The NBA's All-Underrated Starting 5
With so much media attention and scrutiny, it's hard for any quality players to go unnoticed these days. It's like cheat sheets in fantasy basketball; every Schmoe on the block has one, but finding value in overlooked players can net fantasy owners (and real-life general managers) major return on investment. Today's media algorithms are driven by page views. What draws views? Why, rim-rattling dunks, snazzy crossovers and nifty passes of course! No matter how tangibly good a player is at basketball, if they unleash one of the above moves, it will make House of Highlights, SportsCenter, World Wide Wob's Twitter, you name it.
But there are always undervalued assets among the masses. Always. That sentiment holds true not just in basketball, but for stocks, actors, writers, artists...everyone. There is always someone doing honest-to-goodness work out there and getting little recognition. It's just how the world works. And now, I present to you my starting lineup of the NBA's most underrated and under appreciated players.
Point Guard: Jrue Holiday
Holiday thrust himself into the national spotlight for a fleeting moment, when he swallowed Damian Lillard whole in the first round of the 2018 playoffs en route to a sweep of the poor Trail-Blazers, but then slunk back into the shadows as the Warriors gobbled up the Pelicans in round 2. Holiday averaged 27.8 points, 4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals while holding Lillard to a putrid 35% from the field. He was simply phenomenal, and at the end of game 2, with the Pelicans in danger of losing, Holiday broke up a Blazers fast break by enveloping Lillard and stripping the ball, as well as pinning a would-be layup against the backboard to secure a Pelicans victory. When Holiday took a breather last season, the Pelicans were outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions. He's also a fiend when isolating, pouring in 1 point per possession, good for the 80th percentile league-wide. He's also in the 92nd percentile running off cuts, scoring a sizzling 1.20 points per 100 possessions. Anthony Davis absolutely deserves all the acclaim and credit he receives, but without Holiday, the Pelicans would not have made the playoffs.
Shooting Guard: Khris Middleton
The casual basketball fan realizes Middleton is an objectively good player, but I'm not sure they fully understand just how good Middleton truly is. He's one of the most complete players in the game. He can splash threes, guard the perimeter, post up smaller guards off switches, make the right pass and serve as a secondary ball handler. He is truly a chameleon, but the 6'7 swingman is under the radar for a few reasons. For one, he plays in a small market in Milwaukee, and to get attention there you have to be a literal Freak or proclaim your undermanned team would win a playoff series in 6 games. And two, Middleton's game simply isn't flashy. He's not one for monster dunks. His handle isn't quick-twitchy and he's not exactly dishing behind the back passes. Yet, he's also in the 80th percentile on post-ups, a remarkable feat for a wing player who usually takes his shots from midrange, as opposed to centers who launch their post-ups closer to the basket. Middleton, a free agent this summer, is going to get a max contract. People will balk, not realizing just how much he's worth it.
Small Forward: Joe Ingles
Ingles was famously cut from the Clippers in 2014 while his wife was on a plane to LA to see him in preseason action. Ever since, he has made every team that didn't give him a shot pay dearly. Ingles has a charming mean-streak to him; he gets under opponents skin, nudging, poking and prodding them throughout games, just enough to get them out of their comfort zone. He's also extremely tough; Australian-tough. Ingles has quietly transformed himself into one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the league. Last season, he was 4th league -wide in 3 point percentage, besting the likes of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver and Kevin Durant, and through a measly two games this season, he's shooting 11/16 from distance, a truly ridiculous 68% that is obviously untenable yet impressive nonetheless. But Ingles is more than a sharpshooter who irritates opponents. He's a brilliant cutter, scoring 1.67 points per cut, good for the 98th percentile (!) in the league. He's also improved as a secondary ball-handler, able to weave into the teeth of the defense and either loft soft floaters or trickster passes to Rudy Gobert for easy layups. Ingles is plainly reliable. Look around the league, and players of Ingles' ilk are hard to find.
Anthony Tolliver
Tolliver is so under the radar he's underrated even among an all-underrated starting five! The career backup stretch four is quietly one of the most efficient players in league, and he's also a fantastic locker room presence by all written accounts. He was 6th in 3-point percentage last season on a healthy number of attempts. He held opponents to four percentage points under their average field goal percentage when guarding them. Among 272 players who recorded at least 75 drives last season, only three – Kevin Love, Danillo Gallinari and Andre Drummond – have drawn more fouls per drive than Tolliver, according to Zach Lowe, via Second Spectrum tracking data. Tolliver, not known for his athleticism or speed, scored 1.38 points per possession in transition, which ranked among the 93rd percentile in the league. He's underrated because his last three teams have been the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and now the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not exactly glamour franchises that attract major viewership. But viewership does not affect a player's effectiveness (well, except Rajon Rondo, who seems to only try when he's on national TV. Good thing for the Lakers). Tolliver has been thriving in the shadows, and at 33-years-old his time in the NBA is nearing its conclusion. Shame he didn't get more recognition.
Center: Al Horford
Yes, Al Horford is still underrated. Just because there are many debates about what he brings to a team doesn't mean everyone thinks he's great. In fact, these arguments are happening because half the people think Horford is some overrated pumpkin. When perusing Horford's stats, it's not hard to see why casual viewers believe him to be "Average Al" or simply nothing special. His averages last year? 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Again, on the surface, nothing special. Even digging into advanced numbers doesn't quite do Horford justice. Sure, he quarterbacked a top-3 defense last season, scored a remarkable 1.20 points per possession as a role man in the pick-and-roll, was 10th in the entire stinking league in 3-point percentage, held opponents to a putrid 33.9% field goal percentage within 9 feet of the basket and saw his team's offensive rating drop by 9 points when he sat on the bench. But all those fancy numbers almost mask the fact that Al Horford is a unicorn big man hiding in plain sight. We get all riled up and excited about the potential of Kristaps Porzingis and Karl Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid (as we should be, all those guys are awesome) when Horford is doing that right now. He's the best shooting big in the league, a smart and resourceful passer, a stonewall guarding the post and switching onto crafty guards (did you see him engulf Joel Embiid opening night?) and a phenomenal teammate. Oh, and he's also one of maybe ten players in the league who can shut down Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. I'd personally rather have him than Draymond. Al Horford is your most underrated player. You're welcome.
But there are always undervalued assets among the masses. Always. That sentiment holds true not just in basketball, but for stocks, actors, writers, artists...everyone. There is always someone doing honest-to-goodness work out there and getting little recognition. It's just how the world works. And now, I present to you my starting lineup of the NBA's most underrated and under appreciated players.
Point Guard: Jrue Holiday
Holiday thrust himself into the national spotlight for a fleeting moment, when he swallowed Damian Lillard whole in the first round of the 2018 playoffs en route to a sweep of the poor Trail-Blazers, but then slunk back into the shadows as the Warriors gobbled up the Pelicans in round 2. Holiday averaged 27.8 points, 4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals while holding Lillard to a putrid 35% from the field. He was simply phenomenal, and at the end of game 2, with the Pelicans in danger of losing, Holiday broke up a Blazers fast break by enveloping Lillard and stripping the ball, as well as pinning a would-be layup against the backboard to secure a Pelicans victory. When Holiday took a breather last season, the Pelicans were outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions. He's also a fiend when isolating, pouring in 1 point per possession, good for the 80th percentile league-wide. He's also in the 92nd percentile running off cuts, scoring a sizzling 1.20 points per 100 possessions. Anthony Davis absolutely deserves all the acclaim and credit he receives, but without Holiday, the Pelicans would not have made the playoffs.
Shooting Guard: Khris Middleton
The casual basketball fan realizes Middleton is an objectively good player, but I'm not sure they fully understand just how good Middleton truly is. He's one of the most complete players in the game. He can splash threes, guard the perimeter, post up smaller guards off switches, make the right pass and serve as a secondary ball handler. He is truly a chameleon, but the 6'7 swingman is under the radar for a few reasons. For one, he plays in a small market in Milwaukee, and to get attention there you have to be a literal Freak or proclaim your undermanned team would win a playoff series in 6 games. And two, Middleton's game simply isn't flashy. He's not one for monster dunks. His handle isn't quick-twitchy and he's not exactly dishing behind the back passes. Yet, he's also in the 80th percentile on post-ups, a remarkable feat for a wing player who usually takes his shots from midrange, as opposed to centers who launch their post-ups closer to the basket. Middleton, a free agent this summer, is going to get a max contract. People will balk, not realizing just how much he's worth it.
Small Forward: Joe Ingles
Ingles was famously cut from the Clippers in 2014 while his wife was on a plane to LA to see him in preseason action. Ever since, he has made every team that didn't give him a shot pay dearly. Ingles has a charming mean-streak to him; he gets under opponents skin, nudging, poking and prodding them throughout games, just enough to get them out of their comfort zone. He's also extremely tough; Australian-tough. Ingles has quietly transformed himself into one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the league. Last season, he was 4th league -wide in 3 point percentage, besting the likes of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver and Kevin Durant, and through a measly two games this season, he's shooting 11/16 from distance, a truly ridiculous 68% that is obviously untenable yet impressive nonetheless. But Ingles is more than a sharpshooter who irritates opponents. He's a brilliant cutter, scoring 1.67 points per cut, good for the 98th percentile (!) in the league. He's also improved as a secondary ball-handler, able to weave into the teeth of the defense and either loft soft floaters or trickster passes to Rudy Gobert for easy layups. Ingles is plainly reliable. Look around the league, and players of Ingles' ilk are hard to find.
Anthony Tolliver
Tolliver is so under the radar he's underrated even among an all-underrated starting five! The career backup stretch four is quietly one of the most efficient players in league, and he's also a fantastic locker room presence by all written accounts. He was 6th in 3-point percentage last season on a healthy number of attempts. He held opponents to four percentage points under their average field goal percentage when guarding them. Among 272 players who recorded at least 75 drives last season, only three – Kevin Love, Danillo Gallinari and Andre Drummond – have drawn more fouls per drive than Tolliver, according to Zach Lowe, via Second Spectrum tracking data. Tolliver, not known for his athleticism or speed, scored 1.38 points per possession in transition, which ranked among the 93rd percentile in the league. He's underrated because his last three teams have been the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and now the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not exactly glamour franchises that attract major viewership. But viewership does not affect a player's effectiveness (well, except Rajon Rondo, who seems to only try when he's on national TV. Good thing for the Lakers). Tolliver has been thriving in the shadows, and at 33-years-old his time in the NBA is nearing its conclusion. Shame he didn't get more recognition.
Center: Al Horford
Yes, Al Horford is still underrated. Just because there are many debates about what he brings to a team doesn't mean everyone thinks he's great. In fact, these arguments are happening because half the people think Horford is some overrated pumpkin. When perusing Horford's stats, it's not hard to see why casual viewers believe him to be "Average Al" or simply nothing special. His averages last year? 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Again, on the surface, nothing special. Even digging into advanced numbers doesn't quite do Horford justice. Sure, he quarterbacked a top-3 defense last season, scored a remarkable 1.20 points per possession as a role man in the pick-and-roll, was 10th in the entire stinking league in 3-point percentage, held opponents to a putrid 33.9% field goal percentage within 9 feet of the basket and saw his team's offensive rating drop by 9 points when he sat on the bench. But all those fancy numbers almost mask the fact that Al Horford is a unicorn big man hiding in plain sight. We get all riled up and excited about the potential of Kristaps Porzingis and Karl Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid (as we should be, all those guys are awesome) when Horford is doing that right now. He's the best shooting big in the league, a smart and resourceful passer, a stonewall guarding the post and switching onto crafty guards (did you see him engulf Joel Embiid opening night?) and a phenomenal teammate. Oh, and he's also one of maybe ten players in the league who can shut down Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. I'd personally rather have him than Draymond. Al Horford is your most underrated player. You're welcome.
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