Top 5 NBA players who need to silence their critics entering the 2022-23 season feat. Draymond Green and Ben Simmons
Fans expect a lot from their favorite NBA players. We've seen greats like LeBron James who have lived up to all the hype since his high school basketball career. Then, there are players like Kwame Brown who became one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft Night History. Between these two extremes, there are those who are great but still receive a lot of criticism.
With that said, let's look at the five players who need to silence their critics entering the 2022-23 NBA season.
#1 - Draymond Green
Draymond Green is in a somewhat sticky situation at this stage of his NBA career. By now, everyone knows that he was involved in a nasty altercation with Jordan Poole. Punches were thrown, and now Green has some reflecting to do. It has been previously reported that the Golden State Warriors might choose Jordan Poole over Draymond Green moving forward. That already seems like the case.
Jordan Poole recently signed a four-year contract extension worth $140 million with the Warriors. Draymond Green hasn't yet signed an extension with the team. However, it seems like the organization will prioritize the remaining cap space for an extension with Klay Thompson. Does this mean it's all over for the Warriors veteran?
Right now, Green needs to prove that he can be an effective leader for the Warriors' young core. His tough love style of leadership might not do the trick any longer. Aside from that, Green also needs to prove that he can still be an asset on the court. Doing all of this could help his chances of staying on the team. Given that Green doesn't suddenly decided to move to LA that is.
#2 - Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has been labeled 'lazy' and 'care-free' after all the antics he pulled with the Philadelphia 76ers. It's true that he was injured for some time, but while he was healthy, Simmons started skipping practice and games entirely. This had a lot to do with the build-up of issues with former co-star Joel Embiid. Both superstars were no longer getting along, which forced Simmons to rebel.
Eventually, Simmons was granted the exit he wanted and was moved to the Brooklyn Nets, in exchange for James Harden, who also wanted out. On paper, it does seem like a fair trade. In reality, it was mostly the Sixers who won the trade. James Harden proved to be the perfect fit for Joel Embiid. Meanwhile, Simmons still had an injury and ended up leaving the Nets hanging in the postseason.
During this year's preseason games, Ben Simmons finally made his NBA return. After playing in four games, we've seen that the chemistry among Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving could possibly work. However, Simmons still underperformed in the preseason, considering he only scored a total of 19 points. He could be saving something for the regular season, but that remains to be seen.
#3 - Russel Westbrook
One player who seems like he always has to prove himself is Russell Westbrook. Ever since his time in Oklahoma, Westbrook has already been criticized for not being able to carry his own team. Despite being the 2016-17 NBA MVP, he was still seen as a stat padder who only cared about securing triple-doubles.
He was then traded to the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, where he found no success. He may still have been a triple-double machine, but he was no longer seen as the All-Star he once was. Westbrook proved everyone correct when he moved to LA and teamed up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Russell Westbrook was supposed to be the third key member to help win another championship for the Lakers. Instead, he made the front office regret granting James' request to acquire the "washed" point guard. Westbrook committed many turnovers in the crucial moments of the game. He kept missing shots, some even hitting the side of the backboard. It was terrible to watch.
It was recently reported that Darvin Ham will utilize Westbrook as a starter moving forward. There have also been several videos of him working on his jumpshot. He even made statements that he's confident in his shot. If Westbrook manages to back up everything he's been saying thus far, the 2022-23 season could be his comeback year.
#4 - Anthony Davis
While Anthony Davis has already held his side of the bargain by winning the title back in 2020, he still has some things to prove. He is known to be an injury-prone player, even back in his New Orleans Pelicans days. Due to his injuries, he hasn't been able to significantly contribute to his team's success. In fact, the only reason Davis was healthy in the bubble was because the NBA took a short break.
Nobody in the NBA ever asks to get injured. It's a disheartening feeling, to say the least. However, there really are players who have fragile bodies and can't last an entire season. To get past this obstacle, the hack is to adjust your style of play according to what your body can take. Playing a full regular season is an arduous task, which means players need to figure out ways to alleviate their work loads.
Anthony Davis promised the LA Lakers that he'd do everything he could to stay healthy this season. If he can somehow figure out a way to keep injuries at bay while maintaining efficiency on the court, the Lakers could be back at full force.
#5 - Devin Booker
Devin Booker is undeniably one of the NBA's top guys. However, his performances in the last two post-seasons have been quite questionable. Booker and the Phoenix Suns managed to make the NBA Finals back in 2021. Unfortunately, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks proved to be too much for the Suns. Then again, it also had something to do with Booker.
There's no doubt that Phoenix's go-to guy is Devin Booker. But sometimes he can't live up to the task. In the 2021 finals against the Bucks, Booker scored an underwhelming 10 points in Game 3 and only had 19 points in Game 6. Sure, he scored 40+ in all the other games, but that series just proved that he's an inconsistent scorer.
His inconsistencies as a scorer resurfaced once again. This time, it happened against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2022 Playoffs. At first, we thought Booker had finally overcome his struggles as a scorer, but then, the series was pushed to Game 7. These do-or-die games usually happen when scorers step up and go all out. Booker did the exact opposite and finished the game with only 11 points. Yikes.