Top 5 Most Miserable Players in the NBA

5. J.J. Reddick

J.J. Reddick told Zion not to screw up his playoff streak, and guess what? Zion screwed it up. In all seriousness, the season would’ve gone a lot worse without Zion and J.J. knew what he was getting into signing with the upstart New Orleans Pelicans. Since the start of the 2020-2021 season, J.J. hasn’t really meshed with new head coach Stan Van Gundy. Which is odd because Stan Van is very meshable, just ask Dwight Howard. J.J. has now had multiple healthy DNPs early in the season and has made it known he would like to be traded to a contender. J.J. has his podcast with The Ringer and seems like a pretty mellow guy, that’s why he comes in at number 5, but let’s get that sweet stroke in the playoffs and the streak back alive. Brooklyn, Boston, and Philly have shown interest in the sharpshooter. Boston appears to be the best option due to their lack of guard depth and shooting off the bench.

4. Marvin Bagley III

It’s hard not to be miserable playing for the Sacramento Kings. They change management positions more than McDonald’s and haven’t had a shred of defensive identity since Mike Bibby was dropping dimes to Vlade Divac, who is the GM now. Marvin Bagley III was expected to be a rock down low for the Kings. Sactown drafted him second overall in 2018, ahead of names like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Jaren Jackson Jr. Oof. Bagley’s scoring is down from 14.2 to 13.3 early in the season, along with his blocks per game dipping from 0.9 to 0.5. Bagley, and his dad for some reason, have publicly requested more playing time from the Kings. Bagley has to show a leap in his game before he can start to demand these types of things. His rebound per game numbers have never surpassed 7 a night. For a guy who was drafted number 2, Bagley is falling behind the class. He is also often out hustled by big man teammate Richaun Holmes, who leads Bagley in rebounds per game and defensive rating. Bagley is one of the only players listed who’s misery is mostly self inflicted. But like I said to open, he is on the Kings.

3. Russell Westbrook

Westbrook is the Kanye West of the NBA. When he’s great, it’s a once in a lifetime thing to watch, when he’s not, it’s unbearable. His fans will stick by him no matter what, but deep down inside they known it’s not like it used to be. Kanye is unhappy a lot of the time, but nobody is ever sure exactly why. Much like Westbrook. Russ was ready to leave Houston only a year into his contract and decided to request a trade for the 2nd time in 2 seasons this past offseason. The Rockets obliged and sent him to Washington in a package surrounding John Wall. Westbrook hoped his new partnership with Bradley Beal and the weaker Eastern Conference could be a fresh start for his career. This couldn’t have been further from the reality. The Wizards have been the story of the NBA this year for all the wrong reasons. They have been brutal on the defensive side of the ball. Their team defensive rating of 116.1 per 100 possessions ranks 29th out of 30 in the league. They are 1-4 in their last 5 with blowout losses to the Pelicans, Hawks, and Spurs. The Wizards are getting blown off the court by bad teams. Russell leads the league in turnovers with 4.8 per game and you can tell he isn’t happy with the new scenery. But he wasn’t happy in the last 2 places either. Maybe a third trade request is coming. Or Russ to China like Marbury. We’ll have to see. For now, he’s miserable in Washington.

2. Aaron Gordon

Remember when I said playing for the Kings is similar to working in fast food, playing for the Magic is like working at Olive Garden. It’s a little more boujee and successful, but if we’re being real, it’s the same thing. Aaron Gordon’s time on the Magic has run it’s course. Gordon has been given the playing time and support to become the number two option for Orlando, but it has never panned out. Despite being seen as a defensively switchable wing with a good enough scoring, Gordon has never lead the team in points per game, win shares, or defensive rating since being drafted in 2014. Gordon’s numbers across the board have been down at the start of this season, averaging 13.8 PPG, his lowest since 2016-17. He looked completely out of it in a recent game against fellow walloping franchise the Sacramento Kings. He scored only 3 points on terrible 1-9 shooting and finished the game a -27 for plus/minus metrics. Yes the Magic lost the game, but only by 14. A -27 means they were outscored by 27 points while Gordon was playing. I don’t believe it’s time to write off Aaron Gordon, when he is at his best, he is an uber athletic wing who can play good enough defense and give a team about 15 a game. I would like to see him not in such a major role. Gordon is not having fun in Orlando and with his recent ankle injury keeping him out of play for the next 4-6 weeks, it could be even harder to find a trade partner for the 34 million remaining on his contract.

(Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

1. Bradley Beal

You know when your partner is obviously pissed off, but when you ask if everything is alright they are “fine.” Bradley Beal is “fine” is Washington. Beal told The Athletic Tuesday that he wants to stay in Washington and feels frustrated that he is being “nitpicked” by fans. But I wouldn’t call what is going on nitpicking. I think of nitpicking as reaching and stretching to find small problems that aren’t there. This isn’t a small problem and Beal is not being subtle about it. He has looked utterly dejected on the court at times this year. Remember that picture from the Finals of Jimmy Butler slumped over the railing after carrying his team to a finals victory? Imagine that exhaustion, but you still lose to the Pelicans. That’s Beal’s situation. Beal is currently leading the league in PPG at 34.9 for maybe the worst team in the league. The Wizards have lost 10 straight games where Bradley Beal scores 40 points. Imagine doing all the work on a group project, doing a good job, but everybody else bombs it so bad you still get an F. When Beal was asked if he is frustrated following another great game ending with an L, he responded “Is the sky blue?” That’s not nitpicking man, that’s you telling us “It sucks here.” The Free Beal campaign has been running rampant on social media from Wizards fans and NBA fans that just want to see the man get buckets in the playoffs. I expect Beal to be traded by the end of the season, but for now he is miserable as the best scorer in the league on the worst franchise possible. But remember, Beal isn’t sad, he’s “fine,” so stop asking.