NBA teams are always trying to do whatever they can to improve their product on the floor and with the exception of superstar players, there is no guarantee what a players role will be from one season to the next. Whether it’s because of an upgrade at a position or the fact that a player is just simply no longer in his prime, there are always plenty of examples of players being phased out of their team’s plans. Here is a look at four NBA players that could be phased out of their team’s rotation this season.
Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers managed to lure DeAndre Jordan back to Los Angeles and added Josh Smith, Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson in the offseason to complete a reload that they feel was strong enough that this team can contend for an NBA championship this season.
However, the reload also leaves an obvious question mark about the status of the veteran guard Crawford, who averaged 15.8 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game off the bench last season. Crawford will be 36 years old at the start of next year’s playoffs and while he played in 64 games for Los Angeles last year as well as 14 postseason games, his 26.6 minutes played were his lowest in 14 seasons.
There have been rumors that the Clippers would like to move Crawford in order to address more pressing needs and it will be interesting to see how they handle the situation with their veteran guard this season.
Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings
Sacramento was another team that reloaded in the offseason and while they definitely aren’t going to contend for an NBA title this season, the hope is that they can find their way back in to the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. The additions of veterans Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli, Kosta Koufos and Caron Butler in addition to first-round pick Willie Cauley-Stein means it is very possible they contend for a postseason spot.
It also could mean McLemore is eventually phased out of the Kings rotation. McLemore simply hasn’t improved the way many thought he would in his two NBA seasons and with Rondo, Belinelli, Darren Collison, Seth Curry and James Anderson all looking for a role in the Sacramento backcourt, he could be pressed for playing time if he doesn’t start like the player the Kings thought they were getting when they took him seventh overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Jodie Meeks, Detroit Pistons
Meeks is a veteran guard that simply didn’t live up to expectations in Detroit last season when he averaged 11.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in just 60 games. Now he will be looking over his shoulder in terms of being phased out of the Pistons rotation with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Bullock and rookie first-round pick Stanley Johnson all in the mix for playing time at the shooting guard position. Detroit will already be forced with the decision of what to do with Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings at the point guard position as those are two of the team’s best players and they probably want to play them side by side.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Meeks lost his spot and the Pistons went with a backcourt rotation that included Jackson, KCP and Jennings the majority of the time this season.
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Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors
Ross was given every opportunity to produce at the small forward position over the last two seasons and was a disappointment. Last year, Ross averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game and while he provided plenty of highlight-reel dunks during the regular season, his scoring was inconsistent and he wasn’t nearly good enough at the defensive end of the floor. The one surefire aspect of his game was supposed to be his scoring but he’s a career 41.5% shooter from the field.
The Raptors spent big bucks to acquire veteran small forward DeMarre Carroll as a free agent and with James Johnson and 2014 first-round pick Bruno Caboclo in the mix at the position, Ross has been moved to the backup shooting guard spot on the team’s depth chart. He’ll enter the season as one of the first guys off the bench but remember that the team spent a lot of money on Cory Joseph and spent a first-round pick on Delon Wright. It’s possible one of them is used at shooting guard too. At any rate, it looks like the Raptors have soured on Ross and his role will be minimized.
