Who Are The Most Underrated Players In The NBA?
Yesterday I went over some players from my Instagram poll, the players who were listed as overrated. I agreed and disagreed with some of them, and today we are doing the same thing with players that are “underrated.”
Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell wasn’t a highly touted rookie coming out of the 2017 NBA Draft, but he blossomed into a star with the Jazz. Mitchell is very smooth and precise on offense, able to score from all 3 levels. He is very athletic and is great at changing paces getting downhill. He has made the Jazz a solid playoff team each of the last 3 seasons.
Mitchell is often overlooked by other guards in the West such as Curry, Lillard, Harden, and Devin Booker. But Mitchell is a top-5 SG in the league and he is going to be good for a very long time.
I think Mitchell gets overlooked because he’s not dominating anybody, but he is holding his own. He showed superstar potential during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, and he will be the face of the Utah Jazz for the rest of this decade.
Verdict: Underrated (Overlooked)
Jusuf Nurkic
Jusuf Nurkic played in the shadow of a young Nikola Jokic in Denver, but become a great starting center for the Blazers over the past few years. Nurkic is big and physical down low, and a great screener for Damian Lillard. He works great in the pick and roll and is a great passer. He is the energy guy for this team, and brings toughness every night. Even after that devastating injury in March of 2019, Nurkic is set for a great 2020 campaign.
Nurkic never talked about as a center, but he is a big part of the Blazers success over the past few years. In the 2018-19 season, Nurkic averaged 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds. He also averaged 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Nurkic is a great player, and people often overlook him with Dame and CJ in Portland. Nurkic is a border-line All-Star center, but the shine goes to the All-Star guards. I love Nurkic’s playstyle, and encourage more people to watch his game and just how much he impacts this Blazers team.
Verdict: Critically Underrated
Kyrie Irving
Irving is one of the most talented ball handlers in league history, but he hasn’t been as loved or as good since leaving Cleveland. Irving hasn’t been close to winning a title and has been mostly plagued by injuries. Nowadays most people either love or hate the former champion, with no in between. But I think that people just kind of forgot how special Irving can be.
Irving is one of the most talented scorers in the league today, and has arguably the best handles the game has ever seen. He is slippery, and I think him and KD are due for a big season in Brooklyn. People just want to hate because of all the things that he says, which I agree are mostly stupid, but his talent on the floor is unmatched.
At his best, Irving can be a top-5 PG in the league, and can light people up on a daily basis. Irving has the chance to prove all the haters wrong this season with the Nets, and I expect him to do so.
Verdict: Overhated
Stephen Curry
Curry was injured for most of the 2019-20 season, and the Warriors plummeted. Curry is back this season, and the Warriors are back in contention, hoping to make the playoffs. I know that we all consider Curry to be the best point guard in the league and the greatest shooter ever (sane people do at least), but people forget just how good Curry was.
Curry does so much off ball, and he helps his teammates. Opposing defenses have to worry so much about what he does off ball with all his movement, it gives other guys so much more space. In just his 1st year with Golden State, KD’s percentages went up a lot. He went from shooting 51% from the field to 54% from the field. Durant became more efficient with Curry constantly running around.
Curry is one of the best playmakers in the game, and he doesn’t even have to touch the ball to do so. I think Curry will have a great season as he tries to get the Warriors back in the playoffs. Don’t sleep on Curry, this guy is special to watch and he is not going away any time soon.
Verdict: Underrated (Impact Overlooked)
I think that it’s pretty hard to be overrated in the NBA. It’s hard to do great things and not get noticed, but some players it just happens. Not many people see Jusuf Nurkic as a elite tier center, but he is clearly top-10 in the league. Guys like Kyrie Irving are always getting hate, and they just have to show us how special they really are. Steph Curry does so many things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, and lots of people overlook that. Donovan Mitchell has quietly built himself into one of the best scorers in the league, but people often forget him in the stacked Western Conference. I think that Jusuf Nurkic is easily one of the most underrated players in the league, but there are a lot of other guys that haven’t got the recognition that they deserved from everybody around the league.
Who Is The Most Underrated Player In The League? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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