Camila Sosa
The first round of the NBA Playoffs came to an end, and those teams that were eliminated felt their exit from the tournament more than ever after the performances of the stars within their squads who were responsible for being factors of their respective teams, and with their disappointing performance failed to do so.
We bring you a list of the four most surprising negative performances of the first round of the postseason. Besides, you will find a brief analysis of what exactly was that made them a liability rather than an asset during much of their playoff campaign.
4.- D’Angelo Russell
The Minnesota Timberwolves needed an “X” factor to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, and they hoped D’Angelo Russell could be it. However, the 25-year-old point guard was truly disastrous against the Grizzlies, as while he received plenty of playing time averaging 32.7 minutes per game, he averaged just 12 points per game, 2.8 turnovers and 33% shooting from the field. That was a true calamity for a Minnesota team that saw him average 18.1 PPJ in the regular round and average 41% shooting from the field.
3.- Rudy Gobert
The Utah Jazz once again fell in the first round of the postseason. One of the factors that may have contributed to the loss may have been Rudy Gobert‘s defense, and the French center failing to record a single block in the last three games against the Dallas Mavericks. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year and the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks in 2016-2017, barely averaged a block per game in the series against the Mavs. And, by not being as effective, Dallas’ offense was able to take advantage of playing a little more with their perimeter game.
2.- Trae Young
The Atlanta Hawks live and die with Trae Young’s production. So when their star point guard is not at his best, the team coached by Nate McMillan has very few options to come out on top. And that is precisely what happened in the tough series against the Miami Heat, where Young was harassed to exhaustion by Miami’s fierce defense, to the point that he had more turnovers than shots and assists. In total, he lost the ball on 31 occasions while getting just 22 shots from the field and 30 assists.
1.- Kevin Durant
The Brooklyn Nets could be considered the biggest disappointment of these playoffs, as, even though they fell to a great Boston Celtics team, the roster that was built around Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pointed to so much more. The latter suffered from the Celtics’ strong defense, shooting just 39% from the field, an area from where he shot 52% in the regular round. Durant also averaged 5.3 turnovers per game against Boston, a significant increase from the three he averaged during the regular season.
