INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 26: Malcolm Brogdon #7 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball while being guarded by Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 26, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement; NBA Players. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The noisiness of small samples is starting to die down, and sustainable patterns are emerging. There is a lot of discourse around the top talent in the NBA, like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but today I wanted to highlight some underrated NBA players who are performing well but flying under the radar.
I picked one for each position to create my All-Underrated Team at the quarter mark of the 2021-2022 season. Here we go!
Top 5 most underrated NBA players so far this season: PG – Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana Pacers
Malcolm Brogdon might have the quietest 20/6/6 stat line in the NBA. His three hasn’t been falling (just 33.3% after shooting 38.8% last year), but he’s shooting almost 54% on twos, an excellent mark for a point guard.
He’s not necessarily the quickest player, but he knows how to use his chiseled 6’5″, 230 lb frame to body defenders out of the way on his drives to the basket:
Cleaning The Glass says that Indiana outscores opponents by +3.3 points per 100 possessions when Brogdon is on the floor – not bad for a 9-13 team! He assists on 26.7% of his teammates made baskets, in the 93rd percentile for a combo guard, and is averaging 1.16 points per shot attempt, a very high mark.
Brogdon’s defensive work might be even less appreciated. This is a point guard whose number-one matchup defensively this season has been Giannis freaking Antetokounmpo! Brogdon’s guarded him for over ten minutes of game time, and he’s held Giannis to 20% shooting and forced three turnovers.
So far, other frequent assignments have been Lebron James, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, and Jimmy Butler. Brogdon is often tasked with the opponent’s best player, and still carries a huge load on offense.
The Pacers have been a confusing team. Between their typical raft of injuries, a new head coach in Rick Carlisle, and the integration of ball-dominant Caris LeVert, the steadiness of Brogdon has gone unnoticed. However, I expect the Pacers to make a run for the play-in tournament eventually, and then Malcolm will get the shine he deserves.
https://t.co/Pa2GHXuiF3
<p>— DWade (@DwyaneWade) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://twitter.com/DwyaneWade/status/685270769908109312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 8, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>It’s been five and a half years since that tweet, yet Burks still receives no love.</p>
<p>As a major part of the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://basketballpoetry.substack.com/p/bing-bongs-to-ding-dongs-whats-going" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knicks’ insanely effective bench mob</a>, all of the lineup data and on/off numbers love Burks. He’s had higher-scoring seasons, but he’s never been this efficient, scoring 10.5 points per game on a fire emoji 45% from three. He’s jacking up more than seven triples per 36 minutes, and he spaces the floor beautifully for Derrick Rose’s jaunts into the lane.</p>
<p>Burks rebounds well for his size (6’5″, on the short end for a small forward), and like every bench player on a Tom Thibodeau-coached team, battles hard on defense. His ability to play up a position lets the Knicks play Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley together.</p>
<p>His unshakeable confidence raises his ceiling as a playoff performer. He memorably scored 27 off the bench in Game 1 of the Knicks’ two-point loss to the Hawks in last year’s playoffs, and he ended the series with a positive +/- in four of the five games in that series.</p>
<p>Like Grayson Allen, Burks has been chiefly a catch-and-shoot guy for the Knicks, as 60% of his shots come in two or fewer dribbles.</p>
<p>As this was being written, it was reported that coach Thibs will be inserting Burks into the starting lineup for the struggling Kemba Walker. Burks will likely be receiving a lot more attention from the masses in the near future.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 3: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers competes while Jarred Vanderbilt #8 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends in the second quarter of the game at Target Center on November 3, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Clippers defeated the Timberwolves 126-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement; NBA Players. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Top 5 most underrated NBA players so far this season: PF – Jarred Vanderbilt, Minnesota Timberwolves</h2>
<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the most interesting teams in the league this season. They began in typical Twolves fashion, starting 4-9 and seemingly done for the season already, particularly in light of the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32258607/gersson-rosas-minnesota-timberwolves-president-basketball-operations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distracting Gersson Rosas firing</a>.</p>
<p>Then, Chris Finch made a move. He permanently made Jarred Vanderbilt a starter after toying with the idea earlier in the season, citing a need for more defense and hustle in the opening lineup.</p>
<p>The Wolves responded by beating the Los Angeles Lakers by 24 points and have gone 7-3 since. Coincidence?</p>
<p>Probably not.</p>
<p>As the tweets above point out, Timberwolves fans are already mounting a major “Jarred Vanderbilt for All-Defensive” push. He is both springy and laterally quick with active hands and fantastic help-side instincts. Vanderbilt can legitimately guard one through five on the court, and he throws his body around like a Teflon crash dummy.</p>
<p>Vando’s inability to shoot from distance doesn’t matter next to Karl-Anthony Towns’ otherworldly touch, and he makes himself valuable offensively as a roll man for D’Angelo Russell.</p>
<p>Between KAT, Russell, and Anthony Edwards (who hasn’t quite figured out the ideal shot-to-pass ratio yet), there aren’t many shots left over, but Vando doesn’t care.</p>
<p>The new starting lineup, with those four and another defensive pest in Pat Beverley, is the absolute <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/lineups#tab-four_factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best lineup in the league so far</a>, outscoring opponents by so many points that it looks like an error.</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell whether this Wolves team is for real, but with Vando leading the charge, at least they’ll always bring the effort.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 26: Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the New Orleans Pelicans pulls a rebound down against Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz during the first half of their game November 26, 2021 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement; NBA Players. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Top 5 most underrated NBA players so far this season: C – Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans</h2>
<p>Jonas Valanciunas was a serviceable center in Toronto for several years but was traded to Memphis in 2019 and exploded. He was easily the best player on Memphis last year, even more so than Ja Morant, and his trade to the Pelicans for Steven Adams was a bit of a surprise.</p>
<p>Valanciunas is averaging a quietly efficient 18.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, as well as 2.4 assists. Anticipating playing next to Zion, Jonas worked on his long ball all offseason, and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://pelicandebrief.com/2021/11/20/pelicans-leads-nba-3-point-shooting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it’s paid off</a>: he’s shooting 46% from three on a career-high 2.3 attempts per game.</p>
<p>Valanciunas is a surprisingly heady passer and cutter and can finish with an array of floaters and turnaround jumpers in the mid-range. He’s also adept at just steamrolling littler guys down-low for easy lay-ups and dunks.</p>
<p>The Grizz traded Jonas for the defensively-minded Adams hoping to make room for Morant’s emerging talents and further improve a strong defense. Instead, the Grizzlies now have the worst defense in the league.</p>
<p>A lot of that is due to hot opponent shooting this season for the Grizz. But it does illustrate that Valanciunas is a better defender than people realize, and his replacement Adams has done nothing to improve that side of the team.</p>
<p>He’s a huge body that eats up space and gobbles up defensive rebounds. Although he isn’t a lockdown defender by any means, he plays to his strengths.</p>
<p>Jonas has long toiled in obscurity, but his steady presence and all-around offensive game deserve more recognition.</p>
<p>That’s it! Let me know in the comments which NBA players you think I missed.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Power Rankings Week 6" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/nba-power-rankings-week-6-2/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/5-underrated-nba-players/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/29/nba-power-rankings-week-6-2/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Power Rankings Week 6 </a> </div>
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