While a number of NBA players prove themselves as stars on the rise every season, others begin to decline.
It's a natural progression for athletes in any sport. As they get older, they start to lose some of the athleticism needed to keep up with players starting their careers or entering their primes. However, there are other situations that can also come into play. A crowded rotation, for example, can take away opportunities one needs to make their impact. So, too, can a system or overall lack of talent make an environment more toxic than it needs to be.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the eight players who are destined to decline in the 2016-17 NBA season for one reason or another.
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Even though Dwyane Wade is still one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, the situation in Chicago doesn't set him up for much success.
Neither Wade nor Rajon Rondo are capable 3-point shooters, and Jimmy Butler doesn't move the needle much having converted 32.8 percent of his career attempts from that distance. With Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott being the only proven 3-point threats in a system built on spacing, everyone on the roster will have little-to-no room to work with.
Factor in some natural decay heading into his 14th season, and it's easy to see how Wade could take a step back in 2016-17.
But maybe that won't bother Wade as much at this stage of his career. He's already won three championships and his best days are clearly behind him. This isn't Kevin Durant going to Warriors to win a championship. The move to Chicago was about coming home and living out his childhood dream of wearing the same jersey as Michael Jordan. One can only hope the Bulls find a way to make the most of Butler's prime before it's too late, though, because adding Rondo and Wade to the mix certainly isn't the answer.
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Jahlil Okafor is in a weird situation. After being the No. 1 option for the 76ers last season, he'll now compete with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for minutes and touches. The transition might not happen overnight since there will be an adjustment period for Simmons and Embiid is recovering from a number of career-defining surgeries, but it remains to be seen how Okafor fits into Philadelphia's long-term vision.
The additions of Embiid and Simmons will affect Nerlens Noel, too, but his ability to protect the rim and run the floor makes him a better fit alongside two ball-dominant players. Okafor, on the other hand, scored 32 percent of his total baskets out of post-ups last season — a higher rate than DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Vucevic, Dirk Nowitzki and Brook Lopez — and was in the top 40 in Usage Rating. With Simmons operating at best as a point forward and Embiid being a more natural fit in today's NBA, there will be less of a need for Okafor's post-ups moving forward.
For those reasons, we could see Okafor traded before the season starts to make room for one of those players in the frontcourt. Okafor is obviously a gifted scorer, and some team other than the 76ers might be able to make better use of his talent.
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Over the last two seasons, Klay Thompson has seen his Usage Rating spike to the high 20s, which just so happens to coincide with his two best seasons as a pro. The problem: Kevin Durant's arrival will eat into that significantly. Not only will it impact his shot attempts, Thompson won't have the same volume of opportunities to create for himself and others off the dribble.
Durant's decision to join the Warriors will impact everyone on the roster — including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — but Thompson stands to be the biggest victim. That doesn't mean he won't continue to leave his mark as one of the best two-way players in the league. His role will just look different starting from next season and his overall numbers will likely take a sizeable hit.
Even with that in mind, Thompson seems excited to have Durant on the team. He was one of many Warriors who convinced him to come to Golden State and understands that it'll take some sacrifice to make it work. In an interview with USA Today's Sam Amick, Thompson compared his situation to Manu Ginobili's in San Antonio — an encouraging sign when it comes to how they will co-exist.
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Before either of them sustained season-ending injuries, there were rumors that the duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight might be broken up before the trade deadline due to "tension." That's a big problem considering they're the two highest paid players on the roster who basically play the same position.
Making matters more complicated: The Suns need to find a way to get Devin Booker, who is due for a breakout season, more touches. With Bledsoe and Knight on the roster, it's hard to imagine them finding ways to keep everyone in the rotation — including Tyler Ulis — happy.
The Suns are reportedly looking to trade either Bledsoe or Knight before the start of the season, which would solve a lot of problems, but it could become complicated if they're unable to move either of them.
With the influx of young talent over the last couple of seasons, the Suns are in good position to start fresh and build their roster back up anyway. Now they have to figure out whether or not Bledsoe and Knight factor into their future.
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Tony Parker had a better regular season in 2015-16 than the statistics indicate. Not only was he more efficient around the basket compared to the previous season, he developed great chemistry with LaMarcus Aldridge that helped the Spurs become one of the best offensive teams in the NBA.
Nevertheless, Parker has lost a step when compared to his prime and his performance in the playoffs doesn't leave much room for optimism. Against the bigger and more athletic Thunder, Parker averaged 10.8 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the field. Those numbers were boosted by a 22-point outburst in Game 4, too. Take that performance out of the equation and Parker averaged only 8.6 points on 40.9 percent shooting in the series.
The good news for the Spurs is they're less reliant on Parker than ever before. Kawhi Leonard and Aldridge are the future of the team, and they've got a promising point guard rotation of Parker, Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray. Kyle Anderson and Pau Gasol can also take on some responsibility as point forwards to lighten the load for Parker.
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At this stage of his career, there's nothing left for LeBron James to prove.
To go along with his three championship rings, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell have taken home more regular season MVPs than him in NBA history. Jordan is the only person who has more NBA Finals MVPs than James, too. Oh, and LeBron brought an end to Cleveland's 52-year championship drought last season, solidifying his place as one of the greatest players of all-time. (He might even be the greatest depending on how you want to look at it).
Now entering his 14th year in the NBA, it wouldn't be a surprise if James pumps the breaks during the regular season to save enough gas in the tank for another magical playoff run. That probably won't stop him from being one of the top three players in the league — James can get 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in his sleep — but he could easily pass the torch to Kyrie Irving to do most of the heavy lifting until the postseason.
And if that does happen, expect LeBron to flip the switch again in April.
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This is sort of a make-or-break situation for Serge Ibaka. He has shown some signs of decline over the last two seasons both offensively and defensively, but he was understandably frustrated with his role in Oklahoma City playing behind Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Now with the Magic, he'll have an opportunity to be one of their go-to scorers and fill the gaps in their defense by being the mobile and athletic rim protector he was three years ago. As long as Ibaka proves he can still do that, he will have just about every team in the NBA knocking down his door when he becomes a free agent next summer.
Players at his position who can switch onto guards and knock down 3-pointers at a decent clip are in incredibly high demand, and Ibaka would provide a significant upgrade in most situations. However, if Ibaka's best days are behind him, we'll find out very soon.
It won't necessarily be easy for him, either, considering Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon are all expected to get minutes at power forward and center next season.
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As SN's Danny Leroux explained last season, smaller guards have a tendency to age worse than anyone else in the league, which is an ongoing concern with Chris Paul given his knee problems and mileage. However, instead of giving in to Father Time, Paul had one of his best seasons yet in 2015-16.
His Player Efficient Rating of 26.2 was amongst the higher marks of his career, and he carried the Clippers in the 44 straight games Blake Griffin missed with averages of 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest.
Despite those numbers, a decline for Paul is inevitable. He will turn 32 in May and he's entering his 12th season in the NBA. We could very well get another typical CP3 season with him hovering around 20 points and 10 assists per game, but it wouldn't be shocking to see a slight dip in production especially if Griffin returns to full health.
