15 Underrated Seasons from The Past 15 Years (2003-2004 to 2017-2018)

15. Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors, 2006-2007

Stats: 20.1 ppg, 8.1 apg, 2.1 spg

Finished tied for 15th in MVP voting.

In a season, where the MVP was truly clear-cut (Dirk Nowitzki, leading the Mavericks to a 67-win season), it was slightly more difficult to find an underrated season, but one who stands out is Baron Davis. Davis’ per-game stats don’t pop off the page, but his on-court impact did, especially in the playoffs. He was the engine behind the We Believe Warriors, he killed Andrei Kirilenko, and nearly led the Warriors to the Conference Finals as the 8-seed.

14. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls, 2013-2014

Stats: 12.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.2 spg

Finished 3rd in MVP Voting, Won Defensive Player of The Year

The season of the highly anticipated Return of Derrick Rose, the 2011 MVP, The Return quickly proved to be anticlimactic, with Rose injuring his right knee, after just 10 games due to a Torn Meniscus. A rejuvenated Noah took it upon himself to pick up the playmaking slack due to Rose’s absence, and the result was the best year of his career to date, even picking up four triple-doubles in the process. (It’s highly unlikely for him to top this season, so I’m going to call this season his best ever.)

Led by the fiery Noah, an emerging Jimmy Butler, and coached by the ever-dependable (to that date) Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls won 48 games behind the 2nd-ranked defense in the league. Although the Wizards easily defeated them in the first round, Noah’s leadership, defensive tenacity, and underrated playmaking kept them afloat when they easily could have folded after that soul-crushing Rose injury.