NBA Power Rankings: Chris Paul and the 15 Most Underrated Shooters in the NBA
Putting the ball in the basket is the most basic and easily understood part of basketball, which is why we, as basketball fans, are always so enamored with the players with the highest scoring averages. However, simply because a player scores a lot of points does not necessarily mean he is a great shooter.
Sometimes this player only scores a lot of points because he is taking a ton of shots, e.g., Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, but is not the most efficient at putting the ball into the basket, which brings us to the reason for this power ranking.
In this power ranking you might not find players who lead their team in scoring, but what you will find are players who, whenever they do shoot, are more likely to see the ball go in the basket than not. It is time to finally acknowledge some of the most underrated shooters in the NBA.
No. 15: Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz
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Since Al Jefferson has not exactly revolutionized Utah Jazz basketball this season, it has been up to Paul Millsap to make up for the loss of Carlos Boozer, which Millsap has been doing fantastically this season.
Except for his teammate Jeremy Evans, who has a ridiculous 73.7 effective field goal percentage on 1.9 field goal attempts per game, Millsap's 53.3 effective field goal percentage is the highest on the team.
His 114 points produced per 100 possessions is also second-most on the Jazz, behind only Deron Williams' 117 points produced per 100 possessions.
Despite being a former second-round draft pick, Millsap is quickly becoming one of the premier players in the NBA.
No. 14: Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings
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Although not many may know it, it has been Francisco Garcia who has been the second most efficient offensive player on the Sacramento Kings. His 115 points produced per 100 possessions is also the highest mark of his career.
Garcia's shooting touch really kicked in last season, when his effective field goal percentage was 53.1 percent, and he has improved upon that slightly with a 53.5 effective field goal percentage this season.
Based on his increased efficient shooting, Garcia deserves more than the 7.8 field goal attempts he is getting this season.
No. 13: Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings
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The best Sacramento Kings player this season has not been either Tyreke Evans or DeMarcus Cousins, who seem to get all the publicity whenever anyone discusses the Kings. It has actually been Beno Udrih by quite a margin.
Over the last two seasons, just like his teammate Francisco Garcia, Udrih has really improved his shooting touch. Last season, Udrih had a 53.8 effective field goal percentage, and this season, it has been a nearly identical 53.6 effective field goal percentage.
When teams play the Kings, they should concentrate on stopping Udrih and Garcia first if they truly want to stop the Kings' offense.
No. 12: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
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If Chris Paul continues the career path he is on, he will go down as the best point guard to ever play in the NBA as long as no one gets caught up in unnecessary, and most of the time misleading, nostalgia.
One of the reasons Paul will be the best point guard ever is because he is able to combine his great ballhandling, measured by assist to turnover ration, with some pretty efficient shooting.
This season, Paul has a 53.9 effective field goal percentage, due to his 49.1 field goal percentage and 46.3 three-point percentage. Add that to the fact he is shooting 90.5 percent from the free throw line and Paul is not far away from the goal standard of a 50-40-90 season.
No. 11: Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls
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When he is healthy, Carlos Boozer is a pretty effective offensive weapon. Throughout his career, only in the 2008-09 season, was his effective field goal percentage below 52.1 percent; that season, it was 49.0 percent.
This season, Boozer's 54.6 effective field goal percentage is a decline from his last season's mark of 56.2 percent, it is still above his career 54.1 effective field goal percentage.
In Boozer, the Bulls have an excellent low-post player to pair with Derrick Rose.
No. 10: Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers
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With the way Thaddeus Young can put the ball into the basket, there is no way he should be receiving only the fourth-most field goal attempts per game on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Young's 55.2 effective field goal percentage is not just a career-high for him, although he is only shooting 25.0 percent from the three-point line, but it is also the highest shooting percentage on the 76ers this season.
If he can once again hit 34.8 percent of this three-pointers like he did last season, he will be an even more efficient scorer, a scary proposition for his opponents.
No. 9: J.J. Redick, Orlando Magic
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After a stellar four-year career at Duke, J.J. Redick spent the first three seasons of his career struggling to transition that level of play to the NBA, but over the past two seasons, he has figured it out.
His 55.1 effective field goal percentage he has shot this season is a continuation of the 54.0 effective field goal percentage he had last season.
Additionally, his 117 points per 100 possessions are the second-highest on the Orlando Magic this season so every time Redick steps onto the court, he is bringing with him a great deal of offensive efficiency firepower.
No. 8: Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns
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Since Jared Dudley arrived in the offensive-friendly confines of Phoenix, he has been a spectacularly excellent shooter.
After being traded to the Phoenix Suns in the middle of the 2008-09 season, Dudley first began shooting the way we have come to expect from him. In those 48 games, Dudley had a 55.0 effective field goal percentage, helped along by 39.4 percent from the three-point line.
The next year, in the 2009-10 season, Dudley posted a 58.2 effective field goal percentage, and he has followed that up this season with a 55.5 effective field goal percentage.
Over the past 178 games, Dudley has been one of the most dangerously efficient shooters in the NBA.
No. 7: Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
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When you think shooter and Boston Celtics together, your mind no doubt thinks of Ray Allen first and for good reason. Allen is one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, but his teammate, Paul Pierce, is also a very good shooter.
Paul Pierce, since the Celtics' Big Three were formed, has been the perfect combination of scorer and shooter. He is able to pile up a great number of points while shooting at a very efficient clip.
This season, he is doing it better than he has ever done before, averaging 19.7 points per game while posting a spectacular 56.3 effective field goal percentage. At the age of 33 years old, Pierce is having his best season ever.
No. 6: Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic
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The more Ryan Anderson plays, the better he gets as his effective field goal percentage has increased from 47.8 percent as a rookie in 2008-09 to 53.6 percent last year to 56.8 percent this season.
Additionally, his offensive rating has also improved from 108 points produced per 100 possessions to 112 points produced per 100 possessions to 122 points produced per 100 possessions.
Anderson is such a dangerous shooter that he currently leads the Orlando Magic in the offensive rating category. Any way the Magic can find more shots for Anderson, they should do it.
No. 5: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
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Al Horford is the only player on the Atlanta Hawks who deserves a max contract because he is the only Hawk who is so incredibly efficient on the offensive side of the ball.
Each season Horford has been on the league, he has improved his shooting touch. In his rookie season, his effective field goal percentage was 49.9 percent. For his second year, it improved to 52.5 percent. Last year, it increased again to 55.2 percent.
This season, Horford's effective field goal percentage is a sparkling 56.9 percent and he is producing a tremendous 122 points per 100 possessions.
He is by far the best player on the Hawks.
No. 4: Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
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Steve Nash might not be underrated as a shooter, but not enough can be said about his outstanding shooting ability, which is why he is included on this list.
For the fifth time in his NBA career, Nash is en route to a season where he shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the three-point line, and 90 percent from the free throw line. That is a truly remarkable accomplishment for a player, especially one who turns 37 years old today.
As a birthday present to Nash, let's all take a moment to just revel in what a treat it is to be able to watch him shoot on an almost daily basis.
No. 3: Anthony Morrow, New Jersey Nets
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On a team that is not full of great shooters or efficient scorers, Anthony Morrow and his 57.9 effective field goal percentage are truly a breath of fresh air.
Like Ryan Anderson and Al Horford, Morrow, too, has improved his shooting in each of his NBA seasons, a feat made more impressive by the fact he has always been a great shooter.
Morrow started off his NBA career with a 55.8 effective field goal percentage, and last season, his effective field goal percentage was 56.8 percent.
Morrow has yet to have anything other than an incredibly efficient season on offense, thanks to his superior shooting ability.
No. 2: Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets
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The trend of players improving their shooting percentages each season they spend in the NBA continues with Arron Afflalo, who is one of the best shooters in the NBA this season.
Afflalo's 60.1 effective field goal percentage is both the culmination of that shooting improvement and is the second-highest such shooting percentage in the NBA this year among qualifying NBA players.
In addition, his 125 points produced per 100 possessions is the fifth highest offensive rating.
Whenever the Denver Nuggets do move on from Carmelo Anthony, the franchise should feel confident knowing it still has a player with Afflalo's shooting ability on the team.
No. 1: Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs
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Matt Bonner had been an extremely proficient shooter for his entire career, but this season, before he bruised the bone in his right knee, he was truly outdoing himself.
Bonner was shooting an almost unfathomable 50.4 percent from the three-point line, and overall, he had a 64.4 effective field goal percentage. To shoot that well from the field is both remarkable and something at which every basketball fan should marvel.
There are not enough flowery adjectives that can be used to praise Bonner's shooting this year; all we can hope is that he can return to full health so we can continue to experience it.
