The Most Underappreciated NBA Player at Every Position
Theoretically speaking, no quality NBA player should ever go without a considerable modicum of appreciation in today's hyper-connected world. There are too many 24-hour sports networks, too many dedicated websites (like, say, Bleacher Report), too many folks plugged into League Pass and too many more flittering and Twittering away on social media for any standout performance to go unnoticed.
In practice, though, things don't always work out that way. There are still only so many time slots for nationally televised games on TNT and ESPN, only so many postseason honors to be doled out and only so many playoff berths to be filled.
Even then, snagging such prime placement is no guarantee that the player in question is going to see his profile explode beyond the bounds of his home fanbase.
So while the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and James Harden are all but guaranteed to get some serious publicity just for setting foot on the hardwood, these next six studs—one for each of the five positions, plus a superb bench performer—could all use a little more love at the start of the new year, because either they're overshadowed on their own squads or the teams they play for don't get much shine to begin with.
Point Guard: Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
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To paraphrase the inimitable Three 6 Mafia, it's hard out here for a point guard, especially one in Mike Conley's position. Night after night, Conley has to go head-to-head with the seemingly never-ending supply of fantastic floor generals that the Western Conference has to offer.
Worse still, he has to do so while Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph get the lion's share of the credit for the Memphis Grizzlies' success—and Tony Allen is hailed as the heart and soul of this squad.
Those three certainly deserve the attention they get: Gasol, a former Defensive Player of the Year, now playing like an MVP; Randolph, a two-time All-Star whose recently signed extension is starting to look like a steal; and Allen, a perennial All-Defensive performer.
Conley, meanwhile, has long been sneaky-good but is now playing like he belongs among the league's elite at his position. The 27-year-old has posted career highs in points (18.3), field-goal percentage (.465) and three-point percentage (.433) while playing his typically stout style of defense at the point of attack.
Conley's stepped up his game to yet another level since Z-Bo went down with a knee injury. In five games sans Randolph, Conley has poured in 20.8 points on 50.7 percent shooting (53.8 percent from three), including a season-best 30-point explosion to propel the Grizzlies past the rival San Antonio Spurs in Memphis' final game of 2014.
And yet, as of Jan. 2, Conley didn't even rank among the top 10 All-Star vote-getters at guard out West. With Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry practically guaranteed to win at the ballot box—and Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Klay Thompson among those competing for nods from the coaches—the odds of Conley's being rewarded for his spectacular first half with a trip to New York City are slim, to put it mildly.
Shooting Guard: Wesley Matthews, Portland Trail Blazers
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Like Conley in Memphis, Wesley Matthews doesn't get much time in the spotlight for the Portland Trail Blazers, not with Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge taking up most of that space.
That hasn't stopped Matthews from fashioning himself into one of the best all-around wing players in the NBA today. He's made more threes than anyone else in the league, after finishing third in that respect last season, while contributing a career-best 16.8 points to the Blazers' cause.
As a result, Matthews is regarded around the basketball world as a premiere marksman, though that wasn't always the case.
The Oregonian's Joe Freeman recently detailed Matthews' journey from NBA Summer League afterthought to surprising rookie with the Utah Jazz, to handsomely paid shooting guard in Portland, with a huge assist from then-Jazz assistant coach (and current Phoenix Suns head man) Jeff Hornacek:
"The pair became inseparable and worked to refine Matthews' stroke through repetition and diligence. Every day, sometimes twice a day, they would work. Off days. Game days. Practice days. Holidays. It didn't matter. Matthews said a day didn't go by without the two working on shooting drills.
Matthews would shoot spot-up threes and spot-up jumpers from a variety of areas on the court, as part of a normal shooting routine that virtually every guard in the NBA does. But Hornacek pushed Matthews beyond the standard operating procedure. He didn't just instruct Matthews, he competed with him.
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Matthews, once considered a perimeter liability, emerged from that cauldron with a refined jump shot and the confidence he needed to take the Association by storm. Even today, Matthews doesn't regard himself in the same category that Kyle Korver and Klay Thompson currently occupy.
"I don't see myself as a three-point shooter," Matthews told The Oregonian. "I never have and I still don't. I can shoot it. It's one of my offensive weapons. But I would much rather attack the basket or post-up."
He won't have that chance during All-Star Weekend, though he figures to be in New York City nonetheless—as a contestant in the annual three-point competition.
Small Forward: Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
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Gordon Hayward was showered with appreciation this past summer when the Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz fought for his services. Hayward, of course, was the big winner, scoring a contract worth nearly $63 million over four years.
So far, he's earned pretty much every penny that he's pocketed. The Butler product is averaging a career-high 19.2 points while shooting 38.9 percent from three, but it's his versatility as a ball-handler and passer that makes him such a valuable part of Utah's rebuilding project.
"There's a lot of good pick-and-roll players in the league. There's less really good threes that play pick-and-roll as there are point guards," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said prior to the team's recent loss to the Clippers in L.A. "So to have him at that position, oftentimes he's got an advantage, particularly with his height. He can see over the defense at times. Being able to do that and also being a willing passer is a really good combination."
That combination on Hayward's part has yet to yield much in the way of wins for Utah this season. But the Jazz are improving—they won five of their final seven games in 2014—and Hayward, who contributed 21.0 points and 5.1 assists while nailing 60 percent of his threes in those seven contests, has had plenty to do with that.
Power Forward: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
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Paul Millsap, who was once a teammate of Hayward's in Salt Lake City, might not be the most natural fit for this list. After all, he already has an All-Star selection on his resume and figures to cash in on his on-court cachet as a free agent this summer.
Still, there's a sense that Millsap doesn't get his due, even though the Atlanta Hawks have been soaring as high this season as they have in some time. Al Horford's return, Jeff Teague's growth and Kyle Korver's defense-stretching shooting have all been credited as causes behind Atlanta's rise—and rightfully so.
Meanwhile, Millsap continues to plug away, a soon-to-be-30-year-old who never stops working at his craft to get better. Last season, Millsap emerged as a capable three-point shooter. Now it's his defense that's taken another step forward, with the Louisiana Tech grad ranking among the league leaders in steals.
And, as Grantland's Zach Lowe pointed out, Millsap has emerged as a master of the baseline: "He has a splendid all-around game on both ends, but Millsap’s ability to create shots and thread passes within the tight confines of the baseline is among the prettiest of his little stylistic flourishes."
Chances are, Millsap will never be the No. 1 option on a good team. Nor is he likely to be considered among the best power forwards in basketball, not with Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and Dirk Nowitzki manning that position. But there's no denying that Millsap is, indeed, a terrific frontcourt player and that he's a pivotal part of a Hawks squad that could go deep in this year's playoffs.
Center: Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
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Just about everyone on the Orlando Magic's roster has been overlooked in some respect, though that probably has more to do with the team's substandard performance than anything else. There's at least one central Floridian, though, who's garnered some attention for his play this season: Nikola Vucevic.
The 24-year-old center, who inked a $53 million extension with the Magic this past summer, has done his part to reciprocate Orlando's massive commitment to him, to the tune of 18.1 points and 11.3 rebounds.
"We’ve thrown him the ball more often than we ever have in the past," head coach Jacque Vaughn told Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. "His ability to post up for us, even command double-teams, has been very good."
Not good enough to yet put the Magic in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but they're close and should creep even closer so long as Vucevic keeps racking up double-doubles.
Sixth Man: Gerald Green, Phoenix Suns
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Contrary to popular belief, the Phoenix Suns have more than three guards. With the Hydra of Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas leading the way, it's easy to forget that Gerald Green is still on this team—and that he's still plenty productive off the Suns bench.
His numbers have dipped nearly across the board, in large part because his role in Phoenix has shrunk, but his 13.9 points and 38.7 percent three-point shooting are nothing to sneeze at. Nor is his impressive vertical leap.
What Green lacks in savvy, he more than makes up for in awe-inspiring athleticism on the break and unconscious streak shooting. Thomas may be the clearer Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Phoenix, but Green's six games of 20 points or more off the bench aren't too shabby, either.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats are accurate as of games played Jan. 2, 2014.
