As the NBA season is reaching its first month already, there have been players that are clearly exceeding expectations. There are some obvious ones, like Miles Bridges, Ja Morant, and Carmelo Anthony as they have expanded their repertoire to make them more of a well-rounded player on both ends of the floor.
There are also some teams that have caught the league by surprise with their phenomenal starts such as the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls. These headlines are some of the discussed topics that are emphasized in most media outlets and shows that share their thoughts on the NBA. Even with these popular news bits, there are still four underrated players that have quietly been playing at an excellent level.
NBA Players Silently Doing Great
Montrezl Harrell
The Washington Wizards were able to acquire four starter-caliber individuals when they dealt Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers. One of them was former Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell as he has been one of the catalysts of the 8-3 start of the Wizards. Harrell is currently averaging 18.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.
These numbers of Harrell have been similar to his Sixth Man of the Year numbers as this could be predicated to the hiring of Wes Unseld Jr. as their new head coach. Even with a subpar start by Daniel Gafford and the injury to Thomas Bryant, Harrell has been the anchor of fourth best defense in the association.
As Brad Stevens was promoted as the Head of Basketball Operations, his first move was to shed the salary of Kemba Walker to bolster their depth. One of those acquisitions was former Celtic Al Horford who has been one of the best shot blockers in the league early in the NBA season. He had been terrible with the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but Horford has been an integral piece for the contending Celtics.
His stat line are never the flashiest, but his impact as a facilitator and a rim protector for Boston is an asset that they have been dreading for. Now, Robert Williams has the perfect mentor that would give guide him as a mentor as well. Moreover, Horford loves playing in the TD Garden as the Celtics are able to unleash unleash his full potential once again.
Jamal Murray is still recovering from his ACL injury, and Michael Porter Jr. is experiencing back complications once again, but the Denver Nuggets are still one of the best teams in the Western Conference. The obvious reason would be reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, but one main piece as well is shooting guard Will Barton. He is having a career year, averaging 17.5 points, 4.6 boards, 4.4 dish-offs, and 1.4 steals a game.
Barton had a injury-plagued 2020-21 campaign as it drastically affected his production offensively and defensively. His efficiency has improved as he is shooting 49% from the field and 43.3% from behind the arc. Head coach Michael Malone has found reliable players on his bench that could aid Jokic while Murray and Porter Jr. remain sidelined for Denver. It may be tough to sustain for this franchise, but Malone has the track record of leading a consistent team to be a dangerous one in the playoffs.
Ever since the time of Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs were never an organization that was popular on the media. As they have dropped out of playoff contention, the national audience would rather focus on other young studs that provide highlight plays. However, one must not forget the impeccable play of Dejounte Murray.
Even with a 4-8 record, the Spurs have a ton of optimism with their prized young guard from Washington. He is a tremendous two-way point guard that has some flashes of being one of a key pieces in the future of San Antonio. The Spurs still have a positive net rating despite their eight losses which is an indicator that they could keep it up with the best of the best. Even without Jakob Poeltl, Murray is still finding ways to tally over five assists every game to add to his brilliant scoring prowess.
These four critical pieces in their respective franchises have brought an ecstatic feeling to their coach. They have earned more playing time as the season progresses, while also influencing their teammates to continue elevating their game as well. The NBA season is still at the early stages, but its been entertaining to watch unheralded stars exceed expectations.
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