The old adage goes, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Well, seven NBA players are looking to bounce back from sluggish openings to the 2015-16 season and help their respective team earn an all-important playoff berth.
With the exception of one shooter who just joined a championship contender, the following guys must improve down the stretch. Otherwise, the expectations will be low for each franchise in the playoffs — if the team even makes it.
Trevor Ariza, SF, Houston Rockets
Houston elected to keep Dwight Howard instead of trading him at the deadline, which was the smart decision if the club wants to compete this year — not that it will, mind you.
Why is that? The Rockets’ defense is a disaster, and Trevor Ariza’s shaky season is a key contribution to that problem.
Ariza established his place in the NBA as a top-tier three-and-D guy. The small forward has knocked down 37.9 percent of his triples, but Ariza’s ordinarily sterling defense hasn’t shined at the same level.
Offensively, Houston can compete with anyone — especially when Ariza is hitting from long distance. Until the team that has allowed the NBA’s third-most triples improves on the other end, though, don’t expect anything more than a quick exit from the postseason at best.
Markieff Morris, PF, Washington Wizards
Markieff Morris’ brief time with the Wizards certainly hasn’t been smooth, but his inclusion is a product of a tumultuous half-season with the Phoenix Suns.
The power forward managed 11.6 points, shooting a career-worst 37.9 percent overall and 28.9 from three-point range. Washington acquired Morris to bolster a weak frontcourt behind Marcin Gortat.
Nene doesn’t fit the up-tempo style the Wizards want to play, so he’s better suited to be a reserve anyway. Plus, Drew Gooden isn’t a real factor off the bench, where Morris has started his Washington tenure.
He’ll likely overtake Jared Dudley in the starting lineup and would be asked to provide spacing for John Wall. If Morris sticks on the bench, he must regain his 2013-14 form as a reliable scorer for the second unit.
Lance Stephenson, SG, Memphis Grizzlies
Please stop laughing.
Memphis shipped off Courtney Lee to the Charlotte Hornets in a trade that netted the franchise four second-round draft picks. All things considered, that’s not a bad deal. But the Grizzlies also traded Jeff Green to the Los Angeles Clippers, receiving Stephenson in return.
Lee and Green were Memphis’ best perimeter players, though. Someone has to fill the vacancy. Plus, now that Marc Gasol is lost for the season, that new players has to actually perform well.
Unless you expect P.J. Hairston, Tony Allen or Vince Carter to break out, Stephenson — who was nothing short of an absolute disaster with the Los Angeles Clippers — must be that guy.
Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose has recently flashed shades of his former self, but Chicago desperately needs the point guard to show that on a nightly basis. But this time, it’s not for the same old scoring reason.
The Bulls lost Joakim Noah to a season-ending injury, Jimmy Butler is sidelined for a couple weeks and Nikola Mirotic’s return date is unknown. Although Chicago’s offense will survive, the defense is another story.
Rose, who is currently working through hamstring tendinitis, is considered the NBA’s third-worst point guard on the defensive end, according to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. Per Basketball-Reference, the Bulls are 6.6 points better defensively when Rose is off the court.
Since only 4.5 games separate the third-seeded Boston Celtics and the first team out in the Detroit Pistons, Chicago is expected to remain a playoff contender. Rose’s defensive effort could be a key difference between hosting a first-round series or missing the postseason altogether.
Randy Foye, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Welcome to OKC, Randy! We need you to no longer be terrible.
That’s probably not what Thunder management told Foye after acquiring him from the Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline, but it’s not far removed from a simple truth.
A career 40.4 percent three-point marksman, the shooting guard trudged to a meager 29.6 clip before Oklahoma City added him to serve as a perimeter option to complement Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Foye doesn’t need to be a top-notch defender. The Thunder, quite simply, need him to shoot well on the perimeter. Unfortunately for Foye, it hasn’t been that simple so far this year.
Goran Dragic, PG, Miami Heat
The Heat must compensate for Chris Bosh’s absence somehow. Early returns suggest Miami will try increasing the pace and letting Goran Dragic oversee an up-tempo attack.
Before the All-Star break, the Heat posted a 102.8 offensive rating and averaged 95.2 possessions per 48 minutes when Dragic was available, per NBA.com. During the four games since then, the Dragic-keyed offense has surged to 108.3 and 103.4, respectively.
If fancy-shmancy analytics aren’t your thing, that’s OK. Dragic’s impact has improved from 12.2 points, 5.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds to 19.5, 7.5 and 5.3. He has also cut his turnover ratio from 12.8 to 7.0 (2.5 per game to 2.0) while playing increased minutes.
As long as Dragic stays healthy and productive, Miami will claim a playoff berth. Any further success will be a product of Dragic’s performance — particularly if Bosh cannot return.
Marco Belinelli, SG, Sacramento Kings
The upcoming two weeks will determine whether or not the Kings — who trail the Rockets by just four games — have a fighting chance during the final 60 days of the regular season.
Sacramento is set to host the Clippers and Thunder before embarking on a road trip against the Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings return home for a three-game stint that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers and a Utah Jazz club fighting for the eighth seed, too.
George Karl’s team needs more from Marco Belinelli. Sacramento signed him to a three-year, $19 million contract to upgrade its perimeter shooting unit, but he’s paid the Kings back with a career-low 29.8 percent mark this season and 25.7 percent since the turn of the calendar year.
For someone averaging nearly 26 minuets per game, that’s simply inexcusable. Sacramento won’t survive a brutal stretch if Belinelli doesn’t produce.