Every year in the NBA, some teams perform according to expectations – but others either play out of their minds and have huge seasons (think about time Allen Iverson basically led the 8-seed Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals all by himself), while still others underperform, disappointing their fan bases and their ownership – and going through overhauls in the off-season. The most disappointing team this year, of course, is the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the title two seasons ago. They still have both Anthony Davis and LeBron James, but they couldn’t even hold off the San Antonio Spurs for the last spot in the play-in tournament. Take a look at the most disappointing teams this season as you consider your NBA betting going into the postseason – and for NBA futures next year.
NBA News: Most Disappointing Teams of 2021-22
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland has been in “tank” mode for most of the season, especially after trading CJ McCollum to New Orleans. However, back when the season began, the expectations were high in the Rose City. The Trail Blazers are regular postseason contenders: the last time they missed a playoff was back in 2012-13, when Damian Lillard was a rookie. However, McCollum missed almost the first two months of the season due to injury, and when he returned, Lillard went down. At the trade deadline, they got Josh Hart and some other prospects from New Orleans, and they haven’t been playing their top players ever since, hoping for the best outcome from the lottery. That’s not what Portland fans are used to, making this a disappointing campaign.
N.Y. Knicks
The Knicks made it to the postseason a year ago, and Julius Randle looked like he would be the next great star at Madison Square Garden. His numbers have been serviceable, with 20 points, ten boards and five assists per game, but he has not grown into the leader that the Knicks were expecting. When the Knicks posted a huge comeback win over Boston, Randle gave the home fans a big thumbs down, suggesting that he did not feel like the fans were supporting the team like they should.
Brooklyn Nets
What on earth are the Nets doing in the play-in tournament? They came into 2021-22 with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, a “Big Three” that was favored to win the title. Then Kyrie decided not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which meant he could not play at all, and then he could not play at home. James Harden got his feelings hurt once again, so he’s now quit on three different teams in his career. Harden is in Philadelphia for now – at least until Joel Embiid or someone else dents his ego there. If the Nets get out of the play-in, they will climb the odds list to get out of the East, but their inability to get defensive stops will hurt them.
Atlanta Hawks
Remember when Atlanta made it all the way to the East finals last year? They lost to Milwaukee at that point, but that was at least one round further than most people expected them to go. Clint Capela was seen as the next great rim defender. Trae Young became the face of the franchise due to his offensive fireworks. DeAndre Hunter was both a shutdown defender and clutch scorer. This year they basically have the same roster…and have cratered. Injuries to John Collins have played a factor, but the Hawks shouldn’t be this bad. They made the play-in, but they are unlikely to get out of it.
L.A. Lakers
This team looks old, and it is not regularly competitive. The Lakers could have traded for DeMar DeRozan, but they brought in Russell Westbrook instead. That didn’t turn out well, as now-fired coach Frank Vogel ended up putting Westbrook on the bench at the end of games. They added Carmelo Anthony, just in case they didn’t already have enough players on the downward arc of their career. Now Vogel is gone, and it will be interesting to see what the Lakers do with LeBron.
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