The 5 players who could take a step back in their career in the NBA 2026

It is not easy to stay at the top, and many players may experience a certain hangover from success. There are several candidates for this in 2026, due to team changes, technical characteristics, role to play, or evolution of the NBA. It is advisable to predict which men may lose relative importance in the competition.

Thinking that something could go wrong does not indicate acute pessimism but rather a clear reading of the situations that could arise in a competition as complex as the NBA. Staying at the highest level is not easy for those who are not part of the frontline stars. Each season, secondary role players emerge who make a leap in quality, but they are destined to lower their level the following year for various reasons.

This could be the case for Cam Johnson, whose fit in the Denver Nuggets may seem ideal, but there is a risk of an overvaluation trend becoming evident. He has been out of a competitive project for a long time, has to make fans forget about Porter Jr, and has been given a great responsibility, so he could feel the pressure. Another case would be Malik Beasley, whose off-field problems could greatly affect him and lead to a loss of level.

A separate mention is deserved for DeMar DeRozan, whose experience makes it impossible to avoid a loss of status. Two other paradigmatic cases of potential level drops would occur at the Atlanta Hawks, where it will be difficult for Dyson Daniels to maintain his stellar level from last year, and also for Kristaps Porzingis, who may struggle with a leading role on a team not yet contending for the championship, especially after all his injuries.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los 5 jugadores que pueden dar un paso atrás en su carrera en la NBA 2026