Top 10 Most Disappointing Players of the Second Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs

The second round of the NBA playoffs were incredibly exciting, capped off by 2 game sevens. Some players played incredibly well. These players did not.
The Top Ten
1 Ben Simmons Benjamin David Simmons is an Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association.

What can I say about Mr. Won't Shoot? Ben Simmons, during this playoff series, was the most squeamish player I have ever seen, passing up open layups and easy dunks for passes to players who were in contested situations. Simmons averaged not even 10 points per game (9.9), and averaged only 6 shot attempts per game. IN THOSE SHOTS, HE HAD A HIGH SHOOTING PERCENTAGE (60%). HE JUST WOULDN'T SHOOT! In the biggest playoff game of his life in game 7, he scored 5 points. He had as many made shots as turnovers. (2) This is one of the most disappointing results for a star player in the playoffs that I have ever seen.

Get this guy out of Philly. This fan base will revolt if he's not gone by next year.

2 Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel Is a professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national basketball team in the international competitions. Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall with a wingspan of 7 ft 9 (2.36 m) long, he plays at the center position. He was the NBA Blocks leader in the 2016-2017 season, and was named an All-NBA... read more

Rudy Gobert. For someone on Defensive First Team, he sure didn't play a lot of defense against the Clippers. A notorious shot blocker, Gobert only recorded 2 blocks combined in the last 4 losses against the Clippers. This is usually the amount of blocks he gets in one game, let alone four. When the Clippers inserted a small ball lineup, Gobert was left clueless on the floor, having to guard smaller players, and finished with an astoundingly bad -24 +/-. For someone who is touted to be one of the defensive players, he didn't appear as good as he was said to be...

3 Joe Harris

Joe Harris. 2019 3 point champion. Walking Brick against the Bucks. For someone renowned as a star three point shooting champion, he looked more like Andre Roberson in the second round. In 7 games, and 37 minutes per game, he was only able to average 9.6 points per game, and 2 three pointers made per game. His 34% shooting from three point range was much lower than his regular season (43%), and -20 total over the course of the series. A very disappointing series indeed.

4 Jrue Holiday Jrue Randall Holiday is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association.

Yes, the Bucks did win the playoff series. However, Jrue Holiday was most definitely holding them back from doing it faster. In 7 games against the Nets, Holiday averaged a modest 15 points per game. However, this was while shooting 17 SHOTS PER GAME, and only making 6. He shot 36% from the floor, and 26% from 3 point range. Not only was he throwing up and missing shots at a high rate, he went above and beyond in game seven, shooting 5/23 in 48 minutes, which is 32% of their total missed shots. He nearly blew it for the bucks, and should be lucky that he didn't.

5 James Harden James Edward Harden, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.

James Harden may have been hurt, but it may have been better if he had stayed on the bench for this one. In 3 games which he played this series, the Nets went 1-2, and James Harden was a hindrance to the team. Through the series, he shot 30% from the floor, and 19% from 3 point range. He was only able to average 11 points per game, and averaged 3 turnovers as well. I believe the Nets would've been better letting him rest up to full health, rather than putting him out there and him performing this terribly.

6 Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association.

Joel Embiid is not on here because of his offensive stats. Those are good enough. However, his ball control and security was some of the most sloppy I've seen in a long time. In 7 games against the Hawks, Embiid turned the ball over 33 times. 33 TIMES. He turned the ball over more than he averaged in points per game. Every other play where he had the ball, he seemed to fumble the ball. Him being easy pickings for turnovers was one of the main reasons the 76ers lost this series.

7 Monte Morris

For someone who was supposed to be replacing Jamal Murray, Morris did not do a good job of it. While his numbers seem decent enough, at 11.5 points per game, and 40% from the floor. However, his defensive presence was nonexistent throughout the series. In only 4 games, Morris racked up a horrifically bad -69 +/-, a tremendous feat, and something which has earned him a spot on this list.

8 Michael Porter Jr.

Porter, supposed to be the 2nd option for the Nuggets with the absence of Jamal Murray, completely disappointed playing against the suns. Shooting 38% from the floor, Porter averaged only 15 points for a team which needed everything it could get against the Suns. His biggest hindrance, however, was his abysmal defense. Over 4 games, Porter had a total +/- of -46

9 P.J. Tucker

Another player for a Bucks team that did advance, PJ Tucker also tried his hardest to give the series away to the Nets. He was pretty much just running around, and missing shots most of the series. In 7 games, he only averaged 5 points per game, in 31 minutes per game. His 35% from the floor and 30% from 3 weren't impressive either. For someone who was supposed to be a valuable asset to the team, he really didn't show it..

10 Furkan Korkmaz

Someone who is known for their shooting, Korkmaz was expected to produce, especially when Danny Green went down. However, he did not. In 7 games and 20 minutes per game, Korkmaz only averaged 7 points (still almost as Ben Simmons). His 37% from the floor and 30% from 3 were far below his season averages, and certainly didn't help the Sixers make a move to the next round.

The Contenders
11 Tobias Harris Tobias John Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association.
12 Marcus Morris
13 Lou Williams Louis Tyrone Williams is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.
14 Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.
15 Will Barton
16 Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.
17 Paul George Paul George is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association.
18 Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and the Nets.
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