Mitch Richmond, Detlef Schrempf, and Vin Baker are among the underrated players from the 90s. Honestly, call him the Russian Lebron James. By 2003, Ilgauskas was an All-Star and averaged 17.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG while adding 1.9 BPG. He was so fast with his first step off of the dribble and even faster once he got headed toward the basket. Career Stats: 13.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG, Career Achievements: 1x Most Improved Player, 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports, Career Stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection. His most valuable skill? After two more seasons, he would win 6th Man of the Year with the Dallas Mavericks in 2004. We started the decade with Lakers championships and ended with Lakers championships, and yet you can rightfully argue that Tim Duncan was the most important player of the ten years. The man consistently dropped games in which he earned anywhere from 30-50 points in 2021 and 2022. He would improve his scoring over the next few seasons, boosting his scoring to a career-high 23.2 PPG during the 2006 season. He found the end zone in three different decades. In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. The 2000s were filled with incredible defenders, lights-out shooters, amazing ball handlers, solid secondary stars, and bench players who were elite at their jobs. The Most-Underrated NBA Players of All-Time. Brand lasted two more seasons at an elite level with the Clippers before age and attrition took a toll on his body. In every season in which he started over 60 games for one of his 9 NBA teams, he earned at least 6.0 APG. He won the Rookie of the Year award with the least games played in history to win the award. He consistently made a significant impact early on with the Vancouver Grizzlies and was the leading point guard on some really good Sacramento Kings lineups in the early 2000s. At his peak, Billups was a serious threat as a scorer, passer, and defender who was the perfect point guard to lead the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship. During his 3rd season in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miller led the NBA in assists with 10.9 APG to go with 16.5 PPG and 1.6 SPG. This reputation caused many to forget just how imp[actful Wallace was on the basketball court. Wallaces presence propelled Detroit to an NBA championship where Wallace averaged 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG on the playoff run. Think about Dennis Johnson of the 1980sthe dude was a five-time All-Star and a Finals MVP. Show Printable Version; Today, 04:33 PM #1. Andre Miller was never an MVP candidate or even an All-Star but he was quietly one of the better point guards during the 2000s. Wallace helped to revolutionize the power forward position forever with his ability to spread the floor and shoot the ball He could play any role that a team needed him to. But today, we arent talking about Tim, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille ONeal, or Dwyane Wade. The Most Underrated NBA Player of the Early 2000s, Your email address will not be published. The following season it came to fruition as Billups not only led the Pistons to a title but won Finals MVP in the process. Unfortunately, his fantastic rookie campaign was lost in history behind a similar scoring guard in Allen Iverson, but it was easy to see the skill and talent Shareef possessed. He was a scorer, plain and simple. Required fields are marked *. His three hasn't been falling . For the first few seasons of his career, Jermaine ONeal struggled to find a role with the Portland Trail Blazers. For the first few seasons of his career, Jermaine ONeal struggled to find a role with the Portland Trail Blazers. From2004 through 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps but still averaged at least 21.0 PPG every season. In 2002, ONeal won the NBAs Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. One of the most valuable roleplayers in the early part of the decade, Doug Christie, was a deadeye shooter that brought it at an all-defensive level on the other end. Playing for a middling Milwaukee Bucks squad throughout the 2000s, he led the team and was a fantastic all-around scorer. 5 pick in the 2001 draft, Richardson was expected to be one of the most impactful shooting guards in the NBA and he was certainly underappreciated in his time. 32 in Touchdown Wire list, Big Ten 2023 Football Power Rankings Too Soon, ASU Footballs Kenny Dillingham hopes QB room structure will push players, Oregon Football Recruitment: Nyckoles Harbor and Ducks Update, Big 12 Conference Tees 2023 Schedule Release, Know the Foe: Virginia Tech Footballs 2023 Away Opponents, Denver Broncos meet again with Michigan Footballs Jim Harbaugh. During his 3rd season in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miller led the NBA in assists with 10.9 APG to go with 16.5 PPG and 1.6 SPG. As one of the original stretch forwards in the game, Lewis used both his size and shooting ability to become a scoring machine. Vancouver selected Abdur-Rahim third overall, and he immediately became the teams leading scorer. He became the first Russian player selected in the first round and made the all-rookie team in his first year. Trevor Ariza. Defensive teamsala the Championship Detroit Pistonsthat dominated to the point the NBA had to change the rules to speed up the game, which helped a dopey-haired small, white Canadian point guard pick up back-to-back MVPs. He helped lead the Magic to a Finals berth in 2009 by being a versatile scorer next to the dominant Howard. He finished with 11,972 points and 2,411 rebounds (3.8 per game). Wallaces presence propelled Detroit to an NBA championship where Wallace averaged 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG on the playoff run. Personally, I believe it is a crime that Wallace is still not a basketball Hall Of Famer. The Most Underrated NBA Player of the Early 2000s. Cleveland's superstar is regarded as one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. Photo: Paul Popper. He could rebound the ball well at 610 tall and his passing and court vision were a perfect recipe for success with how much those Kings teams liked to run. Mehmet Okur - Career Stats : 13.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 apg - Best season (2005-06) : 18.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.4 apg - Achievements : NBA Champion (2004), NBA All-Star (2007) - Best years were with the Jazz We dont even have to look at career averages or anything. Can you name any other player who only made the all-star game once in his career? You can't go wrong by picking Ariza here, mainly because actual NBA players back it up.Trevor Ariza possessed such a valuable skillset that even as late as the 2021-22 season with the Lakers, fans were claiming he was the missing piece that would allow them to ascend to playoff contention. Thread Tools. We have seen a host of very talented yet underappreciated stars during the past 20 years. Still, you dont hear much talk about the years the Clippers might have been the championship favorite. Of course, we couldnt account for everyone who deserves to be on this list, but below are the most underrated NBA players of the early 2000s. Six seasons into his career in 2005, Lewis earned his first All-Star selection and first 20.0 PPG season. 10 James Lofton. 32786 posts. He has been married to Clarenda Harris since September 12, 2006. When coming into the league, there were no expectations for Michael Redd having been the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. He was so fast with his first step off of the dribble and even faster once he got headed toward the basket. Gilbert Arenas. A 2000 trade to the Pacers changed everything and almost immediately transformed ONeal into an MVP candidate. Bibby had a handle and jump shot that was among the best in his time, and he had tremendous success with Chris Webber in Sacramento. When coming into the league, there were no expectations for Michael Redd having been the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. Career Stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG. I will say it here and now. From 2001-2007 ONeal made six straight All-Star games while averaging a stellar 20-10 with 2 blocks per game. Schrempf is often overlooked and considered one of the most underrated players in NBA history. Seth Curry - Brooklyn Nets. Yet, not all players who saw action at the NBA, the biggest basketball league in the world, are well-known Not all basketball players are well known, Sports Mania Asia lists the top five most underrated NBA players from the late 1990s to 2000s. Elton Brand is the most underrated star of the 2000s because he managed to have 2 All-Star Seasons after being drafted No.1 in the 1999 Draft. Last time I did this series, 2 years ago, I had him as the most underrated SF in the league. He was the baby Bryant from across the LA freeway. For his career, Redd shot 38.0% from three and 44.7% overall. He led the league in steals in 2004 with 2.4 SPG. Finally, as with fellow Pacer Ron Artest, ONeal was heavily involved in the Malice at the Palace punishments and suspensions, so the NBA isnt jumping at the opportunity to push Jermaine into the mainstream hivemind. #4 of 165. Elton averaged 30-10-4 with 3 blocks per game that series. Peja Stojakovic is one of the better perimeter scorers of the 2000s decade. With over a decade of writing articles for sports sites, Eddie Bitar has a unique writing voice that shines through in the latest collection of NBA-related content that captures trade rumors, power rankings, and team news. Roy was destined to be a star from his first season in the NBA. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. Zum ndern Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellung, z.B. He epitomized, you dont know what youve got till its gone.. Career Stats: 18.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG. By 2003, Ilgauskas was an All-Star and averaged 17.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG while adding 1.9 BPG. Basketball Time Machine Redd became an even more prolific scorer in the seasons that followed. At his peak, Billups was a serious threat as a scorer, passer, and defender who was the perfect point guard to lead the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship. Billups finished his career a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team selection, and a 3x All-Defensive Team selection. Just 3 seasons later, he would become a 20.0 PPG scorer and an automatic 40.0% shooter from deep. From there, he developed his offensive game and defensively got more aggressive. However, when we look at this year, we can see that it was Rons best statistical start to an NBA season. 1) Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks. Shaquille O'Neal. Unfortunately for Christie, what should have been a fruitful career as a spot-up shooter quickly ended due to a litany of injuries. Milwaukee took Redd with the 43 rd overall pick and the former Buckeye would go on to play 11 years with the franchise. Corey Maggette was one of the most consistent scorers during the 2000s. Type above and press Enter to search. His scoring jumped from 12.9 PPG to 19.0 PPG, and he made his first All-Star Team in 2002 for the Pacers. His 2000s were spent with the Utah Jazz, playing alongside Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. He drove, he shot, and he played a little selfishly. Roy was impossible to keep up with in isolation. That season he averaged 16.2 PPG and it was clear that the Pistons had their championship point guard. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. Giannis and LeBron? As the all-time and single-season leader in technical fouls, how could he not? He averaged 22.8 PPG and led the league with 17.5 RPG, and 3.0 BPG. Dating back to his time with the Pelicans, he was an All-Star level . The following season in 2002-03, he was one of the best seasons of the decade for ANY player. Ilgauskas deserves so much more respect than modern-day fans give him. Andrei Kirilenko was a prototype of what the modern-day NBA landscape now values above all else; versatility. NBA underrated performers are one of the more challenging lists to rank. Get the latest sports news from SportsSite about soccer, football and tennis. McCollum voted most underrated player since 2000. He had a sweet jumper and smooth release that he could knock down from anywhere in front of half-court. Latrell Sprewell was a great player. His only other individual awards were a 2004 All-Star selection after averaging 16-8-3 with 2 steals and 3 blocks. This reputation caused many to forget just how imp[actful Wallace was on the basketball court. Due to a knee condition that basically deteriorated his knee cartilage as time went on, we were only able to experience 3 real years of his peak. The Clippers have always been the runt of LA. Wallaces impact was truly measured when he was acquired by the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2004 season. Lewis was one of the NBAs top shooters for years with 8 seasons ranked in the Top 20 for 3-pointers made. With talk of which NBA players are the most underrated right making the rounds on social media this week, we thought it would be a good time to come up with our own All-Underrated Team for the . Miller was as good as it gets running an NBA offense and he was one heck of a playmaker. Image via Complex Original. O'Neal had a strong inside scoring game, was very active on the offensive boards, and was a capable shot-blocker. As of early May, James and . Ron Artest, Metta World Peace, or his now legal name Metta Sandiford-Artest may surprise some on this list. He was also one of the better offensive rebounders in basketball and led the league in that stat in the 2004-05 season with 299 offensive rebounds.
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