The Biggest Disappointments of the 2019-2020 NBA Season (so far)

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We are far enough into the NBA season that we can start to identify certain things about players and teams, and also make assumptions about how the rest of the season will unfold based on what we have seen. About 16 games into the year (for most teams) it is now time to call out the teams who have underperformed based on pre-season expectations. Here are the biggest disappointments of the '19-'20 NBA season:

1. Portland Trail Blazers 5-11; 13th in West

Portland has gone 2-8 in their last 10 games, despite Damian Lillard playing arguably his best basketball to begin the season. Sure, Dame has missed the last two games due to back spasms, but that is only two games where the Blazers have an excuse as to why they lost. What about the other 14 games?

The Trail Blazers did recently bring Carmelo Anthony aboard, and he has looked like a pretty nice addition so far, but Melo alone is not going to fix this team. I should mention that the Blazers have been a victim of injuries, but with their two stars playing the majority of games, there is no reason they should be the 13th team in the Western Conference. Hopefully, things will change for Portland down the stretch.

2. Utah Jazz 10-5; 6th in West

This one might be a bit of a surprise but allow me to explain. Utah has been one of the better teams in the West over the curse of the last few seasons. With the additions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz were supposed to take the leap and become one of the best teams in the west, especially during the regular season. Instead, they have losses to the Kings (twice), Grizzlies, and Timberwolves. Not to mention they just barely scraped by with a win versus Golden State, winning by four.

Along with some of their bad losses, Utah also has some key victories versus the Bucks, 76ers, and Clippers. This may very well be a team that is just in the process of building chemistry or it could be a sign of things to come. Only time will tell, but for a team that some had projected to finish with the top seed in the West, the Jazz have to feel disappointed in some of their losses.

3. Chicago Bulls 5-11; 12th in East

Chicago was never supposed to be a good team, but they should be competitive at the very least. The Bulls have been anything but; winning only 5 of their first 16 games. Sure, they have kept it close versus teams such as the Lakers and Bucks, but they also have a handful of blowout losses. Chicago has also lost to the Knicks, by seven points.

With Wendell Carter returning after suffering a season-ending injury last year. Couple that with Zach Lavine coming off a career year and Lauri Markkanen being available to begin the year, this young team was expected to possibly challenge for the eighth seed in the weak Eastern Conference. Instead, they currently sit at 12th with no end in sight.

- Paul Hessing