NBA Draft 2013: Most Underrated Players in 2013 Class

The 2013 NBA Draft Class has generally been considered a relatively lackluster crop of players, but that doesn't mean there aren't several players who will make big contributions in the NBA. In fact, many of these players have become underrated due to various factors such as injuries, rough combine showings or other players rising up the draft boards.

Let's look at five players who are better than people think they are right now: Ben McLemore, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. Leslie, Shane Larkin and Shabazz Muhammad.

Ben McLemore, SG

According to Chad Ford's Big Board on ESPN.com, Ben McLemore is the sixth-rated prospect in the 2013 draft.

As a freshman last year, McLemore led Kansas, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, in scoring. At 6'4.75" in shoes, he has decent enough size to play 2-guard in the NBA. McLemore has elite athleticism (42-inch vertical) and a great jump shot.

McLemore's coach at Kansas, Bill Self, called him "the most talented player he's ever coached," according to NBADraft.net, and that includes players such as Deron Williams, whom Self coached at Illinois.

However, McLemore still lingers behind risers like Alex Len, Victor Oladipo and Anthony Bennett, who all look to be solid players, but don't have the look of an NBA superstar like McLemore does.

Michael Carter-Williams, PG

Carter-Williams was once considered a top five pick by many, but his stock his fallen to the point that NBADraft.net now has him at 13th.

It's almost as if his 6'6" size at the point guard position has become a liability. Most of the current star point guards in the NBA are in the 6'0"-6'4" range, so people associate the lack of height with being more skilled and quicker.

But Carter-Williams is quite skilled, pretty quick and gets elevation that most point guards can only dream of.

The Syracuse standout can start in the NBA right away, but most teams don't realize it.

C.J. Leslie, SF/PF

John Wall's teammate in high school, C.J. Leslie was a five-star recruit and ranked 14th in his class coming out of high school.

Unfortunately, Leslie has barely improved his game at North Carolina State.

But NBA scouts need to realize that the college game is much different from the NBA. The NBA game favors elite athletes much more than the college game does, and Leslie is an elite athlete.

At just under 6'9" in shoes, Leslie had the No. 2 overall time at the combine in the three-quarter court sprint (3.1 seconds), the No. 1 time in the lane agility drill  and was one of the very few players with a vertical leap over 40 inches.

While he is considered a second-round prospect by most, his athleticism will be much more effective for him in the pro game.

Shane Larkin, PG

Miami's Shane Larkin was another player whose stock should've risen after the combine, but that didn't necessarily happen. SB Nation's Big Board still has him at No. 30.

The only legitimate knock on Larkin is his size. He measured 5'11.5" in shoes at the combine, but was excellent in everything else. His body fat was a minuscule 3.8 percent, he was the quickest player in the three-quarter court sprint (3.08 seconds) and had a fantastic vertical leap of 44 inches, also the best mark at the combine. 

All this for a guy with a "lack of athleticism?" Sounds like some scouts are crazy.

Larkin can be a Nate Robinson-type player at the next level, but he is a more natural point guard.

Shabazz Muhammad, SG/SF

Poor Shabazz Muhammad. For most of last year, he was considered by many as the best choice for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

A variety of things have dropped his stock, but as it stands now, he is ranked No. 17 by NBADraft.net.

He had a decent season at UCLA as a freshman this past year. He scored very well, but had some trouble distributing, only averaging 0.8 assists per game.

There were some concerns about his size and length to play the swingman position in the NBA, but Muhammad measured over 6'6" at the combine in shoes, with a standing reach of 8'8.5". That standing reach puts him just one inch behind Otto Porter, who is taller than Muhammad and is lauded for his great length.

Although Muhammad shouldn't be the No. 1 pick anymore, he deserves to be better than No. 17. He is still a starting caliber player who can create his own shot on offense with decent athleticism.

Pass over these players at your own risk. Their draft stock is misleading, considering their skill and athleticism. Look for all of them to exceed the current expectations of them in their NBA careers.