The NBA has done an unfortunately great job of sweeping Jermaine ONeals career under the rug after his role in the infamous Malice At The Palace. Six seasons into his career in 2005, Lewis earned his first All-Star selection and first 20.0 PPG season. This reputation caused many to forget just how imp[actful Wallace was on the basketball court. Big Shot. Sacramento picked Pedrag Stojakovi at the 1996 NBA rookie draft while still playing in Greece. He would improve his scoring over the next few seasons, boosting his scoring to a career-high 23.2 PPG during the 2006 season. Get the latest sports news from SportsSite about soccer, football and tennis. That's why he's the first name on this list. For some reason, ONeal was vilified relentlessly for his role in the brawl and his reputation has taken years to recover. 25. When coming into the league, there were no expectations for Michael Redd having been the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. James Lofton is one of many cases of players being in the Hall of Fame and nevertheless being vastly underrated when compared with others who played the position. He also set the record for most three-pointers made in a single quarter, with eight, before being overtaken when Klay Thompson made nine. Six seasons into his career in 2005, Lewis earned his first All-Star selection and first 20.0 PPG season. Still, ONeal was a franchise centerpiece to a team that consistently made the postseason, so he deserves his spot on this list. Forgive and forget and put Jermaine ONeal in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. Ron Artest, Metta World Peace, or his now legal name Metta Sandiford-Artest may surprise some on this list. I will say it here and now. Davis was an explosive point guard who was a blur on the floor in open space. Alex Novick, NBA.com Global Editions (): Quick, name the only player other than David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon to average at least two blocks . Jackson's role in the Warriors upset over the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks will forever be remembered. The draw of Finley was his consistency and availability. In his first season in Los Angeles, he made his first All-Star Team. Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports. In 2002, O'Neal won the NBA's Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina. The Rise of Paul George Can he bring a championship to LA. The 2000s-era NBA was one of the more bizarre representations of basketball one could imagine. He is an NBA History buff that details the game from the 1960s all the way up to today. Jackson would have his best seasons with the Golden State Warriors averaging over 20 PPG for 3 straight seasons. Brand lasted two more seasons at an elite level with the Clippers before age and attrition took a toll on his body. Actor | Like Mike. Teams: Nets . An elite scorer and underrated playmaker, Jason Terry spent the majority of the 2000s playing the role of starting guard for the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, and the last bit dominating off the bench for the latter franchise. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He scored 57 that same season, breaking the Bucks single-game scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And while many fans will remember the Clippers for continuously being one of the dumpster fires of NBA teams, alongside Sacramento, Minnesota, and others, those other teams have had moments in the spotlight that are remembered fondly. Another is that many of these players are often misremembered for their time and play late in their careers when theyre past their prime, bouncing around to teams and being fitted for jerseys that will probably struggle to sell ten total copies. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 45.6% shooting in just 57 games. After taking 2 years to play overseas in Greece, Peja made his NBA debut in the 1998-99 season. 4. Richardson was a solid scorer throughout his career and was a very capable defender. In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. Again, ONeal might be remembered more for his last season with Golden State, just before the team ascended into the perennial dynasty. #6 of 290. Cleveland's superstar is regarded as one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. 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. He had a smooth lefty jumper that was as good as anyones in the game when he was on point. 1) Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks. But if the languid laziness of a typical baseball game was overrated by the purists who want to keep the three-and-a-half-hour games, it was underrated by the people who forgot just how much the . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. O'Neal's strongest season came in 2005 by averaging 24.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. 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. Even Basketball-Reference.com doesnt give the man a prayer. He made 3 straight All-Star games from 2002 through 2004 and averaged 21.7 PPG on 48.1% shooting over that time. Gilbert Arenas. Here is our list of 12 of the most underrated players in the NBA today. Jermaine does that by propelling himself to All-Star status with Indiana. During his time with the New Orleans Hornets for 3 seasons, he averaged 20.2 PPG, 8.1 APG, and 2.0 SPG. 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. He won the Rookie of the Year award with the least games played in history to win the award. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Roy would begin to experience his downfall by 2011, just his 5th season in the league. Im Still Ballin. We need to focus on exactly one year of Eltons career that solidifies his place on this list without a thought. But today, we arent talking about Tim, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille ONeal, or Dwyane Wade. 10. DeRozan may be cementing his status as the best player in franchise history in front of our eyes, but say he belongs in the MVP conversation and most NBA fans will laugh at you. Roy was a special talent on offense confirmed by some of the greats such as Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. Iverson took the fourth most shots per game in NBA history and is the worst-shooting volume chucker in the modern NBA. Maggette had his best seasons during the 2004, 2005, and 2008 seasons. The NBA has done an unfortunately great job of sweeping Jermaine ONeals career under the rug after his role in the infamous Malice At The Palace. We have seen a host of very talented yet underappreciated stars during the past 20 years. 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. He was the baby Bryant from across the LA freeway. In his next season, he averaged 22 points per game to go with 7 rebounds. His best statistical season came in 2006-07, with a career-high 26.7 points per game. 2023 profootballspace. 17.9 points, 2.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG. Despite his demise over the latter course of his career, Redd still averaged 19.0 points per game for his career. From2004 through 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps but still averaged at least 21.0 PPG every season. Thats right; were talking top player in the league status. We dont even have to look at career averages or anything. During his early days in Seattle, Lewis took a bit to develop into the shooter and scorer he went down as. Not related to Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal was one of the best big men in the NBA during his time. I will say it here and now. Lewis is considered one of the best second options ever for his time with both the Seattle SuperSonics next to Ray Allen and in Orlando with Dwight Howard. Miller was as good as it gets running an NBA offense and he was one heck of a playmaker. Defensively he was excellent, making an NBA All-Defensive Team three times. Bottom Line: Otis Thorpe. 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. Oh, and Google his insane back tattoo. 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. 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. Thats not that tough. Underrated? #513 of 1,316. 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. Was it worth it? 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. His best season came in 2002 after being traded to Atlanta. Here is a look at the most underrated soccer players of all time. Sure. Redd fell behind Ray Allen on the depth chart and barely appeared during his rookie season but came on strong in his sophomore campaign. Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1998-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01), Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03), Boston Celtics (2003-06), Minnesota Timberwolves (2006-07), Miami Heat . The little brother. And make it not as a lifetime achievement award or an injury replacement, but during what would be a 2nd Team All-NBA season? In 2002, ONeal won the NBAs Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. BYL's Most Underrated NBA Players of the 2000's Follow BYL and comment who we missed out on Who's the Most Underrated?? He drove, he shot, and he played a little selfishly. 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. However, when we look at this year, we can see that it was Rons best statistical start to an NBA season. Finley played on two of the premier Western Conference powerhouses over the decade, starting with Dallas and moving to San Antonio after being waived. He helped lead the Magic to a Finals berth in 2009 by being a versatile scorer next to the dominant Howard. With the impressive season he just had with the Raptors, people are bound to take notice soon. 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. There are dozens of underrated players most folks forget. Forget the role in the fight. 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. 1 / 32 OrlandoMagic.com ranks the best NBA point guards from the 2000s. Billups finished his career a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team selection, and a 3x All-Defensive Team selection. In the 2000 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks got lucky when Ohio State's Michael Redd fell all the way into the second round. Right off the bat, you can tell Rashard Lewis is highly underrated simply by his lack of accolades to his name.
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