Names like LeBron James and Stephen Curry are without a doubt synonymous to the NBA, even for those who aren't a tad interested in the league at all. However, the NBA has more than just superstars who make basketball such a thrill to watch, and it's often the unheralded players who make the sport's narrative all the more appealing despite them not being in the spotlight.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype recently asked several NBA players of past and present on who they think are the most underrated players in the league right now. Although the names of the players who replied to the question were kept anonymous, the results have nonetheless been interesting revelations.
Out of the 18 players that received mention, only one player earned praise from his peers on more than one occasion: Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. The former Rookie of the Year was said by two respondents to have lesser recognition because of the fact that he plays in a small-market city.
The Blazers are also one of just three teams who have more than one player receiving votes, with the Washington Wizards (John Wall, Bradley Beal) and the Memphis Grizzlies (Mike Conley, Marc Gasol) being those two other ball clubs. Similar to Portland, Washington and Memphis are also considered small-market cities.
There were a couple of rather confounding opinions as well; the Golden State Warriors‘ Draymond Green received a shout-out despite being crowned as last season's Defensive Player of the Year, and Gordon Hayward was also cited, albeit that the two-time All-Star was considered underrated by one NBA player because he was still playing for another small-market team in the Utah Jazz during the time of the interview.
For the complete list and inputs of HoopsHype's survey, head on over here.
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