The 2007-2008 season ended a few days ago with the Celtics beating the Lakers in the Finals. It was a great year that included the greatest regular-season conference race of all time (Western Conference), a great MVP race (Kobe finally winning over Chris Paul) and several teams becoming legitimate championship contenders (NO, Utah, Orlando).
Looking ahead to next season, here are the ten most underrated players in the NBA:
10. Andrew Bogut
This may be a surprise pick to some of you, but I think he is one of the five or six best centers in the league, but doesn't get much recognition at all.
He averaged 14.5 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots while shooting an efficient 51 percent from the field, and averaging only a little bit over two turnovers a game.
He was tied for 11th in the league in rebounding, and tied for ninth in the league in blocked shots. I think he will end up with a solid career, in which he will average over 15 points and ten rebounds over the next decade.
9. Tyson Chandler
Chandler is one of the most physical players in the whole league. He is a great defensive player—solid as a one-on-one defender in the post and excellent in helping and blocking shots.
He is also the best offensive rebounder in the game, averaging 4.1 offensive boards per game. He is one of the fastest and most athletic big men in the league, which is why he and CP3 have so many alley oops—most of which occur in transition when Chandler's defender can't keep up with him.
8. Monta Ellis
Ellis is one of the quickest and explosive players in the league. This past year, he averaged an impressive 20 points per game, while also grabbing five rebounds and averaging four assists.
He is also a solid perimeter defender and one of the most efficient players on the court. He shoots 53 percent from the field—incredible for a guard—while averaging only two turnovers a game.
7. Manu Ginobili
I have always thought that Manu has been underrated. I think he is much more important to the Spurs than Tony Parker, as he is an all-around offensive player and an above-average defensive player. He is also one of the most clutch players, and is always the player who makes plays for the Spurs at the end of games.
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He is fearless in getting to the rim, he is an excellent finisher, and he is a good midrange and three-point shooter.
Finally, Ginobili is just a winner. He has won three rings with the Spurs, and has been extremely successful at the international level.
6. Andre Miller
Miller has been one of the most consistent point guards in the league for the last eight to nine years. He has always been on the top of the assist leaders, and he is a solid scorer who averages around 15-16 points per game.
He is a solid rebounder for a point guard (around four a game) and he is extremely efficient (shooting 49 percent from the field. He is also a solid defender who averages a solid one-and-a-half steals while committing only 2.5 turnovers.
He also rarely ever gets injured. Miller has played 80 or more games in every season of his career.
5. Shawn Marion
Marion is one of the most unique players in the history of the league. He is an excellent scorer (around 18 points per game), a superb rebounder (10 a game), and one of the most efficient and best all-around defenders in the league.
He averages around two steals and two blocks a game, while averaging only 1.5 turnovers. He shoots a good percentage from the field, the three-point arc, and the free-throw line.
He is one of the few players who can guard the anyone on the opposing team from their point guard through their power forward, and be effective.
4. Deron Williams
In my opinion, Williams is the best point guard in the league. He averages 19 points and 10 assists per game, while shooting an unbelievable 51 percent from the field, 40 percent from the three-point line, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Williams is also a solid defender, who uses his size and strength to bother the point guard he is guarding. He is a fantastic player when it matters most—as he always does his best in the playoffs.
For him to have never been on an All-Star team is a travesty. He and Chris Paul are going to be the top point guards in the league for the next 10 years.
3. Elton Brand
Brand has been the epitome of consistency for the last eight to nine years. Prior to this season (when he was injured for the majority of the year), he was a lock for 20 ppg, 10 rpg, over two blocks, a couple of assists, and solid percentages from the field (over 50 percent) and from the free throw line (around 75 percent).
He is also a very good defender, and is known to be one of the nicest guys in the league, as well as a great teammate.
2. Josh Smith
Smith is one of the most explosive and athletic players in the league. He is an amazing defensive player who averages three blocks and 1.5 steals a game. He is also being a great rebounder, who averages over eight as a forward.
He has an improving offensive game, as he averaged over 17 points and three assists per game while raising his field goal percentage to 46. His future is extremely bright, as he is only 22 years old.
He will play in multiple All-Star games in his career, and will become one of best offensive/defensive players in the league.
1. David West
West has been a very good player for the last three years. He averaged 17 PPG and seven RPG in '05-'06, and 18 PPG and eight RPG the year after.
This season, West raised his game to be a 20 and nine player, while also improving his defense (1.3 blocks) and efficiency (49 percent from field and 85 percent from the free throw line—amazing for a power forward).
He didn't get as much recognition as he should have because of Chris Paul's amazing season, but without West making all of those midrange shots and being so good in the post, CP3 wouldn't have had as good of a year as he had—and certainly wouldn't have been a MVP candidate.
I am going to give you the top ten overrated players in the next couple of days. For now, though, I would like to hear your opinions on the most underrated players. Who do you think should be on the list, and who do you think shouldn't have been on the list?
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2 months ago
I like it, Derron Williams especially I feel is completely underrated. He's just as good as Chris Paul.
2 months ago
dude, you've got mostly All-stars on your list. That hardly qualifies one a underrated
2 months ago
You really have to revise your notion of 'underated'...But I mean really.
An underated player is a guy like, I don't know, Zydrunas Ilgauskas who gets little or not recognition from the NBA fans, little or no NBA vote but still bring, night in and night out, a solid all around game.
Names like Shane Battier comes in mind, altough he his widely recognize as one of the best defender in the league.
One of my favorite 'underate' guy is definitively Samuel Dalembert. Steady center, good overall game but little or no appreciation.
from 2 months ago
Samuel Dalembert is very overrated!!! He's improving with everytime he steps onto the court but he's complete garbage. The only way he'll be any good is if they continue with this run 'n' gun style offense which he excels in!!!
2 months ago
Definitely agree with Deron. Actually he's in my top 10 players period:
http://top10sandramblings.blogspot.com/
Comments?
2 months ago
Gerald Wallace could be on this list.
2 months ago
Manu underrated?!! He's a good player, but he gets his recognition. This year he was sixth man of the year, third team All-NBA and 2007-08 Flopper of the Year. He plays on the court with two Finals MVPs.
Deron Williams..."For him to have never been on an all-star team is a travesty." Travesty? He's been in the league a whole three years. John Stockton, Jazz fans may have seen him play a little bit of point guard too, didn't make the All-Star game until his 5th season. Not saying Deron's not good. He is. He gives my Hornets fits because Chris Paul can't handle his size. But he will make the All-Star game next year. Oh, and not to mention, he will be an Olympian this summer with Paul. Ask Bryan Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski if he's overrated.
2 months ago
Jose Calderon would definitely make my list, although this year people did start to really take notice.
2 months ago
Ever hear of a guy name Tayshaun Prince?
2 months ago
Manu is not underrated. Battier is underrated. Finally, somone gives my man, Andre Miller, some recognition. He's a true point guard which is a lost art in the NBA. Agree with Steven, Tayshaun Prince. Bruce Bowen & Raja Bell are underrated for their defensive abilities.
2 months ago
it's hard to call shawn marion "underrated" but he may be "underappreciated" considering he is truly a great forward. manu is a great talent, but he gets his due. David West coming in to this year fit the bill perfectly. But after the Hornets run, I think people recognize his talent. Deron Williams, as good as he is, is still somehow underrated. He is truly a sensational point guard and we will be seeing a lot more of him in the future.
I would have liked to see guys like tayshaun prince, devin harris, david lee among others but overall a solid list.
2 months ago
Elton Brand was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 draft after being named college player of the year at Duke. How can someone of such stature be underrated? It seems he has to work hard to meet expectations.
I can't go with you on Bogut, he may end up as a journeyman. Defense makes a bigman.
Deron Williams and Ginobli are two of the most talked about players. I don't know about being underrated.
Let's agree that David West is probably the most underrated and I think you need a no-prize for spotting Tyson Chandler on the list. That's an excellent call. Josh Smith and Andre Miller are two more excellent choices. Both are much better than perceived and discussed nationally. Very good work by you to pull those two. Monta Ellis is another solid choice by you.
I have to admit that until I read your list I always thought of Shawn Marion as a star. Maybe people don't follow him like I do.
Very good work. Let's see more.
2 months ago
leon "the show" powe
2 months ago
david west WAS the #1 underrated player at seasons start, but with sooo much talk of him being underrated hes normal now (and hopefull not overrated, just look at what happened to ben wallace). i personally think josh smith, elton brand and marion should not be on this list. and they should be replaced with matt carrol, adam morrison and raymond felton.
2 months ago
Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA, lets not kid ourselves here. That being said, where's Al Jefferson on this list? As Jay Mariotta says "just look at the numbers" he puts up 21 points, 11 rebounds, and shoots 50 percent from the field as well at 72 percent from the free throw line. I think he's better then both Chandler and Bogut and very close to Elton Brand on this list as far as big men go, yet since he plays for the rebuilding Timberwolves, nobody knows about him.
I'd say Jamal Crawford and his 20 points per game are more underrated then Manu Ginobili. Ginobili has played on national television more then most of the guys in the NBA because of the Spurs success. Some analysts call him more important to the Spurs then Tim Duncan, so the underrated tag is not relevant here.
Another VERY underrated NBA player is Antawn Jamison. He's been to the All-Star game just twice in his career and not for the first time untill 2004. His third year in the league he put up 25 points and 9 boards a game and wasn't picked. In his playoff career he's solid at 20 points and 8 boards a game. Against Cleveland in 2006-2007 he put up a sick 32 points per.
from 2 months ago
*Mariotti*
from 2 months ago
Jay the joke Mariotti. D-Will is as good as CP3.
from 2 months ago
As of right now CP3 is better. Deron Williams is right there behind him but he's not on the same level as Paul. Paul was robbed of the MVP by the NBA's "Kobe Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award" committee. Paul was the ROY in their first year in the league and should win multiple at least one MVP award in his career. I imagine LeBron will be taking one or two home in the near future.
Let's compare CP3 to D-Will then.
Rookie Year :
CP3 - 16.1 ppg, 7.8 apg, 5.1 rpg, 2.2 spg, 85% FT
D-Will - 10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.4 rpg, .8 spg, 70% FT
Second Season:
CP3 - 17.3 ppg, 8.9 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 spg, 82% FT
D-Will - 16.2 ppg, 9.3 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 spg, 77% FT
Third Season:
CP3 - 21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 spg, 85% FT
D-Will - 18.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, 80% FT
Career:
CP3 - 18.2 ppg, 9.5 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 spg, 84% FT
D-Will - 15.3 ppg, 8.1 apg, 2.9 rpg, .9 spg, 77% FT
2008 Playoffs:
CP3 - 24.1 ppg, 11.3 apg, 4.9 rpg, 2.3 spg, 79% FT
D-WIll - 21.g ppg, 10.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, .6 spg, 77% FT
from 2 months ago
Statistically you got me, I mean what was I thinking... Obviously D-Will having the head to head matchup doesn't really matter. You notice how conservative the offense of Jerry Sloan was before D-Will, now imagine if he had a free willing offense. They've become a better offensive team, but Sloan still has them sticking to a lot of his original offensive tasks and plays. The commentators from ESPN went out of there way to mention that Williams refrains too much from scoring. Williams stated at a press conference during the lakers series that he aims to get his team started first, and that calls for him to take a back seat in terms of scoring. I mean what really differentiates them? Is it the fact that D-Will doesn't throw more lobs in the air, like CP3 does for Chandler? Is it because Deron doesn't gamble on defense, but instead use his body to overwhelm opposing guards? I've got nothing against Chris, and I absolutely admire his charity work for the people of New Orleans. I got a first hand look at his efforts while I was down there volunteering for school, and he is an admirable guy. I was hoping since they are such good friends that one of the two (obviously I was cheering for Deron) would break the mold and get his team to the finals. It just drives me mad that people tend to just admit he is it, and on top of that everyone just points to stats and then decides Chris is your guy. Last year when the Jazz resurrected themselves no one pointed to D-Will, it was a team effort. This year when New Orleans made their run, forget sweet shooting Peja, the emergence of All-Star David West, the transformed defensive maven and rebounding stud Tyson Chandler, and etc. In the case of guys like Parker, Chauncey, no one mentions stats, but easily names them in the conversations as the best point guards. The rookie year for D-will was ridiculously frustrating. Jerry Sloan is notorious for not letting rookies play, and keeping them on a leash. The franchise is fortunate that Williams had the fire to go out and work all summer with Stockton in Spokane. If you want to say Chris is better statistics wise, you got me, you obviously have the numbers down pat. Head to head wise I think Deron has his number, and at the same time there is nothing from watching both play that leads to me believe that Paul is overwhelmingly better than Deron, or vice versa.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3264267&type=story
I can understand why people love him, he is a debutant.
from 2 months ago
They've both been the key ingredient to their team being back on the basketball map. The Jazz were only 26-56 before he got there and have improved their win total each year. This year they were 54-28 so he's definitely had an impact.
However, I think the Jazz have better supporting players around Williams then Paul in New Orleans. Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and even guys like Paul Millsap and Matt Harpring contribute well.
In New Orleans case I think most of Paul's support players are good because of Pauls ability to take over a game. The only way Peja can get anything acoomplished unless Paul drives into the lane and the defense comes to him leaving Peja open. You saw it during the San Antonio series once they put Bowen on him he was all out of rhythm. He can't move without the ball which is what you must do to have success against Bruce Bowen unless you're offensively savvy like Kobe and LeBron. All he really does is sit in the corner or on the wing and wait for someone to double off him and then he's open. The same thing goes for Morris Peterson.
Tyson Chandler has always been a good defender but he's never been on a team that's as good as New Orleans was this year. David West is Paul's Carlos Boozer. Look at the Hornets bench compared to Utah. Jannero Pargo, Mike James, Bonzi Wells, Julian Wright, and Melvin Ely are the back-ups. I just think it's more impressive what Paul has been able to accomplish with what I consider as less around him.
Look I'm not saying I think the discrepancy between Chris Paul and Deron Williams is night and day but I do still believe Paul is better. They are the top two point guards in the league without a doubt. Steve Nash is on the decline now, Tony Parker is lucky to have Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and Chauncey Billups is too inconsistent. There is a reason these two were picked in the top 4 of the draft and they've taken two teams that combine for 44 wins in the season before they entered the league to this year the Jazz and Hornets combined for 110 wins.
from 2 months ago
I have to disagree. The Hornets brass did a wonderful job building a team how it should be built. David West and Boozer is a push, I would much rather have West who actually shows up during the playoffs. They have a center who actually is a deterrent down low, our center hangs around the 3 point line, and has a vertical of about 2 inches. They have a shooter at small forward and shooting guard, while we got guys who you wouldn't dare want shooting in Kirilenko and Brewer. This team works because of Deron Williams, The supporting cast to me are push, we have a bunch of one dimensional guys on our bench, hence that is why they don't start. Your backup PG has the capability to light it up at any given time, while our guy is perfect for spot duty. Millsap and Harpring run on effort and because of the rugged system of Utah they prosper. The supporting cast to me are the same, matter of fact I would take New Orleans team because all the players have more defined roles, and are consistent. Did your small forward cry after a playoff game against the rockets? How about David West, by chance did he go out with a whimper in your second round series? New Orleans is looking to lock up David West, and they already have Chandler locked up, did you here what the Jazz brass thought about Boozer and Okur's contracts that are set to expire? "We'll let it play out", according to the Jazz GM.
from 2 months ago
Deron Williams is just as good as Chris Paul. Find out by reading my article "Deron Williams or Chris Paul?". Chris Paul wasn't robbed of the MVP by Kobe Bryant. Let's compare stats last season:
FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
Kobe Bryant 0.459 0.361 0.840 1.1 5.2 6.3 5.4 1.8 0.5 3.13 2.80 28.3
Chris Paul 0.488 0.369 0.851 0.8 3.2 4.0 11.6 2.7 0.1 2.51 2.30 21.1
Kobe Bryant dominated Chris Paul and his team went to the NBA Finals. Chris Paul choked in the playoffs.
from 2 months ago
"Kobe Bryant dominated Chris Paul and his team went to the NBA Finals. Chris Paul choked in the playoffs."
That may be one of the most moronic things I've ever read. Paul took a team of guys that hadn't been to the playoffs together and took the defending champs to a game 7. The Lakers were the hottest team in the NBA after the Gasol trade and were lucky Manu Ginobili decided not to play against them. That was some of the worst basketball Ginobili has played in his career. David West's back was in horrible shape at the end of the Spurs series and it was a factor in the loss. Unlike Kobe's back against Utah, I think Wests back was in actual pain.
Whenever Kobe would miss a shot he'd hold his back and grimace like Tiger Woods at the US Open whenever he'd make a bad shot. However, if Kobe made shots in that game he'd be pumping his fist and playing like there was nothing wrong with him, which there wasn't. Did anyone see the play he "hurt" himself on? It was just a fadeaway jumper. He didn't get hit it was just a regular fadeaway.
Paul increase his stellar regular season number in the post season and made mince meat of Jason Kidd and Tony Parker. Kobe didn't dominate Chris Paul, his team won ONE more game then Paul's which is ultimately the deciding factor. If you're going to go by numbers only I'd say LeBron James should have 2 MVP's by now, but that's just my opinion.
2 months ago
what about a guy on a team that cant do much... Rudy Gay! For being the only real offensive threat on the Grizzlies, he had the highest point increase this past season, raising his total by 9 points! and still no real recognition. Thats underrated.
2 months ago
Deron willimas is AMAZING and the best point Guard
2 months ago
Elton Brand no. 1 BAR NONE. Could be a hall of famer numbers wise but has got to get out of LA and salvage some type of legacy.
2 months ago
Keep it up, Marcel. However, I do think that you could have left out the part about Elton Brand being nice.
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