Players are often described as being "overrated" or "underrated". In the NBA, this often translates to overrated players being players that are good, but vastly overpaid for their abilities, or who get more media exposure than some other players, while underrated often means a player who is making a pittance for his current production (funnily enough, underrated players tend to become labeled overrated when they get new, bigger contracts).
I do think there are some underrated players though, players that aren't as widely known for their roles on their team, who don't often get mentioned for their contributions but are indeed integral parts of their team.
Over the next week or so, I'll be looking at each team to find one "underrated" player for each team in the league. Last Tuesday, we looked at the Atlantic Divsion, Wednesday the Central, and Thursday the Southeast. Friday we moved on to the Western Conference and checked out the Southwest. After the jump, we venture on to the Northwest.
Denver Nuggets:
2009-10 Stats: 33.6 MPG, 13.8 PPG, .587 FG%, .704 FT%, 7.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BLK, 1.5 TO, 3.4 PF
Salary: 2 years left at $22.9 million (Has an Early Termination Option to opt out of his last year)
Nene is one of the better feel-good stories in the NBA, undergoing surgery to remove a testicular tumor in 2008 (in which he missed most of the season), and then coming back and posting some of the best numbers in his career these past two seasons. The best part about Nene is how ridiculously efficient he is on offense. 58.7% from the field is no joke, and he has led the league in TS% for the past two years (.645 in '09, .631 last year). He's not a bad passer for a big man either, with almost 3 assists per 36. Most surprisingly to me though, was that despite well-known stars Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony on the team last year, Nene led the Nuggets in Win Shares. Denver also has plenty of high Usage players (Carmelo, Chauncy, J.R. Smith) so Nene's low Usage of 16.5% fits extremely well with the team. Carmelo Anthony might be the head of the Nuggets, but Nene is the neck that holds it up.
Utah Jazz:
2009-10 Stats: 29.0 MPG, 11.9 PPG, .506 FG%, .292 3P%, .744 FT%, 4.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.2 BLK, 1.4 TO, 1.8 PF
Salary: 1 year left at $17.8 million
Nowadays people often wonder at how much Kirilenko is getting paid, but at the time he got that contract, he almost deserved that money. Ak-47, just like the rifle he is nicknamed for, is a do it all kind of guy. Rebound, Score, Pass, Steal, Block, he does it. In fact, he's the only player other than Hakeem Olajuwon to record multiple 5-by-5s (at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks). Despite injuries slowing this athletic Russian down, Kirilenko has still been a major part of the Jazz cog, especially last year. His defense in particular is still superb, as the already tough Jazz are 5.4 pp100 better on that end of the court with him playing. He also led the Jazz last year in Offensive Rating (117) and was 2nd in Defensive Rating (103). His shot blocking has declined as the injuries have mounted up (he twice averaged over 3 blocks a game), but its still better than a lot of Centers with a Block rate of 3.4%. Kirilenko's contract is expiring after this year, and he could be a game changer for teams looking for that last piece of the puzzle (he could probably do a decent job guarding Wade, James and Bosh for example).
Portland Trailblazers:
2009-10 Stats: 24.8 MPG, 10.1 PPG, .519 FG%, .409 3P%, .843 FT%, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, .6 SPG, .7 BLK, .7 TO, 2.2 PF
Salary: 2 years left at $3.4 million (After which he becomes a RFA if given the Qualifying Offer)
Batum is quickly becoming one of my favorite young players to watch in this league and for good reason. Despite being out most of the year with a shoulder injury he came back strong and showed that he had definitely improved from his already promising Rookie Year. Take a look at those shooting percentages up there. They're absurd. I know its a small sample size (he only played 37 games last year), but he sported a 64.6% True Shooting %. His length and athleticism, combined with some more experience, could lead him to becoming one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA, an area where he has already shown much talent. Despite his defensive promise, its his offense that truly shines, as Portland is almost 7 pp100 possessions better with him on the court. He's a very low Usage player at only 16.4%, which makes him a perfect complement to the Roy and Aldridge. Rumor had it that Portland turned down an offer Minnesota's #4 pick for Batum this offseason, showing how high they are on him, and in my opinion, they have every right to be.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
2009-10 Stats: 20.8 MPG, 5.9 PPG, .589 FG%, .692 FT%, 5.1 RPG, .6 BLK, .8 TO, 3.1 PF
Salary: 1 year left at $6.75 million
On a very talented and young Thunder team, Collison has been the "old vet" of the group. He's the definition of a role player, scrappy, good for a hard foul and efficient on offense. He's an extremely low Usage player (only 12.1%), but he makes the most of whatever touches he does get, leading the team in TS% at 61.6%. His defense is also underrated, and he led the league in Charges drawn last year with 57. Oklahoma City also saw a huge difference in their team defense with him on the floor as they were 7.1 pp100 better, and he also had a positive effect offensively with a 2.5 pp100 increase. Even though his contract will be up this year, I would not be surprised to see him re-sign with OKC at the end of it, because every team needs a guy like this on their bench, especially a young team like the Thunder.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
2009-10 Stats: 28.6 MPG, 14.0 PPG, .450 FG%, .330 3P%, .815 FT%, 11.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, .7 SPG, 2.0 TO, 2.3 PF
Salary: 2 years left at $8.3 million (After which he can become a RFA)
If Troy Murphy and David Lee somehow had a baby, that baby would probably grow up to be Kevin Love. Love is probably Minnesota's best player, and yet he has yet to crack the starting line-up full time. He was by far the player with the biggest impact on the court for the Wolves last year, with Minnesota 5 pp100 better with him on the court, and the rebounding and assisted field goals up as well. Speaking of rebounding, that's one thing this guy does well. Amazingly, fantastically well. Not only does he have a ridiculous defensive rebound rate of 28.6%, he also has an even more ridiculous offensive rebound rate of 14.5% (he led the league in offensive rebound rate the year before as a rookie at 15.1%). He led the Timberwolves in Win Shares at 4.9 as well. Another aspect of Love's game that deserves mention is his great passing, sporting a 12.9% Assist Rate for a big man. He's also a phenomenal outlet passer, as Sebastian Pruiti discussed over at NBA Playbook last week. Love's defense is a work in progress, but his offense is already here, and he even added a decent 3 point jumper to his arsenal last year, that will only get better with more practice. With Al Jefferson out of the picture in Minnesota, there should be no stopping Love from claiming that Starting Power Forward spot and leading this young Timberwolves team.
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Tomorrow, we finish the Unsung Heroes series in the Pacific Division.
enjoying it, keep it coming
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