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The NBA is a collection of some of the greatest athletes in the world. There are so many incredible basketball players who compete against each other on a nightly basis. While some of these players play on fantastic teams with a great coach and make winning a habit, some players play with average and below average teams and try to do their best to help their squad win games.
Let's have a look at 5 great NBA players in the league today who are gifted offensive/defensive players but are not playing on the right teams.
#1 Anthony Davis - New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis is among the top five best players in the league today. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, former All-Star game MVP and is the face of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise. He is a dominant force on both ends of the floor and is the Pelicans' go-to guy in clutch situations.
Although Davis has had a great career so far in terms of his individual numbers, he has not seen similar success with his team. He's having a brilliant season once again this year averaging 27.8 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game, but the Pelicans currently sit at 13th in the stacked Western Conference with an 11-12 record.
Although the Pelicans have put some good players around him in Jrue Holiday, Nicola Mirotic and Julius Randle, they still have not been able to figure out how to play together. The Pelicans do not look like a championship caliber team at this point and Davis could likely be traded to a contender next season.
#2 Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
Another All-Star who finds himself in an unfavorable position is Damian Lillard. The Trail Blazers have a talented pool of players. They have a terrific backcourt tandem in Lillard and C.J. McCollum and a versatile center in Jusuf Nurkic. Yet the team has not managed to get over the line in the last few seasons and despite making the playoffs, have been eliminated by superior teams.
Lillard has been in scintillating form to start the season averaging 26.6 points per game. The Blazers sit at 7th in the Western Conference as of now.
Lillard has always expressed his desire to stay in Portland and build a winning culture. It will be interesting to see what the Blazers do come summer time, will they trade Lillard or sign a big free agent?
#3 Kemba Walker - Charlotte Hornets
Kemba Walker is in the form of his life right now and has been simply brilliant for the Hornets. He is currently averaging 27.1 points per game, the highest he has averaged since entering the league in 2011.
He has taken over games single-handedly, including that 60 point monster night against the Philadelphia 76ers and has won some important games for his team.
Although Kemba has been great this season, the Hornets have been disappointing so far. For now, the team is in playoff contention as they sit at the 7th place in the much improved Eastern Conference this season, but do they have enough talent to take down some of the bigger teams?
Kemba could be on the way out next summer if things do not go as per plan with many teams suiting up for his services.
#4 DeMar DeRozan - San Antonio Spurs
One of the most surprising trades of the season saw DeMar DeRozan heading to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard who went to the Toronto Raptors. DeRozan never really expected that something like this would happen and was keen on ending his career in Toronto.
However, as things would have it, he would be a member of one the most decorated franchises with arguably the greatest coach in NBA history. Although DeRozan has fit in well with his new team and is averaging 23.8 points per game, things have not gone smoothly for the Spurs.
They currently sit 14th in the Western Conference with a 10-12 record. This is something the Spurs are not used to seeing as they have always racked up more than 50 wins in a season year after year. It is hard to say whether the problem has been DeRozan or that the team's chemistry has still not reached its peak.
With a great player like DeRozan on their side, the Spurs should be able to turn things around sooner than later.
#5 Marc Gasol
It is incredible how Marc Gasol has managed to stay with the Grizzlies since he was drafted in the league in 2008. He is a versatile big man with a high basketball IQ and can pass the ball as well as any point guard in the league.
He is averaging a solid 18.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game this season. Although the Grizzlies sit at 5th in the Western Conference, very few analysts and sports fans see them being there for too long as other teams start picking up their level of play.
Gasol does have some fantastic players around him such as Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons who can provide a scoring relief but staying healthy has been a huge concern for these players.
It will be interesting to see what happens next summer with Gasol. Some title contenders could certainly use his services and veteran leadership.
Guess the Lakers players!
