new 2k series: • A New Era - 2k24 Spurs... From the 1960s to the 2010s, what NBA players deserve more recognition? The Most NBA Underrated Player From Each Era. #basketball #commentary #nba
Give me Moses Malone for the 80’s; easily a top 3 rebounder ever, a part of perhaps the greatest team of all time (‘83 76ers), high on most all-time stats lists, etc. He gets overlooked since he played a big part of his career in the 70’s, he played for 8 different teams, and another Malone usually gets mentioned before him.
The fact he’s often left out of top 30 lists when he should be a unanimous top 17 player ever (Imo he’s top 15, but you could argue some guys over him)
Shoutout Nate Thurmond in the 70’s, look what he did vs Kareem in the playoffs from 1971-1973 when they met each of those years. Most underrated defender ever
Dennis Johnson is so underrated and is mostly remembered for being a very good role player on the Celtics in the 80’s. In his prime on the Suns and Sonic’s Dennis was quite the slasher and won the finals mvp in the only ever Sonic’s championship. He improved his game in Phoenix by adding a respectable jump shot and increased his scoring and earned his only first team selection in 1981 before being traded later to the Boston Celtics. In Boston he sacrificed his stats for winning and Bird was quoted as saying he was the best player he ever played with
Honorable mention: Shorter prime, but Jermaine O’Neal is one of my favorite players who I didn’t hear about until I started looking up older players and eras. Also, Kevin Johnson who played for Phoenix in the early 90’s was pretty good too.
All he had to do was stay 1 more year and he would’ve had a ring. Instead he retired As for crazy teammates I think Kyle Lowry and Dikembe Mutumbo is crazier
Rodney Stuckey was very underrated. He managed to look like 50 cent and play in woeful Detroit at the same time😂😂😂 That in itself deserves an all nba nomination
I feel like Michael redd gets overlooked for the 2000s, he was a straight bucket getter, too bad the bucks teams he played for weren’t that good, the fact he made only 1 all star team when he had a stretch averaging 21+ PPG for like 6 years is criminal
@@nocturne311Side note now that you mention the 01 team: That team won both their regular season games vs the Lakers. I don’t think they would beat the Lakers in the finals given how dialed in LA got in the playoffs. But it may have been a bit closer than Philly vs LA was.
@@fortynights1513 I completely agree and have voiced this since they were screwed during the '01 ECF and I'm not even a Bucks fan! I'm so glad to see someone else mention this.
For the 90s I would go Ron Harper, he’s mostly remembered for the latter half of his career with the bulls and lakers as a role player but in his prime he was a 20ppg scorer, a solid playmaker and a fantastic defender
Great idea: 1960s - Hal Greer (in Wilt's shadow) 1970s - Rick Barry (in spite of everyone knowing him, he really was that great but caught between the merger; Hon Mention: Bob McAdoo & Artis Gilmore) 1980s - Sidney Moncrief & Maurice Cheeks 1990s - Reggie Lewis , Mark Price , Xavier McDaniel 2000s - Peja Stojokavic, Shawn Marion 2010s - Demarcus Cousins
Almost everyone regards Cousins as the best center of his era how is he underrated? The only knock on him is his era was when the center position was at its weakest which is something out of his control
For all the turks: Hedo Türkoğlu. Could give you 15-18 points a game 4 or 5 assists on efficient volume. Crafty as hell. I was a kid when I saw those Orlando teams, but they laid the ground for the modern game with 4 out 1 in and the amount of 3s they took
I would say Houston and Orlando laid the groundwork for that style circa 1995, but yes, good analysis. I always thought Turkoglu was underrated and watched him for many years here in Orlando. He was the Magic's best player in the 2009 Finals arguably, at least on the offensive end. That's what got him a bigger deal during the off-season.
@@winter9242 Nah, that Suns squad was different. That was an offense that prioritized quick scoring and the pick and roll with emphasis on outside shooting. The Rockets, Magic and the 2009/2010 Magic ran what's called an island offense. One big man down low with four shooters around him and no emphasis on pushing the pace or quick scoring. Those systems were more about the center drawing doubles and then kicking out to shooters. The Suns system was more about pushing the offensive pace to the point that defenses didn't have time to get set. The Warriors of 2015-2022 are actually more comparable to the 2005-2007 Suns than those Magic and Rockets teams are.
I mainly listen to videos. They work a lot better that way because of all of the jump cuts. You are totally right about Havlicek. Glad you're doing a deep dive to better understand the eras
I feel like Mark Price at least deserves a mention here. Nobody talks about him because the Cavs couldn’t get past the Bulls, but he has a legit case as the best point guard of the early-mid 1990s and was basically a proto-Steve Nash.
I think Moses Malone is my candidate for the most underrated player of all time. Bro was just good at everything he needed to be good at and gets overlooked because he played for so many teams. He’s in my top 15 all time and some people don’t have him in their top 35
Come on rusty, can’t be ignoring greatness, Jim Crowe DOMINATED the 50s and early 60s. If he was in a different era he would get talked about a lot more
Thank you for paying tribute to Moncrief. I lived in Arkansas from January 1960 to Thanksgiving 1978, being 4 years older than Sydney I had the pleasure to closely follow his career from being one of (if not THE) best high school player in Arkansas (up to that time, no doubt Scotty Pippen later eclipsed his exploits, but that is another story) who decided to stay home and played for Eddie Sutton's great defense-oriented Razorback teams of the late 70s. Moncrief was part of the "triplets" who fought some good Texas teams in the Southwest Conference in '77/'78 with tough, lock-down defense that Sutton's teams trademark. Not content to just be a great high school/college player, he went on to enjoy a very good pro career, though never getting real close to a ring. However, one of my great memories is from one of Moncrief's early pro games - Moncrief was not David Thompson veritcal, but had a very respectable vertical in his own right - fearlessly taking it to and dunking over Kareem. I knew then that he would have a very good and respectable pro career! Thank you for all the great memories, Sydney.
Moncrief's teammate Marques Johnson can also be on that underrated list as well. I think he would have had HOF numbers were it not for that neck injury that just about ended his career.
Amare and Dwight are absolutely underrated both those guys where the last absolute post forces where they’d just live off their frame and strength, I don’t think I ever saw a light soft dunk from them 😂
Stoudemire is a really good pick for the 2000's and I think he is no. 1, but almost all of the people forget about Shawn Marion and how he was a legit all-star with 20 - 10 game and probaly the best defender with kirilenko to never win DPOY.
Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Moses Malone, Corey Magette, Kevin Johnson, Nate Thurman, Rick Barry, Bob McAdoo are just some random underrated names that popped up in my head.
I would argue shawn Marion for the 2000s as well. With numbers like 22 13 and 2 blocks a game in his prime he was just a beast. Amazing defender, he could space the floor and was an amazing rebounder for his size
Another thing about alex English: he was a very good offensive rebounder. There was a point in time where he was tied for sixth place on the all time list
50s: Paul Arizin 60s (and 70s): Gail Goodrich 70s: Bob Dandridge 80s: you hit the nail on the head, Bob McAdoo also deserves a mention 90s: Mark Price 00s: Chauncey Billups 10s: Mike Conley
I feel like Adrian dantley definitely has a case for most underrated player of the 1980s if not most underrated player of all time, I see all these people's names thrown about more than Adrian but Adrian averaged 30 for 4 straight seasons
I’ve heard he couldn’t defend, but I’ve also heard that said about Alex English too. Those two (English and Dantley) are the only two players who won a scoring title in their career, and who simultaneously never finished top five in an MVP vote in their career since the MVP was first voted on.
Alex English very good pick for the 80's - ironic he and melo are both nuggets and they both got famous / never got as much credit because they got bounced in the conference finals (i also think that would kind of be KD's legacy if he hadn't won at golden state) 2000's I would maybe go with Pau Gasol tbh (was reminded of him when those Blake Griffin posters played- don't do my man like that!). Like he got the chip with Kobe at the end and he got his flowers, and people remember him for being Kobe's friend and wingman, but his game was pretty great in itself, despite not being as physical. consistent, fundamental, smooth touch ... and he basically won kobe a championship he would have thrown away otherwise. probably spent too much of his early career in the Memphis doldrums to really get noticed by people prior to the LA move - folks forget he was the number one option on what was otherwise a really mediocre team before he got paired with kobe, definitely got overshadowed by shaq and kevin garnet and dwight howard and tim duncan as a big (and also probably by Yao, just in terms of celebrity)
Id argue that lamarcus aldridge as most underrated player of the 2010's he was an all star 7 times was consistently a top 5 power foward in the league one of the best shooting big men of the league aswell
I feel like Havlicek is pretty appropriately rated. He made the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, was on the 35th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams... not to mention he played his whole career in the green & white, which automatically gives him a boost. Yeah, maybe The Young People don't know him, but they apparently think Wilt fixed toilets, so... My pick for underrated 1970s great is George McGinnis. He didn't make the Hall till a few years ago, I wanna say 2017. But he was an ABA MVP and scoring leader, and had a few great years alongside the Dr. in Philly. He was the Robin in Philadelphia, his best years were in Indiana in the second league, and he had a kinda short career, so he's easy to forget. But at his best, he was a great rebounder, a very good playmaker for a 4, and an absolute bucket.
Solid list. Of course there’s a bunch of players that could be mentioned for each decade so don’t like just cause they didn’t get picked it’s disrespect.
John Havlicek is a solid choice but I feel like he gets a lot of love from old heads and historians. My pick for the 70s is Bob Mcadoo. He is another player who peaked at the beginning of his career. He has a 3 year stretch where he averaged 32 and 14, win 3 straight scoring titles and an MVP but hardly anyone remembers him at all.
Thinking about how good Blake was, especially early on and throughout the entire decade. People really do forget how dominant he was. Top 5 in mvp voting that one year with the clippers too, he was nice
@@andresdelportillo9917All-NBA season in DET showed his all around skill. Could pass, hit 3s, create his own bucket, etc. Dude was a monster that yr. Unfortunately DET medical staff decided to green light him playing on one leg to get swept by MIL and prolly took like 3 more good years away from him.
Think there's an argument for big game James worthy. People (especially newer fans) often leave him out of the conversation when it comes to the showtime Lakers (being overshadowed by magic and Kareem), not even realizing he's got a finals MVP to his name with both those guys on the team
@@stackboostuploads Yeah so? Not being talked about is not the same as being underrated because in the few times that LA’s name gets brought it up it’s almost universally agreed that he was a master on offense and one of the best early stretch 4s. The reason he doesn’t get talked about as much compared to Bosh is cause he didn’t play with Bron
Not slandering Alex English’s name at all, but he also played on a Denver Nuggets team that had higher pace than any other team by a long shot. Their game plan was to shoot the first available shot, almost no matter where it was and let the other team shoot as quick as possible. Hence why not many people credit him as much for his numbers, even though it’s arguably just as impressive given their chaotically-quick paced play style
My picks for underrated players 60s - Bob Petit (played till 65 but retired at 32) 70s - Elvin Hayes 80s - Reggie Theus or Marques Johnson 90s - Derrick Coleman 2000s - Michael Redd or Jermaine O’Neal 2010s - Marc Gasol
another thing with Amare was jsut because they OVER-utilized the pick and roll, fans really thought he just relied on Nash to score. if you witness him from #32 until 07, he had lots of iso's at the mid post where he would take a jumper or get by and over his defender for a powerful unassisted facial dunk. his footwork didn't became elite but just from his athleticism, he was hard to stop without fouling. oh, you mentioned it.
Chauncey Billups has to be in the conversation for the 00's. The man got one of the most difficult finals MVP's ever, and I don't think that people talk about that enough.
He’s all around insanely overrated. Him not being in the HOF is a tragedy. He was the 3rd pick and he got traded in his rookie season. Wtf is that? He bounced around so much before DET.
2010s: John Wall. There was a point he was a lock top 3 point guard, even above Kyrie. After the 2017 season he was only behind (although there was a large gap) Russ and Steph
40s/50s : Every player other than George Mikan 60s: Nate Thurmond 70s: Mel Daniels 80s: Sidney Moncrief 90s: Arvydas Sabonis 00s: Andrei Kirilenko 10s: Deron Williams
The Bucks couldn't handle Boston or the Sixers, depending on which one of those team beat the other. Chuck "the Rifle Man" Person was the 1st high volume three point shooter, not Reggie or Mitch because Chuck was in the NBA before both of them. Reggie & Chuck played similar styles & basically did the same things & Chuck had a really dominant personality. Reggie would've always played second fiddle to Chuck if Chuck stayed on that team. He & Bird had some great games against each other, but Bird always won. They were doing some awesome howling back & forth at each other. Chuck was probably the loudest most talkative guy to ever play in the league. He talked more & louder than KG. Reggie Miller & Chuck Person would've been Steph & Klay had coaches used the three point shot like they do today. (White) Coaches had no clue how to coach point guards who could shoot & centers who were fast, athletic & had ball handling skills back then. I played college ball & I was the center on my team, but I was also the fastest player on the court at all times & I could handle the ball like a guard. But since I played center the coaches on every team told me to not dribble, don't push the ball & pace after grabbing the rebound. Even my teammates were pissed that the coach wouldn't let me push the ball after grabbing a rebound. I'd do it in practice just to show the coaches how they were slowing the game down & missing out on easy shots & they still wouldn't budge because "centers don't dribble the ball." I can relate to Magic in that Winning Time series big time. (White) Coaches had no clue how to properly use point guards, centers & the three point line in the 80's & 90s. They called big men showboats when they could handle the ball like a guard & they called point guards showboats if they shot the ball more the a forward or center, even if it went in more than the center's & forward's shots. Shit was frustrating as hell, which is why I stopped playing.
the list should be 60s Hal Greer he played behind Wilt 70s Nate Thurmond Underrated Center in general 80s Dennis Johnson Or Sidney Moncrief overshadowed by Larry and magic 90s Reggie Lewis overshadowed by MJ 2000s Shawn Marion or Chris Webber 2010s Zach Randolph Marc Gasol Lamarcus Aldridge Great all stars yet rarely ever talked about!
@@stackboostuploads but he takes the cake for being the most inefficient though always hovering between 39-43% in his best years and while chucking those shots, he doesn't impact the game that much in other areas
Amare was screwed over more by his injuries than the other power forwards of the time. If anything he looked better than he actually was playing alongside nash
Great picks, my underrated players that aren’t in the video would be: 60s: Nate Thurmond 70’s: Walt Frazier 80s: James Worthy 90s: Joe Dumars 2000s: Chris Webber 2010’s: Tony Parker 2020s so far: Josh Hart
Idk abt underrated but i feel like as time passes the most forgotten about all star who at his peak was nothing short of amazing in the 2010s will be John Wall
Paul George over Blake for the 2010's. Everyone's going to mention Bron, KD and Kawhi when talking about SF of the decade but PG was nice too. Back 2 back ECF and a top 3 MVP in 2019.
Peja needs to be up here, and there is a player that needs to be up here from the mid 90s til atleast the mid 00s that is commonly by haters seen as "overrated" but I still say to this day that is underrated, but I wont say the name, the player should be atleast an honorable mention as an underrated player of the mid 90s til mid 00s.
Hey Rusty, with all due respect. The player I think should’ve been there for the 2010s instead of Blake Griffin was his teammate CP3. CP3 is one of the greatest to ever do it but also the most overhated and underrated player in the 2010s. He gets nothing but slander and discredit.
Facts, just cause niggas don't talk about Blake Griffin doesn't mean he's underrated. Cp3 might be one of the most underrated players oat along with Jerry west.
Cp3 gets a ton of respect as a player and will probably be remembered as a top 5-7 point guard of all time, while Blake Griffen has already been almost forgotten
