Let's face it, not all contributions in the world of sports are equally valued. Some players, such as Joe Johnson, receive much more credit then they deserved. Others are highly productive and consistent night in and night out and never receive the respect they have righteously earned. With that having been said, let's take a look at the top 10 most unfairly judged players in basketball(in no particular order).
Nikola Vucevic
Nikola who? that's the response you will get if you were to ask any uninformed basketball fan who Nikola Vucevic is. Yeah the gut plays basketball at a professional level, and he is pretty darn good. Vucevic has averaged a double- double while shooting over 50% from the field each of the past 2 seasons. Chris Bosh, an all star center last year, missed this mark by a wide margin while spending more time on the court. Vucevic also averaged 1.8 assists per game last season, a good mark for a center who does not get the ball very often. Keep in mind that he averages 13 points and 11 rebounds while being the 4th or 5th option on offense.Is he an all star caliber player? Most likely not, yet he is definitely a high quality role player. Think Jason Terry in his prime.
Blake Griffin
How many times has it been said "All Blake Griffin can do is dunk." Unlike Vucevic, Blake Griffin is well known, yet not as a superstar. Everyone thinks Blake Griffin is no more than a remarkable athlete who throws down the occasional slam dunk. What they don't know is that Blake Griffin is a superb rebounder, incredible defensive player, a good passer(he averaged 3.9 assists per game while playing with Chris Paul). As defenders try to defend this freak of nature from getting to the basket while worrying that he will block their shots defense, they also have to take into account his ever improving jump shot.Put all these attributes together, and you get the player who finished third in MVP voting last season.
Mario Chalmers
On LeBron James led teams, any player not named LeBron James receives a fair share of criticism. Just ask Mario Chalmers. As a 4th offensive option on a stacked playoff team, Heat failures over the past 4 years have been mostly blamed on him. What fans don't see is that Chalmers is a great 3 point shooter(at least 38% over the past 3 seasons), and a very skilled passer. Chalmers averaged 5 assists per game last season while having a usage rate below 19%. In comparison, Kyrie Irving averaged just 1 more assist per game while having a usage rate about 28%.That means that Chalmers passing ability is no worse than Kyrie Irving's, and Kyrie Irving started the all-star game last season. Like Vucevic, Chalmers is by no means an all star, yet he has been a serviceable point guard on 2 championship teams. Mario Chalmers definitely deserved some credit for his contributions as a member of the Miami Heat
The Spurs
Since every player on the Spurs is underrated, I had to place the whole team here. Year after year you keep counting the out, and year after year they amaze you. We have heard all the reasons why the Spurs can't possibly be good. "they're too old", "They lack talent", "Too many injuries".What we don't hear enough is why they will be good. If I were to start a list of that right now, it would take you 2 weeks to read it. This is a team with the perfect blend of veteran stars and young talent, and behind it stands one of the greatest coaches to set foot on a basketball court. Under coach Pop, the spurs, no matter how untalented, have only won less than 50 games once(the year David robinson got injured). Popovich has implemented a system among the spurs that relies on unselfishness and consistency, and the system has led to five titles. In addition, the Spurs front office has found a way to surround Popovich with the ideal players for his system, which makes the Spurs that much more frightening. In conclusion, this team has set a golden standard for consistency and will remain this way as long as Greg Popovich lives in San Antonio.
Nikola Vucevic
Nikola who? that's the response you will get if you were to ask any uninformed basketball fan who Nikola Vucevic is. Yeah the gut plays basketball at a professional level, and he is pretty darn good. Vucevic has averaged a double- double while shooting over 50% from the field each of the past 2 seasons. Chris Bosh, an all star center last year, missed this mark by a wide margin while spending more time on the court. Vucevic also averaged 1.8 assists per game last season, a good mark for a center who does not get the ball very often. Keep in mind that he averages 13 points and 11 rebounds while being the 4th or 5th option on offense.Is he an all star caliber player? Most likely not, yet he is definitely a high quality role player. Think Jason Terry in his prime.
Blake Griffin
How many times has it been said "All Blake Griffin can do is dunk." Unlike Vucevic, Blake Griffin is well known, yet not as a superstar. Everyone thinks Blake Griffin is no more than a remarkable athlete who throws down the occasional slam dunk. What they don't know is that Blake Griffin is a superb rebounder, incredible defensive player, a good passer(he averaged 3.9 assists per game while playing with Chris Paul). As defenders try to defend this freak of nature from getting to the basket while worrying that he will block their shots defense, they also have to take into account his ever improving jump shot.Put all these attributes together, and you get the player who finished third in MVP voting last season.
Mario Chalmers
On LeBron James led teams, any player not named LeBron James receives a fair share of criticism. Just ask Mario Chalmers. As a 4th offensive option on a stacked playoff team, Heat failures over the past 4 years have been mostly blamed on him. What fans don't see is that Chalmers is a great 3 point shooter(at least 38% over the past 3 seasons), and a very skilled passer. Chalmers averaged 5 assists per game last season while having a usage rate below 19%. In comparison, Kyrie Irving averaged just 1 more assist per game while having a usage rate about 28%.That means that Chalmers passing ability is no worse than Kyrie Irving's, and Kyrie Irving started the all-star game last season. Like Vucevic, Chalmers is by no means an all star, yet he has been a serviceable point guard on 2 championship teams. Mario Chalmers definitely deserved some credit for his contributions as a member of the Miami Heat
The Spurs
Since every player on the Spurs is underrated, I had to place the whole team here. Year after year you keep counting the out, and year after year they amaze you. We have heard all the reasons why the Spurs can't possibly be good. "they're too old", "They lack talent", "Too many injuries".What we don't hear enough is why they will be good. If I were to start a list of that right now, it would take you 2 weeks to read it. This is a team with the perfect blend of veteran stars and young talent, and behind it stands one of the greatest coaches to set foot on a basketball court. Under coach Pop, the spurs, no matter how untalented, have only won less than 50 games once(the year David robinson got injured). Popovich has implemented a system among the spurs that relies on unselfishness and consistency, and the system has led to five titles. In addition, the Spurs front office has found a way to surround Popovich with the ideal players for his system, which makes the Spurs that much more frightening. In conclusion, this team has set a golden standard for consistency and will remain this way as long as Greg Popovich lives in San Antonio.