OKC Thunder: Ranking Oklahoma City's Most Disappointing Players of the 2018/19 NBA season
The Oklahoma City Thunder headed into the 2018/19 NBA season with renewed confidence that they could challenge for a first NBA title.
Many had tipped Paul George to walk away from the team following last season's playoff defeat to the Utah Jazz, however, the Thunder managed to convince the All-Star to sign a new long term deal, while also adding both Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel.
After a strong start to the 18/19 season, the Thunder were quickly tipped to be among Golden State's biggest rivals, however, the team has struggled since the All-Star break, falling from 3rd to 7th in the West standings.
Evidently, OKC had higher expectations upon entering the season, and here we will examine three players that have failed to reach the heights expected of them:
#3 Markieff Morris
Markieff Morris spent the first half of the season with the Washington Wizards, although after he was traded to and subsequently waived by the New Orleans Pelicans, Morris joined the Thunder's playoff push.
The 29-year-old was expected to come into the team and have a similar impact to that of Corey Brewer last season, however, Morris has struggled to fit into Billy Donovan's system, and his impact has been minimal.
During 20 appearances for the Thunder, Morris has averaged just 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The veteran is also playing a career-low 15.4 minutes per game, which is especially surprising when considering the Thunder's lack of depth at power forward.
The University of Kansas product is also shooting just 35% from the field, and it is possible that Morris could further see a reduction in minutes during the playoffs. Ultimately, Morris looked to be another shrewd acquisition by Sam Presti, however, it has not quite clicked for the former Phoenix man.