4 NBA Stars Who Should Sit Out 2020 Season Restart
By Jerry Trotta
ESPN insider Adrian Wojarnowski dropped pretty significant news on Wednesday when he reported that players around the NBA are growing skeptical about the league's plan to restart the 2019-20 season at Disney World in Orlando in late July.
With concerns over players choosing not to participate becoming more realistic, Woj followed this news up by revealing that the NBA is considering instituting a "substitution player" contingency to prepare for such a predicament. You'd assume these conversations are largely being had by players on teams that don't have a feasible chance at competing for a championship, and understandably so.
Why should they jeopardize their health to help the league turn a profit by playing amid the coronavirus pandemic? With this in mind, let's highlight some players that should absolutely sit out the remainder of the campaign.
4. Devin Booker
The only thing that Devin Booker would have to gain by partaking in the NBA's restart is showcasing his craft to the casual sports fan that isn't aware of his stardom. That's it. The Phoenix Suns have the second-worst record among the 22 teams invited to Orlando, and they, even with a healthy Deandre Ayton, would likely get smoked in the play-in tournament. Booker is a beast -- real basketball fans know this -- but him holding out hope that the Suns could shock the world and make the playoffs is severely misguided.
3. Bradley Beal
The Washington Wizards will be one of the 22 teams invited to Orlando to finish the season. Should the biggest star on a team that was 24-40 when play was halted really push to play in what will ultimately be meaningless games? Absolutely not. Bradley Beal ranks second in the NBA with a whopping 30.5 points per game this year, and his Wizards were still 16 games below .500. The two-time All-Star might've played college ball at Florida, but him reporting to Disney World with Washington would make zero sense.
2. Victor Oladipo
The Indiana Pacers have a nice roster, but do we really expect them to advance far in the playoffs? At best, they would pull off an upset in the first round and proceed to get smacked in the second. This is why Victor Oladipo, who appeared in 13 games following his triumphant return from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee suffered last January, shouldn't return. The two-time All-Star was already on a minutes cap anyway, so mailing it in to ensure that he returns fully healthy next season just seems like the smart move.
1. Damian Lillard
Could a revamped Portland Trail Blazers team that will now have Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins available to help them compete for the No. 8 seed ruffle some feathers in the Western Conference playoffs? Absolutely, but let's be real -- they stand no chance at defeating the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. Damian Lillard, who was nursing a groin injury before the season was suspended, has already voiced his displeasure with the new format. He shouldn't risk further injury just to compete for the chance to squeak into the postseason only to get drubbed by the Lakers or Clips. As much was we loved watching Lillard send the Oklahoma City Thunder home last year, sitting out this time around is unquestionably the best move for his career.