NBA All-Time Underrated Players Team

This is my team of great players you never hear get mentioned as often as they should.

These are trail blazers who made the game better on its journey to today.

The game has changed through the years, from the style of play, to the conditioning practices of the players.

Many players held jobs other than basketball in those days to make ends meet. This left less time to train and prepare for the upcoming season.

The game was not only rougher then, but they generally were more fundamentally sound.

These are my picks for you to question all you like, assuming you actually know who these players are.

Small Forward: Adrian Dantley

At 6'5", Dantley lived in the blocks for 15 seasons with intelligence, grit, and determination.

Adrian led the NBA in scoring twice.

Career PPG average of 24.3.

Ranked 16th all-time in FG percentage with .540.

Dantley lived at the foul line. Once made 28 FTs in a game (tied with Wilt Chamberlain) and ranks sixth all time in FTs made.

Adrian was instrumental at stopping UCLA's 88-game winning streak while a freshman at Notre Dame.

Dantley was an All Star in six of his seven seasons with Utah, where his No. 4 is retired.

Honorable Mention: ALEX ENGLISH

smooth, understated finesse player who blossomed with the high-scoring Nuggets of the 80s.

English is the highest scorer of the 80s, and is the first player ever to string together eight straight 2,000-point seasons.

Power Forward: Buck Williams

Buck averaged over 12 RPG in six of his first eight seasons with the Nets, with whom his No. 52 jersey is retired.

He also led the Trail Blazers to three Western Conference Finals and two NBA Finals in his first three seasons in Portland.

He still holds Portland's franchise record for highest FG percentage at 55 percent.

He is also one of only seven players in NBA history with over 16,000 points and 13,000 rebounds.

This 1982 Rookie of the Year was also a stellar defensive stalwart, making the All-NBA Defensive Team four times.

Honorable Mention: TOM CHAMBERS
Chambers ranks 29th all-time in scoring. He ran the pick and roll to perfection and scored over 27 PPG in 1989-90. He was also a deadly outside shooter.

Center: Wes Unseld

Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players to be NBA MVP and Rookie of the Year the same season.

Known for being an excellent passer, especially on the outlet for a fast break, Unseld could throw a chest pass the length of the court.

Unseld was also a stellar defensive player and one of the best rebounders to ever have played.

In 1975, Unseld led the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots. The next season, Unseld led the NBA in FG percentage with .561 percent.

Unseld was listed at 6'7", but many say he was closer to 6'5". His strength, determination and intelligence had him outplaying opposing centers routinely six or more inches taller than him.

Unseld played 13 seasons with the Washington Bullets, where his No. 41 is retired, and led them to 12 consecutive playoff appearances and four NBA Finals in the 70s.

He was the 1978 NBA Finals MVP and one of the 50 Greatest Players of NBA History. He averaged 10.8 PPG and 14 RPG in his career.

Honorable Mention: DAN ISSEL
Issel played 16 seasons and averaged 20.5 PPG and 8 RPG. He was an outstanding perimeter shooter who could play PF as well.

He averaged 30 PPG his first two seasons, winning the 1970 ABA Rookie of the Year.

Won the 1975 ABA title with Hall of Fame Center, Artis Gilmore.

At the time of his retirement, only Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Erving has scored more points than Issel in professional basketball history.

Shooting Guard: Dražen Petrović

Petro only played in the NBA for four years before his untimely death.

His first season was spent buried on the bench behind Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler in Portland. After a repeat 38 games into his second season, Petrović demanded a trade.

Arriving in New Jersey, Petro blossomed. His first full season, Petro scored 20.6 PPG. His second saw an average over 22 PPG.

Petrović was very efficient for a perimeter player, shooting 52 percent from the floor and 45 percent from the three-point line his two seasons in New Jersey.

Petro was already an international legend for years before heading to the NBA. He started his pro career at 15 and was instantly a star.

He led both Yugoslavia and Croatia to medals ranging from gold to bronze in competitions in his 10 plus seasons.

Petro's success opened the door for the following wave of international stars to saturate the NBA.

Honorable Mention: LAFAYETTE LEVER—Personal choice here.

"Fat" had a four-year run that was Oscar Robertson-esque before injury early into the fifth season made him a less effective player for the remaining two years of his career (he missed '92-'93 completely).

Lever averaged 19 PPG, 9 RPG, and 7 APG during that run and was a top defensive player as well, making the NBA All-Defensive Team in '88.

One of only three players to ever get more than 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a playoff game (Wilt Chamberlain and Jason Kidd are the others).

Point Guard: Nate Archibald

"Tiny" never gets his due amongst the greats.

He had one of the greatest seasons ever for any guard to ever play, when he averaged 34 PPG and had 910 assists (11.4 APG) for the Kansas City Kings in 1973. Both were NBA records for a guard at that time.

Tiny also found time to pull down over 3 RPG and steal the ball over twice a game. He was named NBA MVP by The Sporting News.

The season before, he averaged 28 PPG and averaged 8 APG for the Cincinnati Royals before the Royals then moved to Kansas City and changed their name to the Kings.

Tiny blew out his knee in 1974, but came back the following two seasons to score over 24 PPG and get 6 APG each year.

Tiny's career was reborn in Boston, where all he had to do was quarterback a great team instead of carry them, leading them to an NBA Championship in 1980-81.

Honorable Mention: KEVIN PORTER
Porter played 10 seasons in the NBA (missing one season due to injury) and led the league in APG and total assists four times.

One of the best passers to ever play, Porter held the record for assists in one game, 29, for a decade before Scott Skiles broke it by one assist.

Porter led the Washington Bullets to the 1974 NBA Finals, was in in the top 10 in steals two different seasons, and finished his career averaging over 11 PPG and 8 APG.