Unsung Heroes: Atlantic Division

Bullets killed the Dinosaurs right?

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.  After the jump, the underrated players for the teams in the Atlantic Division.

Boston Celtics: 

Kendrick Perkins, C
2009-10 Stats: 27.6 MPG, 10.1 PPG, .602 FG%, .582 FT%, 7.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.7 BLK, 2.1 TO, 2.8 PF
Salary: 1 year left at $4.6 million

Perkins has been the full-time Starting Center for the Celtics for 3 seasons now, but he tends to get overshadowed by his star teammates.  Yet his contribution on the floor is vital for the Celtics (this was especially obvious in Game 7 of the NBA Finals this year).  Kendrick is not an offensive player by any means, but he isn't a black hole either.  He's very efficient with the shots he does take (which aren't many), and knows his limitations.  He's an above average rebounder on both ends of the court (less so on the offensive end) and a very good shot blocker.  Defense is definitely where Perkins makes his stand, and according to 82games.com, Boston's defense was almost 3 points better with Perk on the floor than when he was off, and opponents scored less efficiently when he was on the court.  More surprising to me, is that Boston's offense was much more efficient (a little over 5% in effective FG%) better with Perk in.  This could do with the fact that Boston's backup centers have been pretty bad for the last few years.  Perk is going to have a tough time coming back from his injury, and I think the Celtics are going to suffer record-wise in the meanwhile.

Toronto Raptors:
Amir Johnson, PF
2009-10 Stats: 17.7 MPG, 6.2 PPG, .623 FG%, .638 FT%, 4.8 RPG, .6 APG, .8 BLK, .8 TO, 3.1 PF
Salary: 5 years left at $30 million (5th year unguaranteed)

Toronto was a tough team to find an underrated player for, so I took the player many people decried this summer for how big and long a contract he received.  The biggest reason for me is that on the worst defensive team in the league (and the Raptors were the worst defensive team in the league by far), Johnson had a big impact on their team defense, as the Raptors were almost 8 points per 100 possessions better defensively when he was on the court, while the team allowed a much lower opponent eFG% while he played.  Johnson isn't a slouch on offense either, being an excellent offensive rebounder, and an efficient scorer (although he doesn't look to score often).  Johnson could be considered overpaid for what he does, but on a team that doesn't really have anyone that plays defense, he could be one of the better players next season.

New York Knicks:
Danilo Gallinari, SF
2009-10 Stats: 33.9 MPG, 15.1 PPG, .423 FG%, .381 3P%, .818 FT%, 4.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, .9 SPG, .7 BLK, 1.4 TO, 2.4 PF
Salary: 2 years left at $7.5 million (after which he can become a RFA if New York offers the Qualifying Offer)

Gallinari came back from an injury plagued rookie year to become one of the bright spots on a New York squad looking to the future.  What is obvious is that this kid (will be 22 next season) can flat out score, and extremely efficiently too.  He takes more than half (52.6%) of his shots from 3, and knocks down a respectable 38.1% of them (taking into account the extra point a 3 is worth, that's about 57.2% if they were twos).  He also doesn't dominate the ball much, preferring to work off of it (about 66% of his FGs were assisted, and almost 90% of his threes).  Gallo also made an impact for the Knicks defensively, as they performed better on both ends of the court when he played, and he's an alright rebounder for a wing player as well.  In my opinion, Gallo has the potential to be a more well-rounded version of Kevin Martin, although he probably won't ever be as good at drawing Free Throws as Kevin does.  Expect him to have a big year with Amar'e Stoudemire drawing a lot of attention inside, and a more competent point guard than Chris Duhon running the offense this year.

Philadelphia 76ers:
Andre Iguodala, G/F
2009-10 Stats: 38.9 MPG, 17.1 PPG, .443 FG%, .310 3P%, .733 FT%, 6.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, .7 BLK, 2.7 TO, 1.8 PF
Salary: 4 years left at $56.5 million

Here's where I differ from a lot of mainstream thought.  Iguodala is often lambasted as being very overrated, mainly because they believe he's not worth his contract.  Iguodala might not be a mainstream star in that sense, but he's a very good, very well rounded player.  Take into account that in his 6 years with the Sixers, he's missed only 6 games (and he's started in every single game he's played as well), despite averaging 38.1 MPG over those 6 years.  He isn't the most reliable or efficient scorer (he's never really been a good shooter), but he still finds ways of contributing.  He gets to the line quite a bit (although not as much as in seasons past), he rebounds and passes very well for his position, doesn't turn the ball over much, and doesn't dominate the ball (a mere 19.9 USG over his career).  Most importantly, he's a very good defender, holding opponents to below their averages consistently.  Iguodala might be overpaid, but Philadelphia shouldn't feel compelled to simply dump his salary (as has been seemingly suggested many times by various sports outlets across the internet) without getting talent or assets back.  He's worth it.

New Jersey Nets:
Terrence Williams, G/F
2009-10 Stats: 22.6 MPG, 8.4 PPG, .401 FG%, .310 3P%, .715 FT%, 4.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, .6 SPG, 1.6 TO, 1.6 PF
Salary: 3 years left at $7.7 million (last two years are team options that are likely to be picked up)

New Jersey was a tough one for me to pick an underrated player for.  Can any member of a 12 win club be considered underrated?  Brook Lopez is by far the best player on the team, and one of the best young centers in the league, but he isn't underrated in my opinion, as many people share and even exceed my opinion of him (I think he's a sub-par rebounder for his size).  Devin Harris use to be considered underrated by many, but to me, he showed he couldn't be a focal point last season.

In the end I chose one of the more unheralded rookies of last year, the very versatile Terrence Williams.  Williams got off to a slow start, but as the season grew longer for the Nets, he was gradually given more room to work and began to excel.  In fact, he almost reminded me a little bit of the guy I just talked about, Andre Iguodala.  Both are very athletic, can handle the ball, aren't really great shooters, are good passers, and can play defense.  Williams was all that for the Nets last season (although way less efficient than Iguodala as a scorer, which is pretty damn inefficient) and he likely will be called to do so again this season.  Williams will have to curb his instinct to score a little bit until he gets a more reliable jumper, but he has the abilities and tools to become a very versatile and well-rounded player. The Nets were better on both offense and defense with the rookie on the court last year, so expect him to see a lot more floor time this year, perhaps in the starting lineup.

***

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at the Central Division.