Meet the NBA's New Wave of Underrated Studs
Move aside, perpetually underrated NBA players. There's a new crop of talent waiting to be mistakenly undervalued.
Rarely is there a dramatic changing of the guard in the Association's underappreciated ranks. Misperceived players aren't suddenly adored or appropriately recognized in bulk. Something is different about this season, though.
The usual depreciated suspects are, for the most part, receiving their long-awaited due. We're talking about the Kyle Lowrys, the Mike Conleys, the Draymond Greens and (almost all of) the Atlanta Hawks. They're being talked about more. And if they're being talked about more, that means it's time to usher in a new underrated class.
These aren't obscure talents, to be sure. They're relevant, just not relevant enough. Their production is impressive, often crazy, yet they're not being referenced in the same vein as other household names.
Consider this, then, a list of household names or soon-to-be household names who aren't being treated as such. They're young, talented and, relative to their performance, frequently forgotten.
Just not here.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Hornets
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is what happens when you clone Tony Allen and give him size and an ability to impact the offense without ever scoring or even touching the ball.
People aren't drawn to the third-year small forward because he's not a flashy nylon-annihilator. His jump shot is still broken, his offensive range finite. He has yet to even attempt a three-pointer this season, making him an anomaly in today's NBA.
Man, oh man, though, can he defend. The Charlotte Hornets field the equivalent of the league's best defense when he's on the floor. When he's off, they're a bottom-five outfit, allowing 107.9 points per 100 possessions.
Standing at 6'7", Kidd-Gilchrist essentially plays like a point center. He defends everyone and crashes glass with the recklessness of a 7'0" Russell Westbrook. He owns a higher rebounding percentage than Blake Griffin and Marc Gasol and a better block rate than LeBron James.
His focus on the less glamorous end is just absurd. Said the 21-year-old to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, "I want to say ever; not just in the league (now). The best defender this league has seen."
No one says that nowadays. No one. Especially not 20-somethings who play a position and come from a generation that's been programmed to prioritize offense first and foremost. That makes Kidd-Gilchrist truly unique and, subsequently, underrated beyond comprehension.
Meyers Leonard, Portland Trail Blazers
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There's no reason to pretend you're not impressed with what Meyers Leonard is doing for the Portland Trail Blazers. This is a safe place.
Assuming his numbers hold, the 23-year-old will become the ninth—and youngest—player in league history to play a minimum of 600 minutes and post a 50/40/90 shooting slash, putting him in an elite group that includes Larry Bird, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant and Reggie Miller, among others.
Here's the thing: Each of the other eight logged at least 1,900 total minutes during his respective efficiency extravaganza; Leonard won't even crack 100.
Colossal though that caveat may be, we're still talking about a 7-footer drilling jumpers with insane accuracy. More than 72 percent of his shot attempts come outside eight feet, yet he's still shooting 50 percent from the floor overall.
Making contributions in limited action isn't especially easy. Leonard's playing time varies by the game, so his sustained rhythm is impressive. Though Portland's offense is worse when he's on the floor, LaMarcus Aldridge's shooting percentages skyrocket beside him, thanks to having extra room neither Chris Kaman nor Robin Lopez provide.
Three seasons into his career, Leonard's potential as a floor-spacing big should not be understated. Yet, because he plays for a team that seldom turns its young reserves loose, it has been. And that's unlikely to change.
Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks
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Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap have all played themselves off Underrated Boulevard. If they haven't, they're at least approaching Properly Rated Lane.
Dennis Schroder is a different case study. He's the backup point man for the NBA's second-best team, and therefore not the kind of player about to receive dap for his body of work.
Which is a shame, because his body of work is something else. Something special. Below is a list of every player aged 21 or younger to average at least 17 points, three rebounds, seven assists and one steal per 36 minutes:
- Magic Johnson
- Isiah Thomas
- Dennis Schroder
It's an unfathomable stretch to call Schroder a future Hall of Famer. But it's entirely appropriate to envision him as a future star, provided he eventually escapes Atlanta's second unit.
In the meantime, his value is obvious, yet at times ignored. He has the speed of John Wall, the slipperiness and guile of Rajon Rondo and, unlike the aforementioned two, a digestible three-point stroke.
Exposing him to more dual-point guard lineups has to be a priority for the Hawks. Their offense suffers when he shares the floor with Teague, and the sophomore needs to have a better grip on playing off the ball if he's going to round out his offensive game.
Beyond that, Schroder is already a prolific second-string point guard, playing on a title contender, exceeding even the most ambitious expectations, often overlooked only because he's promise without pomp.
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
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Derrick Favors is the Mike Conley of power forwards—an underrated, stat-padding, team-steadying machine.
Matt Payne describes him best for UtahJazz.com:
"He’s not outwardly cocky. He’s not overly demonstrative. He doesn’t call attention to himself.
Rather, game in and game out, Derrick Favors just puts his head down and goes to work.
It’s easy for him to fly under the radar, so you might not have noticed that Favors is having a breakout season. More specifically, he's having a breakout second half of the season.
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All of this is true. Favors is averaging 17.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks on 54.1 percent shooting since the All-Star break. The Jazz, in turn, are outscoring opponents by 15.3 points(!) per 100 possessions when he's on the floor over that span.
Most of which isn't a surprise. Not on an individual scale. He's one of just two players clearing 16 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 50 percent shooting for the entire season. The other? Anthony Davis.
More attention is devoted to stretch forwards or those who play for winning teams. Favors is neither a three-point-jacking 4 or on a postseason-bound squad. What little shine he has is being obstructed by Rudy Gobert's meteoric rise and, to a lesser degree, Gordon Hayward's all-everything campaign.
But Favors remains the Jazz's engine. Their typically tame offense produces with the potency of a top-10 attack when he's in the game, and he's holding his own for what has been the league's best defense since Feb. 1.
Here's hoping that, contrary to what's happening now, people start taking notice.
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Gorgui Dieng's underrated-ness is the byproduct of excess. The Minnesota Timberwolves have so much talent pulling them in so many different directions, it's easy for someone like him to get lost in the shuffle.
Andrew Wiggins is a lock for Rookie of the Year and a future superstar; Zach LaVine is having the kind of up-and-down season that bears a slight resemblance to John Wall's inaugural crusade; Ricky Rubio is still making cross-dimensional passes; Kevin Martin is still shooting and scoring; and Nikola Pekovic is still in-your face overpaid. Even Shabazz Muhammad was basking in the spotlight before having season-ending middle-finger surgery.
That doesn't leave much time for Dieng, who is quietly having a downright awesome sophomore campaign. He is flirting with double-doubles nightly, a sneaky-observant playmaker and Minnesota's lone line of defense at the rim.
No one on the Timberwolves has collected more win shares. Dieng actually has more than twice as many as anyone. Not only that, but he also ranks third in this department among rookies and sophomores—all 136 of them.
Bear in mind that this is happening while he plays for one of the league's two worst teams. Representing wins isn't easy when, you know, you're not winning.
Oh, and if his numbers hold, he'll be just the seventh rookie or sophomore over the last 20 years to maintain averages of at least 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 blocks. His company would be Brook Lopez, Elton Brand, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol and the other Gasol, each of whom turned out all right.
Dieng is somehow transcending Minnesota's rebuild. We just aren't hearing about it.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
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Khris Middleton's improvement is off the charts. His Association recognition for such a breakout is not.
Few players in the league are as versatile. Most cannot do all he does. This is to say, everything.
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com has more:
"He has developed a classic 2-guard game that marks him as more than a pure 3-and-D specialist. He moves well without the ball, and the Bucks run a lot of sets that try to pop him open off screens, and he's an adept cutter when teams overplay. He's also 6-foot-7 with a 6-10 wingspan and a quick release that helps him get off more shots than a shooting specialist, yet his accuracy has become consistent. Finally, Middleton has developed solid moves in the mid-post, and Milwaukee goes to him there if he's being checked by a smaller defender.
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Fifteen players boast averages of at least 12.5 points, four rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals for this season. Of those 15, Stephen Curry and Middleton are the only ones shooting better than 39 percent from long range.
The 23-year-old also leads the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks in win shares, emerging as a focal point, not ancillary piece, to their fast-progressing rebuild.
Come July, he will enter restricted free agency. And as teams publicly fawn over fellow restricted free agents Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Green, he will wrongly be seen as a second-tier consolation prize, as someone desperate, talent-thin squads might be able to poach.
Middleton is a lot of things.
A second-tier consolation prize, despite perception outside of Milwaukee, just isn't one of them.
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
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Victor Oladipo is already really good. So good, in fact, the recognition he receives, while seemingly adequate, is nowhere near enough.
Although his minutes and usage rate are comparable to those from last season, his offensive numbers have exploded. He's scoring more while shooting at a higher clip, and his impressive rebounding and steal rates remain intact.
Almost everyone on the Orlando Magic needs to figure things out defensively, but Oladipo, while a serial ball-gazer, is a bright spot, if only because he's active at all. He's also having a much-needed impact on the offense. Orlando goes from almost-average with him, to downright despicable without him, committing turnovers in droves.
What really lands Oladipo here is the glass ceiling hanging over his head. He has a star's skill set and stat lines but is hardly mentioned in the same breath as fellow 22-year-olds Kyrie Irving or Anthony Davis. Within that same breath, though, is where he belongs.
To wit, over the last 10 seasons, two players aged 22 or younger have averaged at least 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals with a true shooting percentage better than 53: Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Production permitting, Oladipo will be the third.
Talk about that.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com unless otherwise cited and are accurate heading into March 18's games.
