10 Underappreciated Current Athletes
Great athletes are overshadowed by others. It is a common tale in the sports world.
LeBron James is still the best overall player in the National Basketball Association. Nobody else in the league is as versatile as James is at this point of his legendary career. It was Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and not James, however, who was named the unanimous 2015-16 NBA Most Valuable Player. One has to wonder if James now has some extra motivation to quiet critics following the league's recent MVP vote.
With that said, there are plenty of athletes across different sports who are far more underappreciated than James is as of the spring of 2016.
It seems as if casual National Football League fans and even some New York Giants supporters won't be able to truly appreciate Big Blue quarterback Eli Manning until he is no longer under center. Some may have missed that Cleveland Indian Cody Allen quietly became one of the best closers in Major League Baseball. Detroit Lion Golden Tate will attempt to emerge from the shadow of a former teammate later this year.
What does it take for an athlete to no longer be considered underappreciated? There is no one answer for that. Individuals who have won championships and personal awards have still gone underrated and underappreciated for whatever reasons. Some athletes are apparently destined to have their accomplishments be unrecognized up through the primes and conclusions of their careers.
Which of the 10 athletes featured here will be most appreciated by fans and analysts five years from now?
Tristan Thompson
1 of 10
The Cleveland Cavaliers will live or die on their Big Three of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Cleveland's championship dreams died a painful death last spring when both Love and Irving were lost to injuries. James could only do so much against the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals. As of the start of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals, both Love and Irving are healthy and ready to play alongside James.
That may be great news for Tristan Thompson.
Thompson won't win a single MVP award this spring. He may not be among the top five overall players on the Cavs. What Thompson is, however, is perfect for his role on a squad that has three superstars in the starting lineup.
Bill Livingston of the Plain Dealer wrote about how Thompson contributed to the Cavaliers completing a sweep of the Atlanta Hawks.
"In the Atlanta series, according to a Cavs source who watched every game twice, when Thompson contested the Hawks' shots, they made only nine of 41 overall, 22 percent. Paul Millsap, their top inside scorer, was 5-of-24, 20.8 percent.
When Dennis Schroder was speeding past either Kyrie Irving or Matthew Dellavedova with equal ease in Sunday's final second-round series game against Atlanta, it was Thompson who knocked aside the Atlanta guard's driving layup with 63 seconds to play and the Cavs' leading, 98-97.
In the final two seconds, with the Cavs leading 100-99, Thompson loomed in front of the rim and Schroder, who had to pick up his dribble after Irving's side-swipe at the ball. As Schroder pump-faked, James came from the blind side to tie him up. The Cavs won the jump ball, the game and the series.
It's not all blocked shots or even alterations of them. Hesitations, which, like altered shots, are never accounted for in the box score, help win games too.
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Is Thompson worth the $82 million, per Spotrac.com, guaranteed to him last October? He is if he helps the Cavs win a title. By spending so much money to retain Thompson's services, team owner Dan Gilbert unofficially announced to the world that (nearly) no price was too steep to end Cleveland's professional sports drought that is 51 years old and counting.
Thompson is a different type of underappreciated athlete. As Livingston wrote, much of what Thompson does goes ignored by commentators and cannot be found on a stat sheet. Could the Cavs win a title this spring without Thompson? Maybe.
You can bet that James is not keen on learning the answer to that question.
Blake Bortles
2 of 10
Pro Football Focus ranked Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles at No. 18 for the 2015 regular season. That put Bortles right in the middle of the list of 36 QBs. Bortles, per the PFF numbers, finished behind Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders, Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings starter Teddy Bridgewater and Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Jameis Winston.
Huh?
Yes, Bortles led the NFL in interceptions with 18, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. Bortles also threw 35 touchdown passes. Carson Palmer, Eli Manning and NFL MVP Cam Newton matched that number. Only Tom Brady had more passing TDs (36).
Bridgewater should be commended for helping the Vikings qualify for the playoffs. Carr is a reason that people are starting to take the Raiders seriously. Winston had a solid debut season, and Taylor wants to prove that his 2015 was not a one-off.
Where is the love for Bortles?
Bortles had help during his first two seasons in the NFL. The wide receiver duo of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns quickly became one of the best one-two punches in the league. Robinson continues to be a steal acquired in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, while Hurns may be the best undrafted player signed by any team in 2014.
Bortles deserves praise for helping those two become overnight sensations.
Mousa Dembele
3 of 10
There could be only one Cinderella story in world football this year. That, of course, was Leicester City, the plucky underdogs who went from being relegation candidates last summer to champions of England by spring.
Almost as surprising for the 2015-16 campaign were Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino guided the youngest squad in the Premier League, per the Evening Standard, to second in the table, and Tottenham were in contention to win the league at the start of May. Tottenham will return to the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11 next season, and Spurs are a draw with or win over already-relegated Newcastle United away from finishing second to only Leicester.
There are several noteworthy stars in the Tottenham team. Harry Kane continues to evolve and make a claim for being the best England striker in the world. Hugo Lloris is, at worst, one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League. The Tottenham back line as a whole has deservedly been praised by pundits throughout the campaign.
Don't forget about Mousa Dembele.
The midfielder has been a revelation under Pochettino, becoming a box-to-box powerhouse who bossed the action against Premier League opponents. Dan Kilpatrick of ESPN FC recently wrote about Dembele's impact during what could be Tottenham's top Premier League season to date:
"Tottenham Hotspur's Mousa Dembele is the best box-to-box midfielder in Europe, according to a new study by CIES Football Observatory.
Dembele ranked above Paris Saint-Germain's Blaise Matuidi and Borussia Dortmund's Ilkay Gundogan, while his Spurs teammate Dele Alli finished fourth.
Juventus star Paul Pogba finished a distant sixth, behind the Premier League's only other representative in the top 10, Yaya Toure of Manchester City.
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Kilpatrick added:
"Four of Spurs' five league defeats this season have come without the Belgian, while in the other -- the 1-0 reverse at Manchester United on the opening day -- he started on the right wing.
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Cody Allen
4 of 10
Anthony Castrovince of Sports on Earth listed Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen in his "2016 MLB All-Underrated Team" back in January of this year:
"Not a household name in the closing department, but, in terms of controlling what a pitcher can control (homers, walks and strikeouts), no qualified reliever rated better in 2015 than Allen did with a 1.82 Fielding Independent Pitching mark (Aroldis Chapman, for the record, was at 1.94). Allen also had the highest fWAR of any qualified reliever (2.6, to Chapman's 2.5).
Over the last three seasons, Allen has struck out opposing batters at an elite rate (12 per nine innings) with a strong 3.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And with an improved defensive cast surrounding him, he could be in line for a 2016 in which his ERA much more closely resembles that elite FIP.
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One may wonder, upon reading the information provided by Castrovince, why Allen is an underappreciated talent. While Allen had a career-best 34 saves in 2015, he was not in the top 10 for that category last year, per Baseball-Reference.com. The Indians winning 81 games was one reason for Allen's amount of save opportunities in 2015.
Allen has, as of May 12, appeared in 15 games during the current campaign. He has already notched eight saves. The Indians, meanwhile, have won 16 of their first 31 contests, and thus Allen is mathematically en route to having his best season as a closer.
One worry with Allen, as explained by Andrew Schmid of Wahoo's on First, is that Allen's velocity has dipped in each of the past three seasons. That has not yet affected Allen, but it will be something to keep an eye on as spring makes way for summer.
Victor Hedman
5 of 10
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was not a household name at the start of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That could change before the start of summer arrives.
The Lightning entered the postseason as the walking wounded. Tampa Bay has been without both Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman, but you wouldn't know that just by watching the Lightning play. As of May 12, Tampa Bay has lost only two playoffs games across two different series. The Lightning are four wins away from playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Hedman may be the biggest reason for the team's success this spring.
Adam Gretz of CBS Sports credited Hedman for shutting down New York Islanders star John Tavares in four straight New York losses to Tampa Bay. Tavares was kept off of the scoresheet entirely during that stretch of games.
Hedman, meanwhile, has scored four goals and assisted on five tallies during the postseason.
Diehard hockey fans watched Hedman's coming-out party during last year's playoffs. As good as Hedman was in 2015, he is worthy of MVP talk this spring. Hedman and the Lightning will now face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final.
Hedman could be on his way to superstar status if he continues his stellar play against the Penguins in front of national television audiences.
Golden Tate
6 of 10
What will it take for people to appreciate Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate?
We may learn the answer before the end of 2016.
Tate has never been "the guy" on a winning NFL team during his time in the league. The emergence of the Seattle Seahawks can be linked to the team drafting quarterback Russell Wilson back in 2012. Seattle also had Marshawn Lynch in the backfield and a dominant defense that made light work of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos offense at Super Bowl XLVIII.
Tate joined the Lions in 2014, linking up with big names such a QB Matthew Stafford and wideout Calvin Johnson. Johnson, nicknamed Megatron, was perceived to be one of the best receivers in the NFL at the time that Tate signed with Detroit.
Perhaps it is time that Tate earns a similar reputation.
Since joining the Lions, Tate has accumulated 189 catches in 32 regular-season games, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. To compare, Johnson had 159 catches in 29 games during his last two years with the Lions, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. Granted, Johnson scored 17 touchdowns to Tate's 10, but that does not take away from what Tate has meant to Stafford and the Lions.
Somebody may want to point out that Tate received favorable matchups over the past two years because he played alongside Johnson. That's fair. Tate will be able to answer those critics beginning this fall, as Johnson has retired.
Perhaps 2016 will be the year when Tate earns more respect among fans and analysts.
N'Golo Kante
7 of 10
Regardless of what happens between now and the end of the year, 2016 will forever belong to Leicester City.
Leicester, as was pointed out by many media outlets during the spring, began last August as 5000-1 long shots to win the Premier League. The Foxes rose up to the top of the table in 2015, and Leicester then refused to relinquish that spot to the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The dream was realized in early May, when a draw involving Tottenham and Chelsea assured Leicester of the title that alluded them for 132 years.
Several Leicester players became international stars during the club's historic run. Jamie Vardy became the hottest goalscorer in all of the Premier League for a stretch of play during the fall months. Riyad Mahrez, unknown to many casual football fans only a few years ago, is now seen as an electric attacking midfielder who continues to be linked with Real Madrid in transfer rumors, according to Metro's Mark Brus.
The contributions that N'Golo Kante made to Leicester during this past Premier League season should not be undersold.
Kante was named Player of the Year by his Leicester peers, according to the Sun, and it is easy to understand why he earned that honor. Kante proved to be a tremendous box-to-box midfielder for the top-flight champions, and he led Leicester in multiple noteworthy categories.
Per Nick Wright of Sky Sports, Kante has the highest passing accuracy of any player in the Leicester team. Kante has also led the Premier League in tackles and interceptions.
Kante's dominance on the pitch goes beyond England. The midfielder, who is listed at 5'6", was the first player in any of Europe's top leagues to win over 100 tackles during the campaign, according to the Mirror.
Kante has reportedly attracted attention from more than just those who tally stats. France Football (h/t Brus) has linked Arsenal as a club interested in acquiring the midfielder during the upcoming transfer window.
Steven Matz
8 of 10
How is it possible that a 24-year-old starting pitcher who has not yet played a full MLB season can be underappreciated?
It's easy when that person is the supposed last part of the current rotation of the New York Mets.
Matt Harvey has not been lights-out during the first month-and-a-half of the 2016 season. Harvey is nevertheless a local and national superstar, somebody who has been featured on magazine covers and who was given the nickname The Dark Knight.
Jacob deGrom, affectionately known as The deGrominator among New York fans, was the 2014 Rookie of the Year. DeGrom's long and flowing hair, his carefree personality and his performances during the 2015 postseason all helped make him a beloved figure in a city that is quickly being taken over by the Amazins.
Noah Syndergaard, nicknamed Thor in part because of his long, blond locks, can hit 100 mph with his fastball. Syndergaard also showed in May of this year that he can drop the figurative hammer and hit home runs. Bartolo Colon's legacy was already cemented even before he went deep for the first time of his career in May 2016.
Steven Matz has no superhero nickname. Matz doesn't look like a movie star. Nothing about Matz's haircut or his physical appearance stand out to a casual fan.
Matz may, however, be the best of the bunch when all is said and done.
Matz had a rough go of it during his season debut last month, per ESPN.com. The Miami Marlins chased Matz from the game before the end of the second inning, and they routed the Mets, 10-3. Since then, Matz has won his last five starts. He notched 21 strikeouts and gave up a total of six earned runs in those five appearances.
There is reason for some concern with Matz, but it has nothing to do with his play on the field. Matz is scheduled to miss at least one start because of elbow soreness, and his prognosis past May 14 was not known as of the posting of this piece.
Matz has already had Tommy John surgery before. The hope now is that Matz has not experienced any serious setback.
Klay Thompson
9 of 10
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors are not only the greatest regular-season NBA team in history. Golden State is a side that currently has more star power than any other team in the league.
Curry is a superstar by every definition of the word. The two-time NBA MVP, who won that award this spring by unanimous vote, electrifies crowds with his three-point shooting and his ball-handling skills. Curry also happens to be the top offensive player in the game today.
Curry is not, however, a one-man team. Draymond Green is repeatedly praised by journalists, and Green finished seventh in MVP voting for the 2015-16 campaign, per Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News. Andre Iguodala took home MVP honors for the 2015 NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson, meanwhile, became somewhat of a forgotten man in the Golden State lineup.
Thompson won't produce the highlight reels Curry creates whenever he catches fire beyond the arc. You won't see Thompson play the antagonist role embraced by Green. Thompson's offensive stats may not leap off of computer screens, but they also don't show why Thompson may be the best overall guard still playing in the postseason.
It was Thompson who, as Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News explained, had the best playoff series to date of his NBA career. Thompson was unsurprisingly solid while shooting the ball, and he excelled on the defensive end of the court.
Kevin Craft of the Atlantic also recently had high praise for Thompson:
"Stylistically speaking, Thompson is a throwback to an era when shooting guards, even elite ones, were not black holes—players who loved nothing more than to pound the rock and to force the offense to flow through them. They moved without the ball, looked for their shot, and got rid of it when the opportunity to score was not there. They didn’t facilitate their team’s offensive attacks so much as they kept opposing defenses honest by posing a constant scoring threat. This is what Thompson does. His closest analogue in today’s NBA is the Atlanta Hawks’ Kyle Korver, though Thompson is far better at creating his own shot and is a much more competent defender—according to ESPN.com, Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers’ All-Star point guard, shot a mere 2-13 in Sunday’s game when Thompson was the primary defender.
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Eli Manning
10 of 10
In a way, Eli Manning never had a chance as it pertains to being fully appreciated by the masses.
There were always going to be some who would never forget the way that Manning and his father, Archie, orchestrated that famous trade that shipped Manning from the San Diego Chargers to the New York Giants on the first night of the 2004 NFL draft. It also didn't help Eli's cause that he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Peyton, who was arguably the greatest regular-season QB in NFL history.
Eli will never be as revered as Peyton. Nobody will put him in the same category as Brady or Joe Montana. The younger Manning brother will never be referred to as the best overall QB in the NFL, like Aaron Rodgers has, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. That's all fine.
Manning's trophy case and resume speak to his legacy.
For starters, Manning is the greatest QB in the history of the Giants. No debate. No "allegedly." Manning is No. 1.
Head on over to Pro-Football-Reference.com and check out the Giants' passing records. Manning is first in total wins (97), completions (3,695), touchdowns (294), passing yards (44,191), yards per game (238.9) and even longest pass in team history (99 yards). Oh yeah. Manning is also the only player in the history of the Giants to win two Super Bowl championships as a starting QB.
But wait. There's more.
Manning is one of five players in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP more than once, per Sports List of the Day. The others are Brady, Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr. Brady will eventually join the other three in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
We should be able to say the same about Manning in time.
Yet, Manning has, for nearly a decade, been a NFL punchline. "Manning face" became an Internet meme to the point that Eli was mocked on social media following his "reaction" to Peyton and the Denver Broncos taking a two-score lead at Super Bowl 50, according to FoxSports.com.
Maybe Manning will be respected and appreciated once he retires. Perhaps Manning will have to be inducted into the Hall of Fame before critics realize how great he was during his career. As things stand today, Manning is the most underappreciated athlete in the so-called Big Four sports leagues.
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