10 NBA players sure to regress in 2018-19

Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
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Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Regression is a natural part of the NBA cycle, but heading into the 2018-19 campaign, which players are most likely to take a step backward?

The NBA is a cyclical league, not only in terms of teams rising and falling from contenders to bottom-feeders, but also from an individual standpoint. Young players enter the association wide-eyed and full of untapped potential. They take their licks, learn about life in the pros, adjust accordingly and begin their ascent toward stardom or at least carving out their place in the league.

This is usually followed by a breakout season that puts them on the map. Some remain mysteries for awhile, some desperately seek that kind of breakthrough to keep their place in the league, but many rise through the ranks and become the next generation of superstar.

However, that requires replacing the former star generation, and regression for those players is just a part of the unending cycle. Every season, we see established players (or even younger players) take a step back for a number of reasons. Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, there are plenty of players who seem like logical candidates for regression.

For the sake of variety, we’ll try to stay away from injury-related regression for the most part, and we’ll also steer clear of the older guys who have been on the decline for awhile now. After all, who really needs to be informed Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter aren’t quite the same players they used to be?

These aren’t players we’re rooting against or hoping to see fail by any means, but whether it’s Father Time, a diminished role or the natural regression that occurs at some point over the course of an NBA career, these 10 players could see a downturn in production and impact in 2018-19.

Honorable Mentions: Kyle Korver, Chris Paul, Tyreke Evans, Jeff Green, J.J. Barea, DeMarre Carroll, Dennis Schroder, George Hill, Goran Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Wesley Matthews, Michael Beasley, Robin Lopez