NBA: Current top 5 most underrated players

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When a player doesn’t get enough credit for his talent, he is called “underrated”. These players have all made it to this list primarily based on their 2012-13 season and how much they have improved from their 2011-12 season.

Anderson Varejao

Anderson Varejao #17 of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Varejao is a veteran in every sense of the word. He’s 30 years old, has played with the Cavaliers since 2004, has played through the LeBron James era and is now their key Centre/Power Forward. One of the main reasons he has not received enough credit is that he has been forever over-shadowed, first by James, then for a brief while by the legendary Shaq. Another reason is his injuries. In the past three seasons he has played only 81 games.

However, in the games he has played, he has made a huge impact. During the 2012-13 season, he averaged 14.1 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.4 APG (which is incredible for a guy his size) and 1.6 SPG. Varejao, at full fitness is a true phenom around the paint, especially while rebounding. He’s big, he’s physical and he’s athletic. It’s somewhat saddening that the only award he’s received so far is spot on the All-NBA second defensive team during the 2010-11 season.

Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls grabs a rebound

I love Noah. He’s the heart and soul of the Chicago Bulls team. Noah has a career average of 9.4 PPG and 9.1 RPG. He’s been a terrific defender and he has the habit of getting right up in the face of his opponent. And he’s a good low post defender. One of the main reasons why I feel Noah is underrated is that it took Rose, Deng and for a brief while Boozer to get injured for the fans to notice him and award him an All-Star nomination.

Noah was splendid last season. When Rose decided to sit out the entire season, the general perception was that the Bulls didn’t really stand a chance against the likes of the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, etc. Noah, along with Boozer, took up the job of making sure the opponents hardly had a chance to score against them. They were quite successful as well as they were the 3rd best defensive team last year.

He averaged 11.9 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG, 1.2 SPG and 4.0 APG. Within their team, he was 4th in points, 1st in rebounds, 3rd in assists, 1st in steals and blocks. Quite literally, he did everything for the team last season and I hope he receives many more All-Star nominations in the future.

Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans

If you ask any basketball fan to rank the top point guards in the league, Holiday won’t make it to the top 15. Among those who have heard of him, most think of him as just another point guard. Holiday averaged 17.7 PPG, 8.0 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.6 SPG. He even shot an impressive .435 from the field.

He ranks 4th in assists throughout the league and 9th in efficiency among the point guards. Holiday was the best player in the 76ers roster last season. He finally received some recognition for his efforts with an All-Star nomination, although he played for just 15 minutes. Holiday’s biggest assets are his speed, ball handling and vision. He’s currently playing for the New Orleans Pelicans (Former New Orleans Hornets) where I hope he receives more recognition.

O.J. Mayo

O.J. Mayo (32) makes a pass

Mayo currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks as a shooting guard. He spent 4 years at Memphis, followed by a year at Dallas before he was traded to the Bucks.

Mayo had a stellar first season. He averaged 18.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.2 SPG. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team, but soon after that, Mayo’s performance started dropping a bit. He has managed to pick it back up and is now of the most athletic shooting guards in the league.

Last season, at Dallas, Mayo averaged 15.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.5 APG with great efficiency. He shot .450 from the field and .410 from beyond the arc. He also shoots a respectable .820 from the free throw line. Mayo is hugely underrated mainly because of his teammates. At Memphis; Conley, Gay and Marc Gasol tended to overshadow him a bit. At Dallas; Kidd, Terry, Nowitzki and Marion were all veterans and quite naturally attracted more attention than Mayo.

But is that enough reason to ignore him? Mayo has never even been close to an All-Star nomination. His transfer to Bucks may be exactly what Mayo needed as an individual to garner more attention. The 25 year old is arguably the Bucks’ best player right now and it will be interesting to see how Mayo handles being the most famous guy on the team.

Josh Smith

Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks goes in for a dunk

Quite frankly, were you expecting anyone else? Josh Smith has been the perennial underrated player. The 2005 Slam dunk champion currently plays for Detroit after spending six seasons at Atlanta.

After Joe Johnson got traded last season, the onus fell on Al Horford and Josh Smith to lead the Hawks to a playoff berth. Smith rose admirably to the occasion, when he became the team’s top scorer last season. He averaged 17.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 SPG and 1.8 BPG while shooting .465 from the field and .310 from beyond the arc. He was also a menacing presence on the field due to his defensive abilities, mainly his shot blocking. Smith’s athleticism and agility make him one of the most potent power forwards in the game today.

Smith joins Brandon Jennings and Chauncey Billups, two excellent point guards at Pistons. I have a feeling that we have not seen the best of Josh Smith just as yet.