Many superstars surfaced at this time but perhaps none bigger than Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers who led them to 3 straight titles at the beginning of the decade. Getting to the free throw line. But how many of those players make their first all-star team at 34 years old? Erteilung oder Widerruf von Einwilligungen, klicken Sie hier: Westbrook vs. KD beef Are They Cool Now? Shareef could never take that next step up to consistent superstardom, and despite forming a talented trio alongside Glenn Robinson and Jason Terry, the Hawks never sniffed the playoffs. While Redd played amazingly, the team finished the season with a horrible record28-54. Peja Stojakovi. During his early days in Seattle, Lewis took a bit to develop into the shooter and scorer he went down as. When coming into the league, there were no expectations for Michael Redd having been the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. The Top NBA Players Of All Time. Top 13 NBA Stars From the 90s (And 12 From the 2000s - TheSportster And make it not as a lifetime achievement award or an injury replacement, but during what would be a 2nd Team All-NBA season? After taking 2 years to play overseas in Greece, Peja made his NBA debut in the 1998-99 season. George Hill . As we entered the 2000s, NBA fans were left with the question of who was going to take over the league after Michael Jordan left Chicago. Top 10 most underrated players in NBA in 2022-23 featuring Kyle Kuzma Well, that counts for something, right? In his next season, he averaged 22 points per game to go with 7 rebounds. 8. He would average 20.0 PPG or more for the next 3 seasons and shot near or better than 40.0% from three during that time. Would the Clippers have been able to dispatch the Mavericks in the next round? And when it comes to the 2000s, well, there are plenty of guys who deserved more love. Actor | Like Mike. He had three All-NBA team selections, two thirds, and a second cap off his individual awards. Roy would begin to experience his downfall by 2011, just his 5th season in the league. In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. He found the end zone in three different decades. During his time in the NBA, Rasheed Wallace received a bad reputation as its resident bad boy. Think about Dennis Johnson of the 1980sthe dude was a five-time All-Star and a Finals MVP. In 2002, ONeal won the NBAs Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. In fact, he was voted 4th overall in the 2003-04 MVP race, beating out the aforementioned shooting guard on the Lakers. 3. Portland athletes have been underrated for a long time, sometimes due to geography, but also because of the early 2000s, which saw casual fans turned away from the NBA team after the ill-fated "Jail Blazers" era that was marred by a string of player arrests, untimely technical fouls, and disastrous playoff meltdowns. Type above and press Enter to search. Davis began his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. 50 Most Underrated NBA Players of All Time. Injury replacements, lifetime achievement awards, and many players that might not entirely deserve it. 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. Nine seasons into his career, the former USC Trojan has finally found his stride and established himself as one of the NBAs top guards. Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports. Who's the most UNDERRATED player of all time? : r/nbadiscussion - reddit The sample size doesn't include the '87 playoffs because McHale was playing on a broken foot. Image via Complex Original. Billups name never comes up in Top 20 conversations as far as point guards go, let alone Top 10 lists. Ilgauskas struggled with injury the first few seasons of his career, missing his rookie season and 4th season with foot issues. He has been married to Clarenda Harris since September 12, 2006. By his fourth season with the Bucks, Allen was gone and Redd was a starter. A 2000 trade to the Pacers changed everything and almost immediately transformed ONeal into an MVP candidate. 1) Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks. He would average a double-double over the next 4 seasons, and by his third season, he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. 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. Elton averaged 30-10-4 with 3 blocks per game that series. 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. These are the most overrated players in NBA history. Career Stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG. That could not be further from the truth as Ilgauskas was a solid two-way big man who helped LeBron James adapt to the NBA. Throughout the NBA 's history, there have been many overlooked and underrated players. At his peak, he became one of the most prolific scorers in the league and ignited the spirit of the game back in the City Of Milwaukee. 10 NBA Players You Forgot Played For The Los Angeles Lakers He helped lead the Magic to a Finals berth in 2009 by being a versatile scorer next to the dominant Howard. Averaging 16.0 PPG, he is one of the most recognizable offensive players for the Clippers over the last 20 years. All details in the privacy policy. The 2000s was an awe-inspiring time to grow up as an NBA fan and witness these real-life superheroes hit the court every single night. He was the first NBA player to bring in the big balls dance celebration, injuring his groin. Im Still Ballin. Arguably the coolest aspect of Kirinlenkoss career is his nickname, AK-47, referencing his Russian heritage and jersey number. 2008-09 Upper Deck MVP #206 Danilo Gallinari RC ($2.50) Gallinari has had multiple seasons with All-Star caliber production, with his best numbers coming during the 2018-19 season when he averaged . Due to the emergence of other superstars like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady, many other solid players who had massive success in the decade have flown under the radar as time has gone on. Yet, not all players who saw action at the NBA, the biggest basketball league in the world, are well-known. Mike Bibby is one of the most underrated basketball players of all time. Brandon Roy is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history and the little we did get to see of his career left us as NBA fans wanting so much more. Big Shot. Gilbert Arenas. Iverson took the fourth most shots per game in NBA history and is the worst-shooting volume chucker in the modern NBA. Finley played on two of the premier Western Conference powerhouses over the decade, starting with Dallas and moving to San Antonio after being waived. NBA underrated performers are one of the more challenging lists to rank. He was so fast with his first step off of the dribble and even faster once he got headed toward the basket. With the NBA season approaching fast, there are a few players who haven't gotten the credit they deserve. Seth Curry - Brooklyn Nets. He was an empty-calories kind of player who put up stats on losing teams and couldnt carry a team to any relevancy. In the 2000 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks got lucky when Ohio States Michael Redd fell all the way into the second round. He would have a few more All-Star seasons with Indiana but after the 2004 brawl in Detroit, the damage had been done to his stance within the league. During his time with the New Orleans Hornets for 3 seasons, he averaged 20.2 PPG, 8.1 APG, and 2.0 SPG. Despite his demise over the latter course of his career, Redd still averaged 19.0 points per game for his career. Wallaces presence propelled Detroit to an NBA championship where Wallace averaged 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG on the playoff run. He would have 5 more dominant scoring seasons for Milwaukee by averaging 23.0 PPG, 25.4 PPG, 26.7 PPG, 22.7 PPG, and 21.2 PPG. Ranking NBA's Best Point Guards of the 2000s - nba.com Here are the teams, odds and spread for Super Bowl 57 matchup, Super Bowl 2023 predictions and picks for each round of the NFL playoffs. My point is that after further analysis, it becomes apparent that the top five point guards, right now . 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. By signing up, you agree to the our terms and our Privacy Policy agreement. Top 5 Best NBA Point Guards Since 2000 - The Sports Drop He averaged a career-high of 26.7 points a game during the 2006-07 season. Milwaukee took Redd with the 43rd overall pick and the former Buckeye would go on to play 11 years with the franchise. Big Shot. The draw of Finley was his consistency and availability. Finley was a no-nonsense small forward that was the perfect complement beside Dirk Nowitzki, had multiple seasons averaging above 20-5-5 per game, and capped his career off with a championship on the 2007 San Antonio Spurs. Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Playing position: Striker. 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. With the NBA season approaching fast, there are a few players who haven't gotten the credit they deserve. Seth Curry . We need to focus on exactly one year of Eltons career that solidifies his place on this list without a thought. For the first few seasons of his career, Jermaine ONeal struggled to find a role with the Portland Trail Blazers. Tim Duncan: Most underrated athlete in sports history? Roy was a special talent on offense confirmed by some of the greats such as Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. With only one more high-scoring season under his belt, 22.7 points per game, Redd would suffer a torn ACL and MCL injury that would significantly impact the rest of his career. Bottom Line: Otis Thorpe. At 34 years of age, Cassell had his best year averaging 19-3-7, helping the downtrodden Minnesota franchise propel itself to #1 in the Western Conference Standings. He is incredibly well known; hes played beside Kobe on the Championship Lakers, delivered us with one of the best post-championship press conferences ever, and been a member of the infamous Malice and the Palace. The most underrated scene in 'The Last Dance' was ___. The Bucks were dealt a huge blow during the 2008-09 season when Redd went down with a knee injury. Besides the obvious suspension from the Malice incident, Jermaine didnt reach a higher level because of a lack of real playoff success and a subpar field goal percentage for a big man. 1. 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. Most Overrated NBA Players of All Time. In 2009, he earned the 2nd All-Star selection of his career when he averaged 17.7 PPG and helped lead Orlando to the NBA Finals. We'll focus primarily on his most impactful seasons, from 2001-2004. The Most Underrated NBA Player of the Early 2000s. Ronald Koeman - Barcelona. Career Stats: 19.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Career Achievements: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection. Poll of the Day: Who is the NBA's most underrated player since 2000 Roy attempted a comeback in 2013 but lasted just 5 games before calling it quits for good. Here are the 10 most underrated NBA players of the entire 2000s. That needs to begin to change after you read this piece. He was a nightmare for defenders to stop and an even bigger one to try and score on in the paint. Here were some of . I will say it here and now. The most underrated small forwards of the 2018-19 NBA season In nine of his last ten NBA seasons, James has scored at least 2,000 points. He also has a rare 83-game season under his belt after being traded from Phoenix to Dallas early in his career. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. By looking at individual statistics, team impact, and skills during their era; we have compiled a ranked list of the best stars who went underappreciated during their time. Only one year later, Jamison jumped his stats tremendously averaging 19.6 PPG and 8.3 RPG followed by a career-high in scoring at 24.9 PPG. The man consistently dropped games in which he earned anywhere from 30-50 points in 2021 and 2022. His best statistical season came in 2006-07, with a career-high 26.7 points per game. Forget the role in the fight. 7 min read. Top 10 Most Underrated NBA Stars Of The 2000s - Fadeaway World Obviously, we have to mention the Malice at the Palace incident that saw him miss the entirety of the 2004-05 season with Indiana. Personally, I believe it is a crime that Wallace is still not a basketball Hall Of Famer. He is an actor and writer, known for Like Mike (2002), Arli$$ (1996) and Adidas Originals: Superstar - Change Is a Team Sport (2020). 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. Looking at the 2000s specifically, many All-Star caliber players did not get the recognition they deserved. Required fields are marked *. Billups name never comes up in Top 20 conversations as far as point guards go, let alone Top 10 lists. Miller played 14 seasons in the NBA, mainly for the Kings and Bulls. His only postseason trip was as a role player averaging 12-5 on the 2005-06 Sacramento Kings, who would lose in the first round to San Antonio. That needs to begin to change after you read this piece. He could put the ball on the floor and get by defenders relatively easily and it made him a true three-level threat. You have Kevin Garnetts MVP and Western Conference Finals season with the Wolves.