Seven Underrated NBA Players

http://nesn.com/2015/10/celtics-isaiah-thomas-among-seven-most-underrated-nba-players-photos/



Underrated NBA Players


by Darren Hartwell

on Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 12:55PM



Of the 11 players in the NBA who averaged 30 or more points per 48 minutes last season, nine were All-Stars.

So where’s the love for the other two?

One was Warriors big man Marreese Speights, who played an integral role coming off the bench during Golden State’s NBA title campaign. The other: Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who emerged as arguably the team’s best player after coming to Boston via trade in February.

At 5-foot-9, Thomas is used to being overlooked — he recently admitted he still feels under-appreciated by the rest of the league. But the talented guard isn’t the only player who shines away from the spotlight. Here’s a list of who we believe are the most underrated players in the NBA entering the 2015-16 season.


7. Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz



Russell Isabella/USA TODAY

Gobert didn’t get much run during his rookie season in 2013-14 after the Jazz took him with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. But the 7-foot-1 Frenchman made major strides in his sophomore season, improving his shooting from 48.6 percent to an impressive 60.7 percent. He’s also developing into a very talented shot-blocker, finishing fourth in the NBA last season with 2.30 swats per game. Gobert might not be on this list for much longer.


6. Tobias Harris, F, Orlando Magic



Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY

Harris put up solid numbers in 2014-15 (7.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game), but what earns him a spot on this list is his versatility and efficiency. The 23-year-old was one of just six NBA players to average 15 points and 6 rebounds while shooting at least 35 percent from 3-point range (36.4 percent) and, according to one metric, was the most efficient post player in the NBA last season, averaging 1.04 points per post possession.



5. Derrick Favors, F, Utah Jazz



Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY

Between Gobert and Favors, the Jazz have a pretty good thing going in their frontcourt. Favors had his best season as a pro in 2014-15, averaging 16 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while finishing 14th in the entire NBA with a 21.8 player efficiency rating. The 24-year-old can defend at the rim and has an improving mid-range game on offense, making him yet another versatile piece on an improving Utah squad.



4. DeMarre Carroll, F, Toronto Raptors



Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY

Carroll gained some well-deserved recognition on last season’s resurgent Atlanta Hawks team, but he still was the only starter not to earn an All-Star nod. If the 29-year-old keeps it up, though, that might change in Toronto. Carroll has improved his 3-point shooting in each of the last three seasons and shot 39.5 percent from long range in 2014-15. He also pulled down 5.3 rebounds per game and should be a valuable addition to a talented Raptors squad.



3. Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic



Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY

Only five players had more double-doubles than Anthony Davis last season. Vucevic was one of them. The Magic big man always has been a great rebounder, but he found his stroke last season, pouring in a career-high 19.3 points per game while pulling down 10.9 rebounds per contest. The Switzerland native has flown under the radar so far, but a double-double machine only can go unrecognized for so long.



2. Mike Conley, G, Memphis Grizzlies




Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY

You can’t have a list of the NBA’s most underrated players without including Conley. The former fourth overall pick has been the leader behind the Grizzlies’ return to prominence, consistently shooting close to .500 from the floor since he came into the league in 2007 and remaining constant as the team’s floor general despite a revolving door of teammates. Conley still is awaiting his first All-Star selection, and that needs to change ASAP.



1. Isaiah Thomas, G, Boston Celtics




Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY


Thomas was the 11th-most efficient scorer in the NBA last season and led the Celtics in points and assists per game. And he did it all coming off the bench. The 5-foot-9 guard long has been overlooked, but it’s getting harder to ignore his offensive prowess after he averaged 30.6 points per 48 minutes over the course of the 2015-16 season. While the Celtics still lack a big star, Thomas isn’t too far behind from being recognized as one of the NBA’s best scorers.



bob
MY NOTE: This was written by a NESN sportswriter. Furthermore, how did he define "most efficient scorer"? He's not on this chart:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2015_leaders.html

Don't get me wrong, I think IT was a great pick up by Danny, and maybe his is undervalued, but "11th most efficient scorer"?


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