Ten Of The Most Underrated Players In NBA History
Any major sport is bound to have players who are underrated or go underappreciated, and the NBA is no exception. These are ten of the most underrated players in NBA history. It is important to note that the players listed are in no particular order, this is just to highlight players who deserve more respect and recognition.
Brad Daugherty, C, 1987-1994
Brad Daugherty was an excellent center for the Cleveland Cavaliers for eight seasons before he retired due to injuries. Daugherty made his living mainly on the offensive end, playing in the post while being a good passer for a big man. He formed a great duo with Mark Price as they made the playoffs in seven of Daugherty's eight seasons. The Cavaliers' best chance of winning the Finals came in the 1991-92 season when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately they would lose in six games to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Daugherty tends to get overshadowed because he was in an era full of all time great centers. Had he stayed healthy, he may have put together several more excellent seasons in the NBA.
Career Stats: 19.0 Pts, 9.5 Reb, 3.7 Ast, 53.2% FG, 74.7% FT
Peak Year ('91-'92): 73 G, 21.5 Pts, 10.4 Reb, 3.6 Ast, 57.0% FG, 77.7% FT
Accolades:
5x All Star
1x All-NBA
Larry Johnson, PF, 1992-2001
Larry Johnson's impact in the NBA was immediate. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and took home the Rookie of the Year Award in the 1991-92 season. Johnson was a great scorer and rebounder due to his physicality and he really had no weaknesses offensively. Johnson led the Hornets to the playoffs in just his second season. They would make the playoffs one more time before he was traded to the Knicks for Brad Lohaus and Anthony Mason in 1996. Johnson was a key piece in the success of the New York Knicks in the late 90's. They made the playoffs all five seasons Johnson was there and that included a trip to the NBA Finals in the 1998-99 season which they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Career Stats: 16.2 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 3.3 Ast, 48.4% FG, 33.2% 3PT, 76.6% FT
Peak Year ('92-'93): 82 G, 22.1 Pts, 10.5 Reb, 4.3 Ast, 52.6% FG, 25.4% 3PT, 76.7% FT
Accolades:
1991-92 Rookie of the Year
2x All Star
1x All-NBA
Elton Brand, PF, 2000-2016
Elton Brand was drafted number one overall in 1999 by the Chicago Bulls. He had two great seasons there and he won the Rookie of the Year in the 1999-00 season. Brand was traded to the Clippers in 2001 where he would enter his prime and spend the next seven seasons of his career in Los Angeles. Brand was a great scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker which made him one of the great two-way players of his era. The Clippers only made the playoffs once during Brand's tenure there, but he thrived as an individual player.
Career Stats: 15.9 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 2.1 Ast, 50.0% FG, 73.6% FT
Peak Year ('05-'06): 79 G, 24.7 Pts, 10.0 Reb, 2.6 Ast, 2.5 Blk, 52.7% FG, 77.5% FT
Accolades:
1999-00 Rookie of the Year
2x All Star
1x All-NBA
Rashard Lewis, SF/PF, 1999-2014
Rashard Lewis was a professional scorer. He had multiple seasons averaging over 20 points per game and he was a ridiculously good three-point shooter. Lewis put together six excellent seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before being traded to the Orland Magic in 2007. His years with the Magic were arguably his most important as he was one of the main reasons they made the NBA Finals in the 2008-09 season. They would lose in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers but Lewis was excellent in the playoffs. Lewis may have been slighlty ahead of his time considering how shooting is now more important than ever. He would be a perfect stretch four in the NBA today.
Career Stats: 14.9 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.7 Ast, 45.2% FG, 38.6% 3PT, 80.5% FT
Peak Year ('06-'07): 60 G, 22.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 2.4 Ast, 46.1% FG, 39.0% 3PT, 84.1% FT
Accolades:
2x All Star
2013 NBA Champ (MIA)
Antawn Jamison, PF, 1999-2014
Antawn Jamison was an excellent scorer through his entire career, even posting two 50-point games. Jamison started his career with Golden State where he put up great numbers on some very poor teams. In 2003, Jamison was traded to Dallas where he spent one season, helping the Mavericks make the playoffs as he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Jamison would then be traded to Washington where he'd spend a little over five seasons, continuing to improve his elite scoring resume. He was a great player who put up great numbers no matter what team he was on.
Career Stats: 18.5 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 1.6 Ast, 45.1% FG, 34.6% 3PT, 72.4% FT
Peak Year ('00-'01): 82 G, 24.9 Pts, 8.7 Reb, 2.0 Ast, 44.2% FG, 30.2% 3PT, 71.5% FT
Accolades:
2x All Star
1x Sixth Man of the Year
LaMarcus Aldridge, PF, 2007-2022
LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the greatest scorers of his time and is a member of the 20,000 career points club. He had two different primes, first with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2008-2015, then the San Antonio Spurs from 2016-2020. Aldridge was a true master of the mid-range and he was basically unstoppable when he got to his spots. Throughout his career, Aldridge placed top 10 in MVP voting three separate times and was an excellent playoff performer. Aldridge is a borderline case for the Hall of Fame, and it will be interesting to see if he ends up getting in down the road.
Career Stats: 19.1 Pts, 8.1 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 49.3% FG, 32.0% 3PT, 81.3% FT
Peak Year ('14-'15): 71 G, 23.4 Pts, 10.2 Reb, 1.7 Ast, 46.6% FG, 35.2% 3PT, 84.5% FT
Accolades:
7x All Star
5x All-NBA
Deron Williams, PG, 2006-2017
Deron Williams tends to be forgotten as he played in an era of point guards that included Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and more. He was an excellent isolation scorer, ball handler, and playmaker. The peak of his career was definitely his time with the Utah Jazz as from 2007-2010, he led them to four consecutive playoff appearances and they even made the conference Finals in 2007. In a three year stretch from 2008-2010, he averaged 19 points per game and nearly 11 assists per game. Williams was the perfect point guard to run the show for his all star teammates Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko. Later in his career, he helped the Brooklyn Nets make the playoffs in three straight seasons from 2013-2015.
Career Stats: 16.3 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 8.1 Ast, 44.5% FG, 35.7% 3PT, 82.2% FT
Peak Year ('07-'08): 82 G, 18.8 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 10.5 Ast, 50.7% FG, 39.5% 3PT, 80.3% FT
Accolades:
3x All Star
2x All-NBA
Richard Hamilton, SG, 2000-2013
Richard "Rip" Hamilton is known as one of the best off-ball players of all time. He was constantly moving around the perimeter and around screens to free himself from his defender. Hamilton was an unbelievable mid-range shooter which is where he did most of his damage. He was an inconsistent three-point shooter at times but he actually led the league in three-point percentage in the 2005-06 season at 45.8 percent. Hamilton started his career with the Wizards where he estalished himself as a lethal scorer. He was traded to the Pistons in 2002 where he spent the next nine seasons of his career. Hamilton was known for his Pistons days as he helped them win the NBA Finals in the 2003-04 season. That season, Hamilton led the pistons in scoring in the regular season and the playoffs.
Career Stats: 17.1 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 3.4 Ast, 44.9% FG, 34.6% 3PT, 85.2% FT
Peak Year ('05-'06): 80 G, 20.1 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 3.4 Ast, 49.1% FG, 45.8% 3PT, 84.5% FT
Accolades:
3x All Star
2004 NBA Champ
Brandon Roy, SG, 2007-2013
When NBA fans talk about players who had their careers cut short due to injury, Brandon Roy is usually near the top of the list. Roy's prime only lasted about three seasons, but he left his mark on the NBA. He was one of the best scorers in the NBA and was a true three-level scorer. From 2008-2010, Roy led the Trail Blazers in scoring and led them to the playoffs in two of those three seasons. Unfortunately, Roy's career ended just as fast as it started as he retired after the 2010-11 season before trying to make a comeback in the 2012-13 season but only played five games and officially retired after that. The cause of Roy's early retirement was his degenerative knee problems and it's unfortunate he didn't get to play longer.
Career Stats: 18.8 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 4.7 Ast, 45.9% FG, 34.8% 3PT, 80.0% FT
Peak Year ('08-'09): 78 G, 22.6 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 5.1 Ast, 48.0% FG, 37.7% 3PT, 82.4% FT
Accolades:
2006-07 Rookie of the Year
3x All Star
2x All-NBA
Chauncey Billups, PG, 1998-2014
It took Chauncey Billups around five or six seasons to break out as a star in the NBA, and it was his first year with the Pistons when he put the NBA on notice. Billups was the full package, he was a great playmaker, three-point shooter and was a definite plus on the defensive end. Perhaps the most notable thing about him is his nickname, "Mr. Big Shot." He always had a knack for knocking down the clutch shot. Billups was obviously a key part of the Pistons' NBA Finals win in the 2003-04 season, in fact, Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. He played so well in the 2003-04 playoffs, running the offense and being one of the reasons they were arguably the best defense in the NBA. Billups is the most notable of that Pistons team which featured a starting lineup of Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.
Career Stats: 15.2 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 5.4 Ast, 41.5% FG, 38.7% 3PT, 89.4% FT
Peak Year ('05-'06): 81 G, 18.5 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 8.6 Ast, 41.8% FG, 43.3% 3PT, 89.4% FT
Accolades:
Hall of Fame
5x All Star
3x All-NBA
2x All-Defense
2004 NBA Champ
2004 NBA Finals MVP
MORE FROM STADIUM RANT: NBA News
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!