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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 10 players who will struggle with their new teams

By Cody Williams

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors enters the arena during a pre-season game against the the Minnesota Timberwolves on September 29, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors enters the arena during a pre-season game against the the Minnesota Timberwolves on September 29, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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These 10 players will don a new jersey in the 2018-19 NBA season, but they won’t enjoy the success that they and their new teams are hoping for.

A new NBA season is upon us. While the Golden State Warriors look to continue their reign of terror over the league, while the Boston Celtics hope they have a burgeoning new dynasty now that they’re 100 percent healthy and while the Philadelphia 76ers try to take the next step with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, those are all truly on the periphery of the 2018-19 NBA season. They won’t be what defines a new campaign.

Instead, it’ll be players in new homes that ultimately defines the upcoming season. Of course, there’s no bigger instance of this than LeBron James beginning perhaps the final chapter(s) of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’re going to see a different version of James this season than we’ve ever seen before. Simply because of the personnel around him in Los Angeles, playing on the Lakers will necessitate him playing a different brand of basketball. With guys like Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball around him, him being the on-ball general at all times simply wouldn’t make sense and would create a redundancy issue on their roster, not fully maximizing what they’re capable of.

While that may be a different role for LeBron, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll be a worse version. After all, he’s arguably the single most gifted basketball player we’ve seen in the history of the league. Thus, he’s more than capable of adapting to a new role with a new team.

Not every player in the league can say that, though. There are going to be players suiting up for new teams in the 2018-19 NBA season that will struggle to find the same success that they’ve enjoyed previously. In previewing the new year, let’s take a look at 10 such players that fall into that category.