5 NBA Stars off to Concerning Slow Starts in 2019-20

In the NBA, teams are almost exclusively driven by their stars, especially in the regular season. If those guys aren't performing to expectations, a season could be lost in a flash.

This year, some of the best players in the league in recent years have been off to rough starts. The under-performance of these players can be cited as a direct cause to the drastic decrease in their teams' success or the reason they haven't yet maximized their potential.

5. Kristaps Porzingis

San Antonio Spurs v Dallas Mavericks / Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The newest addition to the Dallas Mavericks has gotten off to a bit of a sluggish start, and while averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds a game looks good on paper, Porzingis is shooting just 40%. The Unicorn's rebounds are up, but his scoring efficiency is a bit of a concern even though he's coming off a torn ACL and didn't play at all last year.

4. Draymond Green

Boston Celtics v Golden State Warriors / Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Warriors' season can be characterized as a train that went off the tracks. After Klay Thompson and Steph Curry got injured, Green needed to deliver, and he instead trended in the other direction. Green is shooting 26.7% from distance and 39.6% from the field.

3. Marc Gasol

Toronto Raptors v New Orleans Pelicans / Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The veteran center may be in a limited role, but he's validating just how limited it should be with poor play in the first few weeks of the season. Gasol is averaging 6.4 points on 34% shooting and is playing 28 minutes per game. Somehow, the Raptors are still playing at a high level in the Eastern Conference, where the team sits at 10-4 and just 1.5 games behind the Bucks.

2. Mike Conley

Utah Jazz v Golden State Warriors / Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

The longtime Memphis Grizzlies stud has not had a great start his season in Utah. He has only managed to score 14.9 points a game on a well below-average field goal percentage of 36.9%. Conley hasn't looked the part on the court either, as his ability to take over games seems to be lost and forgotten. Not exactly what the Jazz were looking for.

1. CJ McCollum

Portland Trail Blazers v Milwaukee Bucks / Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Blazers' sharpshooter has seen a drastic dip in performance this year, and perhaps it is due to a larger role for the star. He is shooting worse from the free throw line, the field, and from 3-point range. His Player Efficiency rating ranks 117th in the league, which is simply unacceptable for the star guard.