Ranking the 10 Most Disappointing Players of the 2026 NBA Playoffs So Far

To all the players who have failed to meet expectations during the 2026 NBA playoffs, we just want you to know that we're not mad. Just disappointed. 

Postseason letdowns are tough to watch and even harder to interpret. On the one hand, we are conditioned to consume small samples with a metric ton of salt. On the other hand, the playoffs are the entire reason why we play the regular-season games. If you're not getting it done on this stage, it can have an outsized impact on not only how your team's year ends, but what the future holds for it—and for you.

This ranking of the biggest postseason bummers (so far) will take its shape from three driving forces. First, everyone is judged relative to expectations. If you appear on this list, it's sort of like a backhanded compliment.

The significance of each player's role will also be taken into account. Primary offensive engines will be judged more harshly than fringe stars and wild cards. 

Finally, the extent to which struggles may have undermined the team and series will also be considered. If you are the foremost reason why your squad has been bounced or looking more vulnerable than expected, you're finishing higher up the big-yikes ladder.

10(Tie). Christian Braun, Zaccharie Risacher and Reed Sheppard

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Consider this a three-way tie for the "Our expectations were pretty low, but holy f—" tier.

Christian Braun has devolved into so much of an offensive non-entity that the Denver Nuggets essentially need Nikola Jokic to be his perma-chaperone. While this is par for the 25-year-old's course these days, he's about to start a $125 million extension next season that runs through 2030-31. If the Kroenkes don't pay Peyton Watson in restricted free agency this summer, jumping the shark with Braun will be among the reasons why.

Reed Sheppard remains underutilized to an extent with the Houston Rockets. He has also spit out micro-stretches of shot-making and defensive playmaking against the Los Angeles Lakers. But if you were hoping he could impact the offense, specifically, consistently enough to be treated as Houston's long-term solution (*raises hand*), I've got some bad news for ya.

Zaccharie Risacher didn't play outside garbage time during the Atlanta Hawks' first-round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks. That's the entire problem.

Atlanta is less than two years removed from selecting him No. 1 overall. It doesn't matter whether time is on his side. Tumbling behind Corey Kispert and, during Game 6, even Buddy Hield in the rotation is something worse than ominous.

9. Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers

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Shaedon Sharpe's inaugural trip to the playoffs was a total drag. He had a couple of "Oh Em Gee" moments, but beyond that, he shot under 28 percent from three, didn't hit enough of his twos, and was dinner for the San Antonio Spurs on defense. Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach phased him out of the rotation long before the series ever ended.

In Sharpe's defense, he only returned from a calf injury on Apr. 10. That could have contributed to him looking so off. The Spurs are also a tough matchup for, well, anyone.

At the same time, Sharpe said he was "fully physically healthy" for the series. That renders his performance and subsequent usage much more complicated. His four-year, $90 million extension kicks in next season. While that's not a back-breaking number, you'd think a team that's certain he's a mainstay in its future would give him more postseason runway.

8. Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks

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Mikal Bridges is no stranger to offensive inconsistency, but his vanishing acts have reached an all-time peak since the playoffs started.

Nobody in the New York Knicks' starting lineup is attempting fewer shots per game. His aversion to contact and penchant for fading away are stronger than ever. He has taken just three total shots at the rim in the half-court. 

Bridges perked up during the Knicks' Game 6 romp of the Atlanta Hawks, going for 24 points on 12 shots. His defense on reigning Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker was also excellent. 

Expectations for Bridges must be adjusted accordingly. The Knicks gave up a No. 1 option's ransom in hopes he could be their second- or third-in-command. He's now more like the fourth option. That's role-player territory. 

Even by those standards, though, you can't lose second-half minutes to Deuce McBride, Jordan Clarkson and/or Jose Alvarado in the middle of a playoff series and have it be considered a success.

7. Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors

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Figuring out where to put Brandon Ingram wasn't easy. He has not enjoyed a good postseason. But he may also be slogging through a right heel injury that he re-aggravated in the Toronto Raptors' Game 5 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That context, coupled with a reasonable mind's understanding of his limitations in the first place, keeps him out of the top five. Hooray? 

Toronto presumably traded for and then extended Ingram for these exact moments. His penchant for seeking out tough shots can be a scourge on the eyes, but the poise he oozes getting to his spots and uncorking said tough shots can, in theory, be a playoff godsend. 

Combine that with his efficiency in spot-up situations this year, and you can understand the vision. You just can't see it. Because it never materialized. 

Ingram's efficiency from three endures, but he doesn't take nearly enough of them for it to matter. His 37.1 percent clip on two-point jumpers is damning. Ditto for his nearly dead-even assist-to-turnover ratio. 

It's not as if his touches have opened up opportunities for others, either. He's not commanding enough attention. Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and RJ Barrett are grinding out offense through sheer force of will, movement and smarts. Toronto, in turn, is averaging 12-plus points per 100 possessions more with Ingram off the floor—hardly ideal returns from someone who's guaranteed $81.9 million over the next two years.

6. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

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Jalen Johnson is headed towards his first All-NBA bid and remains the cornerstone around whom the Atlanta Hawks are building. So, uh, it's probably not a good sign that he took a backseat to 34-year-old CJ McCollum during the team's six-game jaunt against the New York Knicks. 

Josh Hart and OG Anunoby made Johnson's life a living hell, but this first-round series exposed how limited he can be when forced to operate in the half-court. New York essentially erased Atlanta's transition offense from existence after Game 3. The Hawks' odds of winning the series disappeared with it. 

Johnson shot under 30 percent from three in the half-court, as well as just over 45 percent on two-pointers. That efficiency plummets further when removing his looks from the restricted area. He converted just 32 percent of his twos away from the rim.

Adding more in-between counters is a must for the 24-year-old. Without them, both Johnson and the Hawks will feel eminently solvable so long as he's their best player.

5. Derrick White, Boston Celtics

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Remember when Derrick White could actually make shots? Good times.

White's efficiency has been an issue for the Boston Celtics all season. He downed just 32.7 percent of his threes during the regular season, the second-lowest mark of his career. His 48.7 percent clip on twos was his third-worst as well.

Things aren't getting any better in the playoffs. He showed signs of life in Game 6, going 3-of-6 from downtown. But that only brings his three-point clip for the playoffs up to…25.6 percent. Plus, any efficiency upticks ring incredibly hollow when the Celtics got daddied by the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 anyway.

Boston better hope White's struggles amount to a protracted rut. Shooting 20 percent on spot-up triples and under 32 percent on wide-open treys is ugly enough to offset his defensive impact and end its season miles from the Eastern Conference Finals.

If there was ever a time for White to emerge from his long-range doldrums, it is right now. Not only are the Celtics entering a do-or-die Game 7 versus Philly, but Jayson Tatum suffered what is believed to be a left calf strain. After missing most of this season recovering from a ruptured right Achilles, you have to imagine Boston will proceed with caution. Whether he plays or is held out, White needs to pick up some of the offensive slack.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers Stars

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At the risk of forcing you to slog through too many Cleveland Cavaliers-related words, we're stashing every member of the (Not-So-)Big Four here. 

All of them have turned in moments worth celebrating. (Shout-out to Game 5 Evan Mobley.) Transient success isn't going to cut it, though. 

James Harden is averaging almost as many turnovers as assists. Donovan Mitchell has banged in plenty of threes, but is shooting a career-playoff low inside the arc. The minutes he's logged without Harden have also mostly been a disaster. Kudos to the Toronto Raptors' big and mobile defense, but damn. 

Jarrett Allen's usage has cratered. (Hat tip Raptors, again.) But the Cavs are getting pummeled, by and large, when Mobley rolls without him. The lack of physicality and overall oomph when they play together, meanwhile, is jarring—and certainly not worth the spacing trade-offs.

Cleveland is giving off paper-tiger vibes. Again. That isn't changing unless its four biggest names are more consistent.

3. Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

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Nobody has cost themselves more money in the playoffs than Jalen Duren. He is a Third Team All-NBA candidate, which left many wondering whether he'd get a five-year max worth $289.7 million, which he'd be eligible for.

Skip ahead to now, and the notion of the Detroit Pistons even giving him a standard max (five years, $239.3 million) feels incalculably reckless.

Duren is averaging double digits while struggling to get any sort of offensive traction. He hasn't been able to get anything started for himself. He's shooting under 28 percent on drives. His two-point efficiency drops from 53.1 percent alongside Cade Cunningham to 33.3 percent without him. 

Wendell Carter Jr. is doing an excellent job on him. The Orlando Magic are also gumming up the works by helping off non-shooters and derailing the Duren-Cade Cunningham two-man game.

Still, this is Detroit's second option we're talking about. Or rather, he's supposed to be.

2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

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Rudy Gobert had Nikola Jokić in a coffin for much of the first round. The absences of Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson loomed large, but the three-time MVP looking human for such a large portion of this six-game set was a catalyst for the Denver Nuggets' downfall.

Jokić exerted his will in pockets—including during the third quarter of Game 6—but almost everything about his offensive performance was out of whack. He couldn't buy a bucket from three and closed the season (playoffs included) having shot under 30 percent from long distance since returning from his left knee injury.    

If you've ever seen Jokić miss more of those floaters and flips and fades he normally hits over a six-game stretch, please let me know. He converted under 45 percent of his twos with Gobert on the court. For reference, Jokić has downed over 60 percent of his twos overall in every season since 2020-21. 

This says nothing of his after-the-buzzer chasedown of Jaden McDaniels at the end of Game 4. Or of Jaylen Clark getting under Jokić's skin in the second half of Game 6. Or of him taking just three shots during the fourth quarter of Game 6, with Denver's season, perhaps this core's very existence, at stake.

Lean into the "Jokić is finished as a megastar" takes at your own peril. This isn't the end of him. He'll get things right. He'll play better. But not this season. It's over. And he had a hand in ending it.

1. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

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Full disclosure: Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray had a joint hold on the runner-up spot until the Denver Nuggets' disastrous Game 6—and series loss—to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Blame shouldn't be placed solely on them. There's plenty to go around for ownership, who, way back when, couldn't find a way to keep Tim Connelly and have since watched him build the Nuggets' ultimate foil in Minnesota. But they are the stars, and pretty much all series long, they weren't good enough.

This applies tenfold to Murray. He has become known as a playoff-riser. Rest in peace to that reputation.

Murray closes the postseason having shot 41.2 percent on twos and 26.1 percent on threes. That is an absolute implosion relative to a regular season in which he (probably) earned himself All-NBA honors.

Like Rudy Gobert with Jokić, Jaden McDaniels deserves credit for flustering Murray all series. But he wasn't just missing ultra-contested looks. He bonked wide-open jumpers, too. He didn't make up for it elsewhere, either. The Nuggets got slaughtered in his minutes without Jokić, as the defense was bad.

Everything about Murray was worse in Game 6. He dropped 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting and finished a team-low minus-18. Perhaps worst of all, a Wolves squad missing Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu bodied him at the defensive end. He was relentlessly targeted—and it worked. If this wasn't his nadir, Denver should be terrified.

Nobody should be trying to rewrite the book on Jokić, Murray and these Nuggets. They were something special. Emphasis on were. Whether they still are—or will even get the chance, as constructed, to be—is debatable.

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Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.