George Hill . The Most-Underrated NBA Players of All-Time. 5 pick in the 2001 draft, Richardson was expected to be one of the most impactful shooting guards in the NBA and he was certainly underappreciated in his time. Personally, I believe it is a crime that Wallace is still not a basketball Hall Of Famer. From 2001-2007 ONeal made six straight All-Star games while averaging a stellar 20-10 with 2 blocks per game. Miller would go on to play 5 more seasons with Sacramento. A lethal gunner from range, Stokakoi was one of the first NBA players to bomb away from range who hit a high percentage of their shots. Forget the role in the fight. 10. He played in just 18 games and then 10 more in 2010-11. The following season in 2002-03, he was one of the best seasons of the decade for ANY player. He was the baby Bryant from across the LA freeway. Davis recorded 3 different seasons with at least 20.0 PPG and 2.0 SPG as one of the more dynamic point guards in basketball. For the first few seasons of his NBA career, Billups bounced around until he found a home with the Detroit Pistons in 2003. Career Achievements: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection. Cameron Smith will be the first Players Championship winner since Tiger Woods in 2014 to not defend his title at the Players . Required fields are marked *. We started the decade with Lakers championships and ended with Lakers championships, and yet you can rightfully argue that Tim Duncan was the most important player of the ten years. Ronald Koeman of the Netherlands lines up before the UEFA Euro 88 Group 2 match between England and the Netherlands at the Rheinstadion on June 15, 1988 in Dsseldorf, West Germany. He would improve his scoring over the next few seasons, boosting his scoring to a career-high 23.2 PPG during the 2006 season. He made 3 straight All-Star games from 2002 through 2004 and averaged 21.7 PPG on 48.1% shooting over that time. 20. He was a menace on the defensive side of the ball as well, never shying away from a tough matchup or assignments. Jackson's role in the Warriors upset over the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks will forever be remembered. Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Playing position: Striker. Forgive and forget and put Jermaine ONeal in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. As one of the original stretch forwards in the game, Lewis used both his size and shooting ability to become a scoring machine. Anyways. He could put the ball on the floor and get by defenders relatively easily and it made him a true three-level threat. He averaged 20.1 PPG and 10.0 RPG in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, making the All-Rookie Team. Roy was impossible to keep up with in isolation. Roy was a special talent on offense confirmed by some of the greats such as Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. Finally, as with fellow Pacer Ron Artest, ONeal was heavily involved in the Malice at the Palace punishments and suspensions, so the NBA isnt jumping at the opportunity to push Jermaine into the mainstream hivemind. Career Stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG. He was an entertaining player, scorer, and consistent all-star-level talent in the 90s. Show Printable Version; Today, 04:33 PM #1. He blew past defenders and glided through the air and threw down rim-rocking dunks with brutal authority. His presence on the early 2000s Kings teams was a perfect fit that put them over the top as a contender at the time. Roy was a special talent on offense confirmed by some of the greats such as Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. Career Stats: 12.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG. Peja Stojakovi. Iverson was an MVP, an 11-time All-Star, and a four-time scoring champion . Read that sentence again. Injuries were a concern throughout Pejas career, especially in the second half of his NBA lifespan. For years now, Jrue Holiday has been widely regarded as the most underrated player in NBA. In 2002, ONeal won the NBAs Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. 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. Before this career year, Cassell bounced around as a competent floor general, never finding a true home with a team and playing for eight franchises over a nineteen-year career. 1. Erteilung oder Widerruf von Einwilligungen, klicken Sie hier: Westbrook vs. KD beef Are They Cool Now? Due to a knee condition that basically deteriorated his knee cartilage as time went on, we were only able to experience 3 real years of his peak. His only other individual awards were a 2004 All-Star selection after averaging 16-8-3 with 2 steals and 3 blocks. Due to a knee condition that basically deteriorated his knee cartilage as time went on, we were only able to experience 3 real years of his peak. Redd became an even more prolific scorer in the seasons that followed. Of course, there was Tim Duncan and the Spurs who captured 3 championships of their own in the 2000s after winning one in 1999 the year after MJ left the NBA. He blew past defenders and glided through the air and threw down rim-rocking dunks with brutal authority. Billups finished his career a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team selection, and a 3x All-Defensive Team selection. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Struggling with bone spurs, and ankle surgery, he left the NBA after the 2006-07 season. 10. Corey Maggette was one of the most consistent scorers during the 2000s. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. How many other players in NBA history have an argument for being both the best paint scorer and overall defender at the same time? After taking 2 years to play overseas in Greece, Peja made his NBA debut in the 1998-99 season. Yes, but just barely scratching this list. He was a tough forward who played hard-nosed defense and never backed down from any challenge. The Most UNDERRATED NBA Players Of The 2000s..Welcome back to Sports Savvy. He was also a big reason the Cavaliers were able to make the 2007 NBA Finals, being LeBron James favorite option on offense. In his first season in Los Angeles, he made his first All-Star Team. By the time his 4th season in 2004 came around, Redd was an All-Star and a consistent and efficient 20.0 PPG scorer. From2004 through 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps but still averaged at least 21.0 PPG every season. Sports Mania Asia lists five underrated NBA players between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ilgauskas struggled with injury the first few seasons of his career, missing his rookie season and 4th season with foot issues. Press Esc to cancel. This is the plight of DeMar DeRozanhes criminally underrated, and probably will be for his entire career. Roy attempted a comeback in 2013 but lasted just 5 games before calling it quits for good. He would be forced to retire from the game at 27 years old. And . Shareef solidified his role as a scoring power forward and was selected as an All-Star in the 2002 season, the lone career selection. We present our all-time underrated teams, those great teams which don't receive their proper respect in the historical archive. Mehmet Okur - Career Stats : 13.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 apg - Best season (2005-06) : 18.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.4 apg - Achievements : NBA Champion (2004), NBA All-Star (2007) - Best years were with the Jazz His true moment in the spotlight happened near the tail end of his career. He made the All-Star game and was selected to the All NBA-Third Team. Still, ONeal was a franchise centerpiece to a team that consistently made the postseason, so he deserves his spot on this list. They say the best ability is availability, and Finley did just that. Ron Artest, Metta World Peace, or his now legal name Metta Sandiford-Artest may surprise some on this list. Trevor Ariza. Roy would be named an All-Star the following 3 seasons and averaged 21.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG over that time. Career Stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG. Career Stats: 17.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Career Achievements: 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection. Well, that counts for something, right? This reputation caused many to forget just how imp[actful Wallace was on the basketball court. And when it comes to the 2000s, well, there are plenty of guys who deserved more love. I will say it here and now. He was a nightmare for defenders to stop and an even bigger one to try and score on in the paint. Iverson took the fourth most shots per game in NBA history and is the worst-shooting volume chucker in the modern NBA. His only season above 50% from the floor was with the 2009-10 Miami Heat, which isnt anything to write home about for a 611 power forward. In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. On offense, he was a great spot-up shooter and that's why he is mainly known for being a shooter during the Steve Nash era in Phoenix. 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. Despite sharing the court with Ray Allen early on, Redd carved his own path and should be revered for his unbelievable scoring at his peak. Scottie Pippen is #15 on this list and would have been much higher a decade ago, but recent lists have been very kind to Pippen and have listed the versatile defensive small forward in the top twenty of all-time (which we believe is way too high for a player with his numbers).. Injury replacements, lifetime achievement awards, and many players that might not entirely deserve it. It is borderline insanity that Miller was never even honored with an All-Star selection and for that, he is the 3rd most underrated player of the 200s decade. He was so fast with his first step off of the dribble and even faster once he got headed toward the basket. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 45.6% shooting in just 57 games. Since the Trail Blazers drafted him in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft . Forgive and forget and put Jermaine ONeal in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. From2004 through 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps but still averaged at least 21.0 PPG every season. By 2003, Ilgauskas was an All-Star and averaged 17.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG while adding 1.9 BPG. The following season in 2002-03, he was one of the best seasons of the decade for ANY player. The 2000s were filled with incredible defenders, lights-out shooters, amazing ball handlers, solid secondary stars, and bench players who were elite at their jobs. But how many of those players make their first all-star team at 34 years old? Miller also had an All-Star season with the Pacers in 2003 where he averaged 13.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG. During his early days in Seattle, Lewis took a bit to develop into the shooter and scorer he went down as. Milwaukee took Redd with the 43rd overall pick and the former Buckeye would go on to play 11 years with the franchise. The Most Underrated NBA Player of the Early 2000s. A 2000 trade to the Pacers changed everything and almost immediately transformed O'Neal into an MVP candidate. Throughout the NBA 's history, there have been many overlooked and underrated players. 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. The 2000s were filled with incredible defenders, lights-out shooters, amazing ball handlers, solid secondary stars, and bench players who were elite at their jobs. All the most overrated players in the NBA will be featured here to choose from. Even Basketball-Reference.com doesnt give the man a prayer.