Building the NBA's All-Underappreciated Team Entering 2014-15 Season
NBA superstars have their games dissected intensely, and rightfully so. But as the San Antonio Spurs proved during last season's title run, it's often players on the periphery who wind up acting as decisive forces in crucial spots.
That leads us to the focus of this all-important preseason squad, one we've assembled based on the lack of appreciation that engulfs several of the league's most polished starters and reserves.
But in order to assemble the following lineup, we need to lay down some ground rules.
Most importantly, we decided to exclude players who have been named to an All-Star team or received any sort of award (i.e. Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, etc.) that confirms individual achievement.
Small markets or superstar-laden rosters may have masked their positive contributions, but it's time to familiarize yourself with this group of overlooked studs.
Point Guard: Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 17.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 20.0 PER
Age: 27
You'll seldom hear Mike Conley's name mentioned in the NBA's "best point guard" conversation, but it absolutely belongs there.
Perhaps it has to do with the market he plays in or the style of play the Memphis Grizzlies embrace, but for whatever reason, Conley's contributions to a team that's qualified for the playoffs each of the past four seasons have been severely overlooked.
And while praise of Conley typically starts and ends with his defense, he's evolved tremendously on offense.
Last season, Conley posted the seventh-highest player efficiency among point guards (20.07), besting John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Tony Parker, Damian Lillard, Deron Williams and Ty Lawson, among others according to ESPN.
Furthermore, Conley has shouldered the offensive burden for Memphis as a passer and scorer.
During the 2013-14 season, Conley ranked among the league's more efficient pull-up jump shooters, knocking down 41.3 percent of his attempts outside 10 feet off at least one dribble. He also knocked down 36 percent of his pull-up threes, according to SportVU player tracking data provided to NBA.com.
Among players who launched at least five pull-up attempts per game, Conley ranked No. 7 overall in conversion rate.
Thriving from the right side of the arc, Conley punished opponents to the tune of a career-best offensive rating (113), according to Basketball-Reference.com, and sliced opponents up with his expansive bag of off-the-dribble tricks.
Sure, his assist total may not jump off the page, but Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal explained one area in which Conley smoked the competition as a facilitator last season:
"Conley generated two hockey assists during the average contest, leaving him behind only Chris Paul on that leaderboard. The Memphis Grizzlies constantly ran their offense through him, and he was quite adept at making a pass that led to another distribution and an easy shooting opportunity, though that often came from within the three-point arc.
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It's also worth noting Conley led the Grizzlies in win shares (8.2) and was one of six point guards to cross the eight-win-share threshold during the 2013-14 season, according to Basketball-Reference.
With all of those facts in mind, it's hard to justify not including Conley in a more elite tier of floor generals.
Shooting Guard: Danny Green, San Antonio Spurs
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.9 blocks, 13.9 PER
Age: 27
Here's a question worth pondering as the 2014-15 season tips off: How much money will Danny Green be worth on the open market next summer?
Set to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, Green is due just a shade over $4 million in the final year of his current deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
But given the premium teams are putting on three-point shooting, Green could be in line for a major raise when free agency rolls around.
Here's why: Green was one of 13 players to drill at least 40 percent of his threes last season while attempting at least four shots per game from beyond the arc, according to Basketball-Reference.
And if you look at his shot distribution, it's not all that dissimilar from that of a player like James Harden. As you can see in his shot chart over at Nylon Calculus, Green's offensive game is predicated on a heavy dose of threes and drives to the rim. Mid-range jumpers are nearly excluded entirely. In fact, only 16.6 percent of Green's shots came between 10 feet and the three-point line.
All told, 63 percent of Green's attempts came from beyond the arc, while 12.5 percent were within three feet.
That's not all, though.
Green trailed only Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard in defensive win shares (2.8) on last season's Spurs en route to posting a career-best defensive rating of 101.
So consider this: While Klay Thompson may garner a max contract offer if he's not extended prior to the October 31 deadline, would you rather have his talent eating up a large portion of your team's cap or Green's similar skills at less than half the cost?
Small Forward: DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, 13.9 PER
Age: 28
When discussing the positive impact DeMarre Carroll makes during his time on the floor, three-pointers and perimeter defense are the primary points of emphasis.
During his first year with the Atlanta Hawks, Carroll emerged as head coach Mike Budenholzer's defensive ace on the perimeter, and boy were his contributions reflected in the numbers.
According to NBA.com, Atlanta's defensive rating was 5.5 points worse per 100 possessions with Carroll on the bench, while opponents knocked down 38.6 percent of their three-point attempts during that same span (a 3.6 percent increase from his time on the floor).
Offensively, Carroll established himself as a key component of the Hawks' three-point-oriented attack, one that jacked up the league's second-most triples (25.8 per game).
Specifically, Carroll converted 36.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, but what's arguably more telling is that Atlanta hit on just 33 percent of its above-the-break threes when Carroll was off the court, according to NBA.com. For comparison's sake, the Hawks hit 37.1 percent of their triples when he was roaming around the top of the arc.
At a time when three-and-D specialists are becoming necessary components of championship formulas, Carroll is among the most overlooked and underappreciated in the game.
Power Forward: Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, 19.1 PER
Age: 22
Dialogue regarding the Houston Rockets' potential slide down the Western Conference standings has revolved around the team's inability to nab a third star in lieu of Chandler Parsons' departure.
And while doubts may linger regarding Trevor Ariza's ability to adequately fill that void, a piece of the solution may already rest at power forward.
Entering his third season, Terrence Jones has a chance to be a real difference-maker for the Rockets, especially if his three-point stroke continues to develop.
From Year 1 to Year 2, Jones' field-goal percentage jumped nine percent, while his efficiency from beyond the arc spiked by four percent. And quietly, Jones showed smidgens of competency when shooting corner threes.
All told, Jones knocked down 33.3 percent of his corner threes last season (albeit in a small 33-shot sample), according to NBA.com.
As a result, it shouldn't surprise that Houston was 2.6 points better per 100 offensive possessions with Jones on the floor, according to NBA.com, posting an offensive rating that would have ranked as the league's best.
Yes, Jones continues to do most of his damage in the paint (50.8 percent of his shots came within three feet last season), but his versatility stands to benefit the Rockets tremendously now that they're in search of a tertiary scoring option.
Center: Robin Lopez, Portland Trail Blazers
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.7 blocks, 17.7 PER
Age: 26
Excluding his brother Brook—who appeared in 17 games last season—Robin Lopez led all centers in opponent's field-goal percentage at the rim last season with a mark of 42.8, according to SportVU player tracking data.
The centerpiece of a Portland Trail Blazers defense that would have collapsed without Lopez's stout interior play, Terry Stotts' club recorded a defensive rating of 106.6 when its big man was off the floor, according to NBA.com.
During a fruitful first season in the Northwest, Lopez also ranked tied for fifth in total blocks (139), third in offensive rebounds (326) and 17th in total rebounds (699).
The Columbian's Erik Gundersen wrote in June (h/t The Oregonian):
"His knack for the offensive glass made Portland's a top-five offensive rebounding team–an underlying factor that helped Portland have one of the NBA's best offenses. Lopez's offensive boards led to put-backs and open threes, but if Portland wants to make the next step they'll need him to be better on the defensive boards.
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It's also worth pointing out Lopez finished with the league's top offensive rating (128) last season while ranking among the top 15 in points scored per half-court touch (0.55), according to SportVU.
Sixth Man: Draymond Green, PF, Golden State Warriors
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2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 blocks, 1.2 steals, 12.7 PER
Age: 24
If you weren't exposed much to the Golden State Warriors last season and are just now seeing Draymond Green's pedestrian per-game numbers, please withhold your outrage for a moment.
Two seasons into his professional journey, Green has already cemented his status as a second-unit stalwart, as evidenced by the 3.8 defensive win shares he recorded last season in just 21.9 minutes per game. Only Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut posted higher totals for the Warriors.
In fact, Green was the only player who averaged fewer than 25 minutes per game to record at least three defensive win shares last season, according to Basketball-Reference.
Thanks to his 6'7'', 229-pound stature, Green is capable of guarding bigger 3s and smaller 4s, making him exponentially more versatile than starter David Lee. And according to NBA.com, the Warriors posted a defensive rating of 98.4 with Green on the floor, a near three-point-per-100-possession improvement from his time off the court.
There's also the matter of Green's reliability from beyond the arc.
"I want to hone in [sic] more on my three-point shot," Green told Dime Magazine's Kristofer Habbas. "It improved from my freshman from my first year to my second year [sic], but is still not where I want it to be. I want to keep improving on that, and that is one of the things I have really, really, really focused on this offseason."
Despite being used on a paltry 14.8 percent of Golden State's possessions, Green still managed to shoot 33.3 percent from three, which represented a 12.4 percent improvement from the year prior.
A 39 percent shooter from the corners last season who thrived on catch-and-shoot opportunities, Green should be considered a sleeper pick to take home Sixth Man of the Year honors under head coach Steve Kerr.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
