5 NBA players who need to start playing better after Christmas
Struggles come and go at various points of the NBA season, but these five players, in particular, have yet to string together some consistency.
Christmas day is an important mark on the NBA calendar for several reasons.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
For starters, it’s the die-hard NBA fan’s dream scenario, a five-game all-day slate featuring some of the league’s elite teams and premier players.
On another level, Dec. 25 has long been considered the unofficial start of the NBA season. Hot starts flatten and identities round into form with greater clarity than before. The early-season caveat is no longer necessary and everything that follows is fair game to discuss both good and bad.
Some slight hesitation aside, there have still been several instances of player struggles that have raised concerns around their respective fan bases. Not because they aren’t performing well in a vacuum per se, but due to the justified expectations of their talent that aren’t being met.
Given their abilities that warrant such high standards, the likelihood of a bounce-back is larger compared to most instances. But as the regular season ramps into another gear, there’s only so much time before these struggles do irreversible damage for the hopes of the team’s counting on their production.