[PulseGlazerParticipant]

Underrated and Undervalued Current NBA Talent. I’m leaving off guys like Asik, Collison and Teague who made names in the playoffs and are now properly valued.

Here’s a quick list of some NBA Talent that is underrated and/or undervalued.

 

Atlanta – We all know Jaron Collins can shut down big men, but how about Kirk Hinrich’s effectiveness guarding 2’s? Joe, Hinrich and Teague all starting finally let Marvin be a scorer off the bench.

Charlotte – Shaun Livingston isn’t much of a scorer, and at this point we realize he won’t be what it appeared he might as a rookie, but what he will be is one of the best defensive 1s in basketball.

Cleveland – Everyone has forgotten just how good Varejeo is. I don’t think he’s a significant dropoff from Tyson Chandler. Christian Eyenga will be a starter and defensive stopped in this league. He’s the reason the Cavs wing issues are over-stated.

Detroit – He won’t be great, but did anyone bother to notice Austin Daye becoming an above average rebounding 3? If he can make shots, he’s an average starter. Not bad since I thought he’d be bench at best.

Golden State – We forget how good Biedrins was a few years back, but he was fast tracked to become an All Star. If he dedicates himself, going into his age 25 season, it isn’t too late, even if he only plays 25 minutes a night. Epke Udoh, another underrated player that even I wrote off as a bust, makes his team ridiculously better on defense and can handle the rest of the minutes. And no one noticed, but given Dorrell Wright’s numbers last year, he’s a slightly better field goal percentage and a better understanding of team defense from being a complete star.

Houston – Jordan Hill is apparently great with Chuck Hayes, and his value is low enough that should Houston fix their wings trading Scola or Patterson, he and Hayes can essentially be a beastly bench tandem. Per 36 minutes, Terrence Williams was, once more, a beast, with 17 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and almost 2 steals. Eventually, someone will give him the burn to prove it, at least as the star of a second unit.

Milwaulkee – Mbah a Mouta and Bogut might be the best defensive frontcourt in basketball. Dooling, too, is a great defender. Jennings and the wings were the problem, as even Ilyasova was pretty darn good. Bogut, by the way, might quietly be the second best center in basketball.

Minn – Randolph needs to play. Per 36, he’s at 21 pts, 9 boards, a steal and a block. Why won’t the wolves hire a defensive coach to utilize the length of him and Wes Johnson! Quietly, Pekovic has become a solid backup 5. Even Koufos isn’t that bad.

NJ – Morrow shoots at least 40% from 3 every year. He’s perfect next to Deron, especially if Brook becomes a better passer. For the love of god, please run him off some double screens! Sundiata Gaines looks like a bench keeper, as well.

NY – Toney Douglas is just great on D. Someone should steal him from NY on a defensive club and just trap away with him on the second unit. He’s like Pitino’s wet dream backup. Derrick Brown was a steal as an athlete who makes plays.

OKC – Byron Mullens is just nasty when he actually gets to play. The Knicks should try and grab he and Thabo to sure up the D.

Philly – Lost in the love for Thad is that Lou Williams used to be one of the worst in the NBA and now is one of its top bench players. Speights is rather crap as a starter, but off the bench, he’s perfectly good.

Pho – Everyone knows Gortat and Dudley by now, right? Gortat can be a top 10 center, while Dudley is just a good role player.

Sac – We all know Thornton is good, but did you realize he was the King’s leading scorer? Jason Thompson is also finally rebounding on a per minute basis.

Utah – Al Jefferson has to go. By minute, Favors, who would be the #1 pick in this year’s draft, already matches him in rebounding and exceeds him in blocks. Let the next McDyess develop! Move Jefferson and Devin Harris while they’re young enough to retain value! Jefferson, by the way, in time, can be the next Zach Randolph.

Toronto – Joey Dorsey can both rebound and defend. I hope they hire Casey so he gets time for that. He and Amir, with, of course, Ed Davis should be the foundation of a nice frontcourt once they finally move Bargnani.

[Anton123Participant]

 "Byron Mullens is just nasty when he actually gets to play."

Do you mean nasty in a bad way?

I’ve watched almost every OKC game and Byron Mullens mostly misses jumpshots and commit silly fouls.

I think the per36 stats never work too, I mean Terrence Williams was awful this season.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

Terrence was awful, but the talent is just so damn clearly there.  I like Muellens.  He can’t shoot, but as a #4 big, I think he’s got a shot.

[bloodshyParticipant]

"Bogut, by the way, might quietly be the second best center in basketball."  —  I have to disagree with this one.  Bogut’s ft% alone ensures he’ll never be dominant in the clutch. Dwight can get away w/that because he’s a super-human monster. I think Bogut hovers around top 5 @C.

About Jefferson: I agree. On the one hand, he’s a decent shot-blocker and one of the most productive PF/C in the NBA. On the other hand, he has slow feet and requires a lot of ball time to have an impact. He’s been playing the C for the Jazz, who have Milsap/Favors @ PF.  But he’s a smallish C and the Jazz don’t need him in their future @ PF.

If the Jazz draft Kanter, they must move Jefferson–maybe to Indi (he’d be a perfect fit there & they’d be willing to unload some picks in their stage of development). In that case the Jazz would have 5) Kanter/Okur 4) Favors/Milsap, which is a very stong front court imo.  Unfortunately they’d also have 3) ? (maybe Miles, AK or other) 2) Hayward/? 1) Harris/?

Obviously the Jazz will have big-time question marks in the backcourt this year (again). Trading Jefferson might allow them to alleviate some of those problems via addition picks.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

There’s no 5 in basketball besides Dwight that is his team’s # 1 option – in the clutch or any other time. That FT% is bad, but an overrated issue.

I really like the Jefferson to indy idea.

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

I don’t know. He is a 3 point shooter and not much else to me. Somewhat streaky from 3 too.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Bogut is a good center.  Yes, possibly the second best center behind Dwight Howard, but the drop off is significant after Howard.  Bogut, Bynum, Marc Gasol, are in that second tier range right now.  Probably Tyson Chandler too.  Good centers but not superstars.  Mbah a Moute is a good role player who can defend and rebound but he might be better coming off the bench.  I think they need to draft a good power forward if they can’t get a top shooting guard in this draft.  If everyone is healthy the Bucks could have a bounce back year and make a run at a playoff spot.  Jennings regressed somewhat.  I would have Darren Collison being a slightly better point guard going into next season.  Collison is a MUCH better shooter and is pretty fast too.

I agree with you about Biedrins.  If he gets healthy and puts it together he can be a big force for the Warriors next year getting 10 boards a night, blocking a few shots, and getting some dunks.  He’s a guy that’s just below that second tier group of centers when he is healthy and really on top of his game.

I think Mario Chalmers was sort of underrated but probably fairly rated now after his good Finals appearance.  With his 3 point shooting, good point guard size, ability to drive and hit big shots he reminds me somewhat of a young Chauncey Billups.  He will be a good long-term solution at the point guard spot next to the Big Three. 

I think Tyler Hansbrough is underrated.  He is really active, can bang inside, and score.  Should be a good power forward for a long time playing a role similar to Udonis Haslem (a good starter back in the day, and a great guy to bring off the bench now).  Psycho T is a poor man’s Al Horford.  I like the Pacers team a lot (they looked better than the Bulls in every playoff game even though they lost 4-1), and if they can get Jimmer in the draft it would be a STEAL.  If not, they need to draft the best guy available. 

 

[GrandmamaParticipant]

I still think Nicolas Batum is extremely skilled and highly underrated….

[BigChamp12Participant]

Pulse Glazer I have to disagree with you on Toney Douglas’ defensive ability. He’s an average defender at best. The playoff series against the celtics exposed him. When Chauncey went down, so did the Knicks’ D. Rondo went straight at Toney and he couldn’t slow him even a bit. In my eyes, that was why the series was so easy. Toney was a major liability on D aginst the Celtics…. I agree with your other points though… except that Varejao is close to Tyson Chandler. Varejao is a flop artist and is not nearly the intimidation factor Chandler is on D. Tyson alters all shots at the rim and is a proven shot blocker, Varejao is not a bad player, but i think is a major drop off from Tyson.

[Author]

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