5 Most Underrated Player Combinations Heading into the 2012-13 NBA Season
These five player combinations are often overlooked in the grand scheme of the NBA. However, these lineups could effect the playoff landscape in the NBA.
None of the teams of the top five most underrated player combinations will compete for a championship, but these lineups will be productive and perhaps lead their teams to the playoffs.
Whether they play in a small market, or don't have the star power of some of the teams in the league, these five lineups are not thought of as productive. However, that is far from the truth as these five teams will surprise fans all season long.
None of the teams on this list made the playoffs last season, but at least two of them will this season. These five player combinations are not ones with superstars in them, but rather combinations with five players that will all be productive this season.
5. Jeremy Lin-James Harden-Chandler Parsons-Patrick Patterson-Omer Asik
1 of 5The Houston Rockets pulled off a blockbuster deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder and landed James Harden. Although this deal may cost them in the long term, there is no question that Harden improves the 2012-2013 Rockets' team.
The projected starting lineup is Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, and Omer Asik. This is a formidable lineup that should help the Rockets compete for a playoff spot this year.
Many people will underrate the Rockets because they overpaid for Lin and Asik, but they should be a good team this season. Essentially, the Rockets success relies almost solely on newly-acquired James Harden.
In the end, if Harden can become an elite scorer, the Rockets will be a tough team to beat. This is a completely different starting five from last year's Rockets team, but only time will tell if they improved from last season.
4. Isaiah Thomas-Marcus Thornton-Tyreke Evans-Thomas Robinson-DeMarcus Cousins
2 of 5Although their record doesn't reflect it, the Kings had a promising year last season. DeMarcus Cousins looks like he could be a star, Isaiah Thomas was very productive as a rookie and they drafted Thomas Robinson in the 2012 NBA draft.
That is why the lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, Thomas Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins is very underrated.
The only thing that can make this lineup unproductive is their inability to play defense. However, their defensive flaws can be fixed as the season goes along. Look for this lineup to show even more improvement this season.
3. Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson-Harrison Barnes-David Lee-Andrew Bogut
3 of 5The Warriors have one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference. They have two solid players at each position, and will be a much improved team this season.
The lineup of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut is more than formidable. This player combination has scorers in Curry, Thompson, Barnes and Lee and a man in the middle that is a defensive force, in Andrew Bogut.
The main concern for the Warriors' starting lineup is injuries. Bogut and Curry have been very injury-prone throughout their entire careers'. If the Warriors can stay healthy this season, they should compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
2. Kyle Lowry-Terrence Ross-DeMar DeRozan-Andrea Bargnani- Jonas Valanciunas
4 of 5The Raptors' front office did a great job this offseason of starting to build a successful franchise above the border.
The Raptors key moves were signing Landry Fields, trading for Kyle Lowry and getting their former first round draft pick Jonas Valanciunas to come over and play in the NBA. However, the casual NBA fan still thinks that the Raptors will be awful this season because they are the Raptors and don't have a history of winning.
All five of these guys (Lowry, Ross, DeRozan, Bargnani and Valanciunas) can score, so this lineup will be very fun to watch. However, the real question will be whether or not they can play defense effectively. Either way this lineup is one of the more underrated in the entire league.
Now, just because this lineup is underrated does not mean that the Raptors will be competing for the Atlantic Division any time soon, but the general public is definitely going to be surprised when they compete for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
1. Kyrie Irving-Dion Waiters-Alonzo Gee-Tristan Thompson-Anderson Varejao
5 of 5The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team whose record from last season does not reflect the potential displayed by last year's team.
Kyrie Irving won Rookie of the Year and looked like a budding star, and the Cavs' other top-five pick from a year ago, Tristan Thompson, looks like he could be a good power forward in this league in the near future.
The Cavaliers are actually better off that they finished with a bad record, as they were able to land the No. 4 overall pick. With that pick they selected Syracuse's Dion Waiters, who is now their shooting guard of the future.
So, the lineup of Irving, Waiters, Gee, Thompson and Varejao should be better than the average fan expects. Irving and Waiters will be responsible for the majority of the scoring, while Varejao and Thompson will take care of the rebounding and defense for the Cavs.
Fans will underrate this lineup because of their inexperience, but they will be surprised by this group's success this season.
This year is a win-win season for the Cavaliers, because if they finish with a bad record they will build for the future with another top pick, but if they make the playoffs it will be momentum to build off of for the future.
