Ranking the Most Overrated NBA Players Right Now
NBA astronomers are keeping plenty busy with the amount of star power seen in today's Association.
From historically dominant MVP candidates to aging elites still holding court in celestial spaces to an abundance of up-and-comers already entering orbit, we are seeing a level of greatness worth celebrating.
Just not in this article.
For all the celebrated hoopers in the sport, there are still a handful of players being propped up (by fans and media members alike) higher than they should be. Maybe it's a good player being marketed as a game-changer, or a flashy highlight-reel filler who offers more sizzle than actual substance.
For reasons we'll delve into as we go, these are the five most overrated players in the NBA right now. While that's a subjective distinction (and these are, ultimately, subjective rankings), the general idea is that public perception about these players outpaces their actual production and impact on winning.
You won't find a bad player on this list—only players of a certain caliber are rated at all—but you will see those held in higher regard than they actually deserve.
5. Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
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The timing on this is tricky, because Porter, a prospect once so highly regarded that he cracked the lottery despite having such a severe back injury that it wiped out his would-be rookie season, has never looked better.
His stat sheet shows one career high after the next, and he's the biggest reason why Brooklyn has been (a bit) more competitive than expected.
But doesn't this strike anyone else as a big-numbers-on-a-bad-team mirage?
It's not like he has fundamentally changed as a player. He's always been an expert shot-maker, he's just handling more offensive chances than ever—by a mile (29.9 usage percentage, previous high was 22.7). He's still a begrudging ball-mover (3.3 assists against 2.3 turnovers) and a dismal defender (19th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus).
Remember, this is someone whom the Nuggets had to incentivize the Nets to take on this summer (pairing him with an unprotected 2032 first for three-and-D role player Cameron Johnson). And now fans are unconvinced that Brooklyn should try to capitalize on Porter's boosted value and trade him for more assets? Huh?
He has proved he can be a tertiary option on a title team. His flaws feel too severe (and too ingrained) to try plugging him into a larger role on a club with any level of win-now aspirations. He might have All-Star numbers, but let's not get carried away here. As one executive told NBA insider Jake Fischer, Porter's uptick in production has returned his trade value "to neutral."
Porter is good at what he does, but there aren't many branches on his skill tree, his injury history is wholly worrisome and his $38.3 million salary will be hard for anyone to stomach in this economic environment. This idea that he's an ascending star just blows things way out of proportion.
4. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
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Some will see this selection and ask, "Wait, who's even rating Kuminga anymore?" And that's sort of a fair take; it just falls apart when anyone brokering a trade-machine blockbuster for the Warriors puts the bouncy swingman front and center in it.
That does have some merit. Kuminga's two-year pact was essentially constructed with a midseason swap in mind. When ESPN's Shams Charania reported on the late-September agreement, he noted the team option was designed for the Warriors—or another team, if and when Kuminga is traded during the upcoming season—to rip up and complete a fresh new contract after 2025‑26.
Kuminga seemingly has some suitors, too. Clubs like the Mavericks, Kings and Bulls have been connected to him. The question is—to be entirely blunt—why? His athleticism is special, sure, and he's known to binge on buckets from time to time, but what beyond streak-scoring would you call a defined strength of his?
There's almost zero separation between his career averages in assists (1.8) and turnovers (1.5). His defense has never reached the level his physical tools say it should be. His stat sheet shows little in the way of rebounding or defensive playmaking numbers. And shouldn't a modern wing scorer offer more reliable perimeter shooting (career 33.1 percent on low volume)?
You almost want to argue he's young and could thrive in a more developmentally-focused environment. But then you remember this is his fifth season in the NBA and he has more than 6,000 minutes under his belt. He might have more to offer, but he's almost treated as if he's a totally raw, tools-y teenager who has barely ever stepped between the lines.
He occupies the same 58th percentile in estimated plus-minus as De'Andre Hunter (having a hugely disappointing season), Dennis Schröder (clearly not the answer to Sacramento's point guard problems) and Guerschon Yabusele (New York's free-agent flop). Kuminga is, statistically speaking, an afterthought. He'd be regarded as such if he wasn't magnified by the Golden State fishbowl.
3. Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
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Is 46 games not enough to consider anyone as overrated? Yes and no. While the sample size is too small to pull out any big-picture takeaways, that's kind of the point with putting McCain on this list.
He cooked for about a month last season before his rookie campaign was cut short by a meniscus tear in his left knee. That run—on an injury-riddled Philadelphia team that flopped hard out of the gate—was apparently all folks needed to grant him building-block status.
Aren't undersized, score-first guards supposed to be falling out of style? Because it's hard to tell what else McCain, who stands just 6'3" and isn't an explosive athlete, brings to the hardwood.
He's not a dynamic playmaker (career 2.2 assists against 1.3 turnovers). He's not contributing on the glass or wreaking havoc in passing lanes. Defense will always be a challenge given his lack of size and length. Oh, and he's now two-for-two in terms of having seasons negatively impacted by injuries.
He's been, frankly, awful this season (7.1 points on 35.5/31.7/84.2 shooting), and while the sample size is small, it's still a longer stretch than that fiery one from his freshman campaign. Granted, he's facing a roster crunch and wasn't healthy to start the season, but we can't pretend like one good month made him a known commodity.
We're hoping his future is bright, because he's fun to watch when he's at his shot-making best, but his long-term outlook is a lot murkier than those raving rookie reviews would've had you believe.
2. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
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Before Magic fans get too up in arms, please know this is painful to write as one of the card-carrying members of the Banchero Believers. It's just that once you start poking past the draft pedigree (No. 1 in 2022), the impressive volume production and all of the powerful finishes, you start noticing how you're coming up empty in your search for star-level efficiency and impact.
The 23-year-old's shooting touch has never developed, and at this rate, it's more than fair to wonder if it ever will. He's never shot 46 percent from the field, 34 percent from three or 76 percent from the line. For reference, this season's average shooting rates are 47, 36 and 78.8, respectively.
The next time he averages a block or a steal per game will be the first. His assists are down for the second consecutive campaign (4.6).
And while Orlando's upgrades around him have allowed him to be more selective on the offensive end (career-lows in shots and usage rate), all that's done is subtract his volume scoring without adding any efficiency. If the campaign closed today, his 54.3 true shooting percentage would be the second-worst of his career.
He seems like a star by name recognition, but the numbers just aren't buying it. Estimated plus-minus, for instance, slots him in the 77th percentile, a perch shared with Tyler Kolek and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Banchero's .090 win shares per 48 minutes rank 131st overall, a few spots back of Anfernee Simons, Miles Bridges and Quinten Post.
Banchero's blend of size and ball skills make you want to believe there's so much more coming, and maybe there will be at some point. But the fact none of these potential upgrades have materialized help explain why he recently snagged a spot on John Hollinger's All-Disappointment Team over at The Athletic.
1. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
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Compiling a list of overrated players is tough. It's not a "where-do-I-even-begin" kind of tricky task.
That's because Ball perpetually runs away with the top spot thanks to the gargantuan gap between how fans perceive him and how he actually impacts his team's success.
Should he solely be blamed for all of the Hornets' losing ways? Of course not. But you'd expect him to be this transcendent talent, and in reality, he's someone whose on-court presence has only helped his team by 1.5 points per 100 possessions for his career.
The skills that are supposed to be spectacular—and, admittedly, can look that way in highlights—just aren't.
Despite possessing some of the deepest range in the business, he's just average in accuracy (career 36.5 percent) due to his wildly ambitious shot selection. His handles are flashy, but he's not a good finisher to really maximize them (career 42 field-goal percentage). And he's never earned a ton of trips to the foul line (career 3.7 per outing).
He makes preternatural-type passes, but he also takes a lot of unnecessary risks, resulting in a good-not-great 7.5 assists against 3.4 turnovers. His (trendy) 6'7" frame makes him a plus-rebounder at his position, but it's never done much for his defense.
And his overall approach on the court is constantly questioned. Earlier this season, one Western Conference scout said Ball "doesn't take basketball seriously enough," per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. In case that wasn't damning enough, a "prominent cap person" called him "the most unserious player in the NBA," insider Jake Fischer told a B/R live stream (27:00).
Ball's aesthetically pleasing play style and gargantuan social media presence will always make him worth a watch, but there are just way too many empty calories in his basketball diet.
Statistics current through Thursday's games and used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and Dunks & Threes.
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