Top 5 NBA players who proved their critics wrong in the 2020-21 season

#3 Devin Booker

Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns

Devin Booker has not really been on the receiving end of heavy criticism throughout his NBA career. However, his achievements have often been overlooked.

Booker has been selected for the All-Star Game twice in his career (2019 and 2020). But on both occasions, he was drafted in as a substitute for an injured player. Booker has not been selected for the All-NBA teams in 2021 either, despite leading the Phoenix Suns to the second-best record in the league. He also guided them to the Western Finals alongside Chris Paul.

Booker averaged 25.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the regular season and made it to the NBA Playoffs for the first time in his career. In the postseason, Booker has recorded 27.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game with 49/38/92 shooting splits.

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#2 Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz

Donovan Mitchell earned some criticism after the Utah Jazz fell to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The Jazz lost a 3-1 lead to crash out of the tournament.

Heading into the 2020-21 NBA campaign, Mitchell had a point to prove. The 24-year-old was a massive presence for the Jazz in the team's run to the best record in the entire NBA season.

Even in the NBA Playoffs, Mitchell has been immense for the Utah Jazz. But he will need to perform at a high level to save the Jazz's season against the LA Clippers.

In the 2020-21 regular season, Mitchell responded to his critics, including Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal. Mitchell averaged a career-high 26.4 points (10th-best in the NBA), 5.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game with 44/39/85 shooting splits.

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#1 Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors.

Stephen Curry received heavy criticism at the start of the 2020-21 NBA campaign after struggling in the early days of the campaign. There were also questions about how he would perform without another offensive weapon of his caliber in the team. It is safe to say Curry answered all those doubts on the court throughout the year.

Curry ended up as an NBA MVP finalist after leading the NBA in points per game at 32. He also recorded 48/42/91 shooting splits in 63 games for the Golden State Warriors.

Ultimately, Curry was not able to lead the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Playoffs, which will bring him flak once again. However, the team's chances only disappeared in the Play-In tournament after losses to the LA Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies. Up until that point, Curry had performed admirably for the Warriors.

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