LA Lakers: 3 players who disappointed the most this season - NBA 2019-20

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Five

The 2019-20 NBA season has come to an end, and it's time for teams to look back and learn from their mistakes. While the LA Lakers are in a good position going into the offseason compared to other teams in the league, there are a few concerns the 2020 champions need to address. On this note, let's take a look at 3 LA Lakers players who disappointed this season on the court.

3 LA Lakers players who disappointed the most in 2019-20:

DeMarcus Cousins suffered an ACL injury during preseason workouts and didn't play a single game for the LA Lakers. But for the scope of this article, we'll only be considering players who got plenty of opportunities on the court and still failed to deliver.

#3. JaVale McGee

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

After signing with the LA Lakers in 2018, JaVale McGee exceeded expectations in his first season and averaged 12 points per game. Following this, he was the starting center for the majority of the LA Lakers' 2019-20 season.

BREAKING: The Lakers are benching JaVale McGee, and will start Dwight Howard in his place. https://t.co/SJiLJmxoX1 pic.twitter.com/NpDA9yJAL6
— Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) September 25, 2020

Compared to the previous year, the 7-footer's performances took a big dip, and he averaged just 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. McGee couldn't dominate other centers in the Western Conference during the playoffs and hardly played any significant minutes towards the end. Dwight Howard unsurprisingly ended up replacing McGee as the LA Lakers' starting center in the NBA Finals.

#2. Danny Green

Besides Anthony Davis, Danny Green was the biggest acquisition for the LA Lakers in 2019. The two-time champion had a reputation for being one of the best 3&D guys in the league and was supposed to help solve the Lakers' shooting woes.

Danny Green on the fans who've made death threats against him & his fiancé after his missed shot: "I hope they're that passionate about voting, or injustice for these people who deserve justice - we'll get some better change in the country." Green calls himself "an easy target." pic.twitter.com/F68MgZnpNx
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 11, 2020

Even though Green showed flashes of brilliance in the regular season, he struggled from the 3-point line throughout the NBA playoffs and was a liability on the offensive end. After missing a wide-open game-winning 3-pointer in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Green became one of the team's most criticized players.

#1. Kyle Kuzma

Los Angeles Lakers v Denver Nuggets - Game Four

After shipping the young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart to the New Orleans Pelicans, the LA Lakers pinned their hopes on Kyle Kuzma to step up and play at an All-Star level. The 25-year-old was supposed to be a part of the LA Lakers' 'big 3' and act as a dominant offensive weapon next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

After returning from an injury at the beginning of the regular season, Kuzma never really found his rhythm and struggled at either end of the court. Even though he had his moments as the sixth man on the team, his performances were underwhelming through the course of the year, and he didn't meet the expectations that were placed on him. Kuzma ended the season with 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

Also read: Golden State Warriors: 3 players who disappointed the most this season - NBA 2019-20