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The 2020-21 NBA season has been unlike any other. Teams have been struggling for consistency in a challenging year, which has resulted in a shake-up in the standings in both conferences.
After seven seasons without a playoff appearance, the New York Knicks are on course to finish fourth in the East, while in the West, the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns are battling for the conference's top spot.
On that note, we'll take a look at five former NBA All-Stars who have struggled for consistency this year. Most have been hindered by injuries, but for a few, their performances have taken a dip as well.
Even when a player is an NBA All-Star, it is not guaranteed they would keep up the same level of play throughout their career. External factors like the pressure to continue performing at the highest level often get in the way and lead to inconsistency.
That has happened to a few stars in the league this year who, despite previously impressing, have struggled to find consistent form. Without further ado, let's take a look at five such players.
#1 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porzingis
Ever since Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL in 2018, his playing time has been hindered. In that season, the Austrian center was selected as an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career, but he could not feature in the event.
Since moving from New York to the Dallas Mavericks, the 7' 3" center has played 97 games out of a possible 143. The most disappointing aspect of Porzingis' tenure with the Mavs was his withdrawal from their first-round series with the LA Clippers in last year's NBA playoffs. Porzingis sat out three games after the Mavericks went 2-1 down due to a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
The 25-year old received surgery for the injury before this season but has struggled to find consistency this year. He has recently been absent due to a right ankle sprain, missing the last six Mavericks games.
Porzingis will be looking forward to the off-season to get healthy. After a shortened rest period before the 2020-21 NBA campaign, he was hindered by niggling injuries.
When he is on the court, the Mavs are a much stronger team, as he has averaged over 20 points and nine rebounds.
#2 NBA All-Star Kemba Walker
Not only has Kemba Walker been inconsistent this year, but the Boston Celtics themselves have also endured a roller-coaster campaign. Walker began the campaign late, and his return coincided with the Cs sliding down the standings. Furthermore, he has mostly been unavailable for the Celtics' back-to-back games.
Walker's defensive efficiency is at a career-worst, while he is shooting at 41.6% from the field, his worst since 2015. Among the NBA guards this season, the 31-year-old ranks 37th for assists, and out of 15 players who have taken more than eight threes per game, Walker ranks 13th for attempts made.
Although Walker could yet rewrite before the season ends, he will be frustrated with the way the year has panned out for him. Alongside Tatum and Brown, the Celtics should, at least, be competing for a top-4 seed but have found themselves battling to avoid the NBA play-in tournament instead.
Nevertheless, Walker has recently hit some form. In his last five NBA games, Walker has drained 27 points per night but has shot at a measly 14% from downtown.
#3 NBA All-Star Draymond Green
Although offense has never been the strongest aspect of Draymond Green's game, he has been called out on several occasions this season for his inconsistent statlines. Green controls the Warriors' defense and very much operates the flow of their offense, too, as the facilitator for Stephen Curry.
However, along with his Golden State teammates supporting Curry, Green has also struggled to offer consistent scoring, which does not bode well for the Warriors' hopes going into the NBA play-in tournament.
Should Curry have an off night, Green is the sort of player who would need to step up. But the 31-year-old is currently recording his lowest points output per 36 minutes (7.9) since his rookie season.
Moreover, he has struggled to shoot the three-ball, as is evident in his accuracy of 27%. In January, that number was as low as 21%, while he shot at 35% from the field to begin the campaign. In addition to his scoring woes, Green has turned the ball over too many times this year - three times per game - the second-worst mark in his NBA career.
#4 John Wall
What looked to be an exciting move for John Wall after joining a talented Houston Rockets roster soon turned sour. James Harden left the franchise; Wall's friend DeMarcus Cousins came in and left, and both the point guard and Rockets prospect Christian Wood have struggled with injuries.
That has meant the 5-time NBA All-Star has struggled for consistency. Wall played only 40 games for Houston this year and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign a fortnight ago because of a grade 2 hamstring strain.
While on the court, the point guard produced 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. However, his field-goal shooting was at an all-time low this year (40.4%), while he shot at just 31% from downtown. Furthermore, his assists rate was at a career-worst rate, too, as were his offensive and defensive ratings.
With $91m left on his contract, it is unlikely a team looking to compete next year would take Wall in a deal. However, the Houston Rockets are in a full-scale rebuild and may want to offload Wall's salary.
#5 NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo
Another player who has struggled with injuries this season is Victor Oladipo. After starting the season healthy, the 29-year-old guard has played just 33 games for three different teams this year.
Although he finally got the move he wanted, moving to the Miami Heat, Oladipo has appeared in just four games, and it's unlikely he'll appear for the franchise any time soon. His three-point shooting has been at a paltry 32% this year, the second-lowest of his NBA career, while he is scoring at 40.8% from the field, also his second-worst rate.
After a ruptured quad tendon in the 2018-19 NBA season, Oladipo has not been able to produce consistently. When on the court, he remains a reliable option, providing close to 20 points a night while providing serious hustle in defense, but his inconsistency has been his undoing.
