Underrated players

[wrafman]

Underrated is an overused term these days but I just thought I would make a list of some players who (I feel anyways) are underrated or under-recognized for whatever reason.

Here is my list:

Carlos Delfino and Andrew Bogut - Milwaukee Bucks

Delfino returned to the NBA this season after playing overseas and has played very well, as has Bogut - being away for a year or two and being in a small market like Milwaukee he does not get a lot of attention

Amir Johnson - Toronto Raptors
The Raptors traded Delfino for Johnson and both players have played very well for their respective teams - he adds some much needed size and athleticism to the Raptors

Kelenna Azibuke - G. State Warriors - is he still with them or in the NBA? I saw a couple clips of him last year and was quite impressed with his athleticism and I think he had good numbers too (for a bench player).

Anderson Varaejao - Cleveland Cavaliers
He plays strong defense and his +/- numbers are among the best in the NBA

Caron Butler - Washington Wizards
He has always been a strong player who did not get as much attention as some of his slightly higher-scoring teammates (A. Jamison, G. Arenas) but is just as good as them.
Nickname is 'Tough Juice' - nuff said.

Shannon Brown - L.A. Lakers
Getting more attention lately because of his dunks but has also improved his all-around game. Not sure why the Cavs let him go(think it was in a trade). Smart move by the Lakers to pick him up.

Joel Anthony - Miami Heat - a lot of people don't know about him. He does nt score much but he has been good defensively and given the Heat a big man they have sorely needed.

Lamar Odom - L.A. Lakers
Everyone talks about Kobe and Gasol but L. Odom has been almost as valuable as them. He could be more consistent but his length, athleticism and skills create matchup problems. Especially when the Lakers play him together with Bynum and Gasol.

Andre Kirilenko (maybe) - swiss-army knife type player who has rejuvenated his career this season. He is one of the best players I have seen in terms of his ability to defend star shooting guards/small forwards like Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter - gives them fits. A big part of that are his long arms and athleticism.


Curious to hear who are on your list?

[garnett_21]

Nice thread...the first player that pops in my mind is Kevin Love...he's an occasional starter, but he's averaging a double-double (15/12, I believe), and is only a second-year player. Another one would be Brook Lopez. I'm sure I'll think of more later.

[kyle12162000]

carl landry and aaron brooks of the Houston Rockets are vastly underrated...

I also think Chris Bosh is underrated (because he plays in Canada). He will be a free agent at the end of the season. If he goes to a BIG TIME US market he will explode.

[gladdyontherise]

Just my opinion here but most the players listed are not underrated, they're role players for the most part and nothing more. Chauncey Billups, now he is underrated, you look at Melo this season and dont think about Chauncey.

Besides, he was the SINGLE reason why Detroit was so good

[wrafman]

Have to retype this because of problems with SCF's site or Internet Explorer (not sure which - probably Explorer).

Anyways here is the condensed version:

Role players - some are yes, but not all, and nevertheless underrated ones

Chauncey Billups - good choice - forgot about him - he was the floor general and probably the biggest factor in the Pistons success(Ben Wallace was huge too). When the Nuggets acquired him (swap for Iverson) they improved significantly and got past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in ages.

Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks - good choices - they gave the Lakers (especially Fisher) fits in the playoffs last year. I remember Landry got his tooth knocked out (not that series I think) and still continued playing. Wish Vince Carter was that tough when he was with the Raptors.

Chris Bosh - maybe - good point about playing in Canada.

Kevin Love - I don't know bout that one but Brook Lopez definitely. He has been very impressive this year.

[garnett_21]

Reason I said Kevin Love was because you never hear about him...does anyone talk about him? Not often...yet he still goes out and puts up a double-double almost every night, and he's a big who can hit 3's - often.

Actually, come to think of it, I could probably name an underrated player on every team.

[wrafman]

Reason I said Kevin Love was because you never hear about him...does anyone talk about him? Not often...yet he still goes out and puts up a double-double almost every night, and he's a big who can hit 3's - often.

Actually, come to think of it, I could probably name an underrated player on every team.

Kevin Love came back from injury and he is not a flashy or particularly athletic player so he has not received a lot of attention, as you say. Playing in Minnesota does not help either. He makes the most of his abilities and uses smart positioning and a lot of effort to get a lot of rebounds.

Regarding the abundance of underrated players - true. I was thinking the same thing (could probably name one on every team). As I said it is an overused term and overapplied term but there are still so many, as you point out. Keeping it to one player per team would probably be a good idea.

David Lee of the Knicks is another one - I am pretty sure he lead the league in double-doubles last year. Because of the Knicks being a bad team he does not get much attention. I don't think he was invited to the all-star game either. Many people seemed to feel he deserves it.

[kyle12162000]

brook lopez is a stud...

[nadeau01_johnson48]

Maurice Williams.

[wrafman]

Maurice (Mo) Williams was underrated and not well-known before he came to the Cavs. Now though I don't know. He had trouble in the playoffs (esp. defensively) with the Magic's bigger shooting guards and small forwards, which is why the Cavs brought in Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon(two ex-Raptors who I like a lot, especially Moon).