5 NBA Players who fizzled out after having a great start to the 2019-20 season
With the trade deadline and 2020 All-Star Weekend now in the books, the 2019-20 NBA season is heading towards an exciting conclusion. While the Milwaukee Bucks have dominated the Western Conference since the opening weekend of the season, the likes of the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat continue to fight for homecourt advantage. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and Memphis Grizzlies are gearing up for an intense battle to secure the final playoff spot in the West.
Elsewhere, plenty of out of contention teams are already gearing up for next season following disappointing campaigns, and now is the perfect time to reflect on what went wrong over the past four months. Needless to say, individual player performances have played a role, and here we will take a look at five players who fizzled out after having a great start to the 2019-20 season.
#5 Ricky Rubio
The Utah Jazz chose against pursuing an extension for Ricky Rubio last summer in favor of trading for Mike Conley, although the Phoenix Suns were confident enough in the Spaniard's ability to sign him to a three-year, $51 million contract.
While an excellent playmaker, Rubio had long-been labeled as a bad shooter, although the 29-year-old averaged 14.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting throughout November and December. Rubio also averaged 10.6 assists during the final month of 2019, and the veteran has lauded as one of the best signings of the 2019 offseason.
However, Rubio's shooting struggles returned in January as the guard averaged just 9.9 points on 36.3 percent shooting. Rubio's form has been up and down so far this month, although it is extremely doubtful that the former Utah man will be able to steer the Suns back into playoff contention.