NBA All-Star Game: 10 Underrated Players You Should Be Excited to Watch
On Sunday night, the NBA's brightest stars will compete in Toronto for their respective conferences during the 65th edition of the NBA All-Star Game.
The weekend brings the game's biggest names, such as Kobe Bryant in his final All-Star Game performance, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant.
For this particular subject, we'll take a look at 10 of the weekend's participants who aren't getting the superstar-like publicity that Bryant, Curry or James will receive throughout the weekend.
You probably have heard of these guys but don't know too much them about this season.
Names such as Kawhi Leonard (seen pictured above) and Golden State Warriors do-it-all forward Draymond Green were no-brainers to make the list, but who rounds out the other eight on the "all-underrated" roster at this weekend's events?
Let's take a look at those players, starting with some in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.
Devin Booker
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With Nerlens Noel out with a knee injury, Phoenix Suns guard (and fellow Kentucky alum) Devin Booker will replace the 7-footer in Friday's Rising Stars Challenge for Team USA.
Booker will be a little busy this weekend, as he'll play in the game against The World on Friday and then participate in the Three-Point Shootout on Saturday night.
It's hard to argue that the Suns have been the league's most disappointing team so far this season, but Booker has been superb since his role has grown in Phoenix.
Since Jan. 19, Booker has been averaging 18.5 points per contest. He headed into the break with a 15-point, 10-assist, seven-rebound showing against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
The comparisons to Klay Thompson have been there since Booker's surge began, and although it's too early to make such a strong comparison, it could turn to be an accurate one. Both players have shooting forms that you could watch all day long.
If you're looking for a dark horse to dethrone Curry in the Three-Point Shootout, Booker might not be a bad name to pick.
Marcus Smart
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It's not easy to determine the second-best team in the Eastern Conference at this time.
Why?
Because it's the East for one, and two, the Boston Celtics just might take that title from everyone in the second half of the season if they remain as hot as they are entering the break.
A huge reason why the Celtics have won 10 of 12 games has been the play of a healthy Marcus Smart.
Smart will represent Team USA in the Rising Stars Challenge after missing the event last year with an ankle injury. In the 12 games before the break, he averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals in 27.8 minutes per game.
The second-year man from Oklahoma State has become one of the most intricate pieces for a Boston team that can play with anyone. Smart is not only finding his offensive game, but he's one of the most tenacious on-ball defenders in the league.
And, he's just 21 years old.
Clint Capela
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The World will have some fun big men representing their countries on Friday night in Toronto. Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia) and Nikola Jokic (Serbia) will be in the front court against Team USA.
One of the lesser-known names for either team is Houston Rockets center Clint Capela.
Capela played just 90 total minutes in 12 games for Houston last season before making his mark in the Rockets' run to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost in five games to eventual champion Golden State.
In two of the last three Rising Star Challenges, a big man has won the MVP award. In 2013, Kenneth Faried took home the award while putting on a show before his dunk-contest performance the next night. Two seasons ago, Andre Drummond tried to break Wilt Chamberlain's all-time rebound total in one night.
Guards usually dominate exhibition games, but similar to Booker in the Three-Point Shootout, if you're looking for a dark horse to win the Rising Stars MVP, Capela could be a sneaky-good pick.
When teams get out and run in these fun games, bigs can usually light up the crowd with some rim-rattling dunk (like Faried did in 2013).
Capela is certainly capable of doing just that.
Mario Hezonja
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"Respect? No, I never had respect to anybody on a basketball court," Mario Hezonja said to Sportske Novosti (h/t Sportando) two summers ago as a 19-year-old. "I heard about, 'If they smell blood, you get eaten.' I'm not like that. I don't care. Whether it's a veteran or a young player standing in front of me I always have the same goal. I want to run over everybody."
Nineteen and he sounds like Michael Jordan.
Oh, and he wears Jordan's number, too.
Hezonja was selected fifth overall pick in this year's NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. Although his chances have been limited in his rookie season, he could use the All-Star Weekend platform to launch himself into relevancy.
Because he wants to run over everybody.
Before his move to the best basketball league on the planet, Hezonja was as confident as anyone on the floor for FC Barcelona.
In an exhibition where virtually nothing matters, it would make total sense for Hezonja to pull some tricks out of the bag and put on a show.
Karl-Anthony Towns
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It's hard to say that Karl-Anthony Towns is underrated after his historic first half of the season, but when you play in Minnesota, you don't exactly get the full recognition you deserve.
Nevertheless, Towns has been nothing but superb in his rookie season. Even with a late push from someone like Kristaps Porzingis in a bigger market, Towns has probably locked up the NBA's Rookie of the Year honor already. He's that good.
Towns is averaging 17.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game...as a 20-year-old.
In a conversation between SB Nation's Paul Flannery and Tom Ziller a few months ago, the two debated over the impact and games of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis—two fellow Kentucky alumni.
Ziller had the best line: "This is apparently all irrelevant once Karl Towns figures out the NBA. So, like, next week."
(Oh, and coincidentally, the NBA is making the Skills Challenge into a guard-big man bracket this year. The four big men are Draymond Green, Cousins, Davis and Towns.)
Isaiah Thomas
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With the 60th and final pick of the 2011 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Isaiah Thomas from the University of Washington.
It's been a long journey for the 5'9" point guard.
Since being selected with the last pick in 2011, Thomas has played for three different teams, but he has finally found a home in Boston.
Make no mistake about it: Thomas may be 5'9" and 185 pounds, but the three-time All-Pac-12 selection for the Huskies is a dog.
Boston may be 7.5 games behind Cleveland for the East's top spot, but it's just 4.5 games behind Toronto and closing quickly. Thomas' play is a big reason why the Celtics are the team that no one will want to face come playoff time.
Thomas leads the Celtics in scoring with 21.5 points, dishing out a team-high 6.6 assists per game. He also leads Boston with a 21.4 player efficiency rating this season, per ESPN.
On Sunday, Thomas will be just the ninth player under 6'0" to play in the NBA All-Star Game.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan
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What would the All-Star Game in Toronto be without the two main pieces to the Raptors' success?
Kyle Lowry was selected to the Eastern Conference starting lineup, while DeMar DeRozan will make his second All-Star Game appearance in the last three seasons.
The Raptors are 18 games above the .500 mark and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. With "Skinny Lowry" and the elevated play of DeRozan on offense, the Raptors—along with the Celtics—have started to distance themselves from the rest of the East.
Lowry is averaging 21 points and 6.3 assists per contest, while DeRozan is averaging a career-best 23.4 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting.
For the casual fans of the NBA, it's the Cleveland Cavaliers and then everybody else.
But, Toronto is keeping pace with the Cavaliers thanks to its dynamic backcourt duo, who should receive quite the reception Sunday night.
Kawhi Leonard
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Has the lab that Kawhi Leonard was created in finally been located yet?
In his first four seasons in the NBA, Leonard has won Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA title in 2014 and NBA Finals MVP (while also snagging a deal with Jordan Brand) with the San Antonio Spurs.
Not only is Leonard just 24 years old, but he's gotten even better this season.
When you glance at his numbers, they're all absurd. Leonard is averaging 20.2 points per game and shooting 48.2 percent from deep, and his advanced numbers are just ridiculous, per Basketball-Reference.com. (Case and point: His offensive rating is 122, and his defensive rating is 94.)
And yet, he still feels like an underrated commodity in the NBA.
His first All-Star Game is a fun platform for Leonard to maybe show a little personality—emphasis on "maybe."
Draymond Green
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One could argue whether the last two names on this list are underrated, but Draymond Green is recognized by many as the heart and soul of the world champion Golden State Warriors.
And that still isn't enough to gauge his impact.
Green has been called a "Swiss Army knife" for his two-way play for the 48-4 Warriors, and even that doesn't do him justice.
He literally does it all for the Warriors.
Whether it's running the point on the break or for a few sets in the half court, defending a player bigger than him as the Warriors' "Death Lineup" center or shooting 42 percent from three-point land, Green's value doesn't have a number.
Truthfully, if this game on Sunday wasn't Kobe Bryant's final All-Star Game appearance, Green would probably be starting with Leonard and Kevin Durant in the frontcourt.
In an exhibition like this one (with the coach of his team's toughest challenge in the West on the sideline), Green can show off his exciting personality and maybe chase down a triple-double like fellow Michigan State alum Magic Johnson did on a nightly basis during his playing days.
Michael Whitlow is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can find Michael's other work here and you can follow him on Twitter: @MAWhitlow.
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