll regress this season since he sat out last year as well.
Even if by some miracle, Embiid winds up completely healthy next summer, there may be a serious erosion in his skills just from the two-year layoff. That’s a long time to go without playing competitive basketball.
I think I’ll blame the decline of my once average basketball skills to a long layoff as well…
Might be tough for Rodney Hood to get minutes with a healthy Alec Burks this year.
Langston Galloway maybe? No knock on his abilities, I haven’t seen him play much personally, but as an undrafted player with that many starts he’s seemingly punching above his weight. If the Knicks don’t get better as a team I could see him being under some pressure, even if his play doesn’t go backward.
Good call. He had opportunities on a pretty talent-poor team last season that he probably won’t see on this year’s improved version of the Knicks.
KJ McDaniels had a decent rookie season. Being in HOU kills his value as he will struggle to get on the floor as they are a very deep team.