All-Underrated and All-Overrated Teams

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Jesse
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All-Underrated and All-Overrated Teams

Post by Jesse »

AN ARTICLE!

All-Underrated Team:

C: Luke Kornet

Amidst the Joel Embiid and Myles Turner of it all, did you know that NDL legend Luke Kornet was averaging 2.8 stocks and shooting 41% from three? I sure didn’t. This is a high-end role player that was lurking in the shadows forever and is now giving an impressive Knicks team a big boost.

PF: John Henson

I hesitate to elevate the name of a player who has a “fly swatter” day named after him (yuck!) but Henson really is underrated. I feel like he has been traded for peanuts multiple times, yet is 90-95% of the player of many of the bigs on the “overrated” list. He’s the perfect PF for a Magic team that has studs at the 1-2-3 and a great example of bargain shopping for a good player.

SF: Semi Ojelyeye

Maybe he wouldn’t be underrated if he didn’t play for a star-studded, quiet Hornets team? But Semi can PLAY. This is going to be the bell of the ball in Free Agency and if you are Jack, you need to find a way to clear the requisite Hard Cap space to offer this ‘fella a max.

SG: Victor Oladipo

Somehow, Oladipo is largely underdiscussed on a team that boasts Jayson Tatum, Jabari Parker and Jrue Holiday. The 3 players I just named are perhaps all overhyped, but Oladipo is a gem. He is a two-way SG who combines A- level scoring with A- level defense. He rebounds well and doesn’t turn it over. In a league with very few true two-way players at the position, Oladipo should get more credit.

PG: Gary Payton II

Defense matters! Especially at Point Guard. It is easy to point to Kevin Durant and Tyreke Evans as the reasons the Hawks are so dominant, but that record doesn’t happen without elite Point Guard defense. Since anyone can score at volume at PG, the C- inside isn’t that big of a deterrent, either. GLOVE deserves more LOVE.

Other Nominations: Josh Okogie should get a MAX in the off-season and is a two-way force... Cory Joseph still isn’t discussed enough and doesn’t have a weakness... Tyreke Evans is the best 1B in the league and has had an underappreciated career... Josh Hart gets tons of shit for his scoring volume, but B+ rebounding and elite positional defense works in any lineup...Jordan Clarkson is the best version of Buddy Hield, Luke Kennard, Deron Williams, etc. etc..... Justise Winslow is one of the few players who could probably win 6MOTY backing up all 5 positions.... Talen Horton-Tucker is shaped in a super fun way after his super camp and probably could excel as a starter on certain teams... Marvin Bagley should play SF on the Suns....LiAngelo Ball is (hot take) the best BALL brother... Jerian Grant is worth Jwoo’s hype, so don't let him get Dorian Finney-Smith on the 900KX7 contract.

All-Overrated Team

C: Bam Adebayo

Bam has an all-star name and a long contract, but is he that good? He doesn’t manage a 2:1 stock:Tov ratio and has never hit pure “A” rebounding. He shoots 68% from the line. He only delivers modest volume. This is a (slightly) positive player, but he’s probably considered to be more. Give me John Henson.

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo

I still think there are probably better roles for Giannis, and he is definitely a top-30 player, but he’s a disappointment relative to his reputation. The volume scoring is nice, but the efficiency is just okay. The turnovers are annoying. The rebounding and defense are great, but I’m not sure he can anchor an effective offense. I think MIN’s up-and-down play may be a function of two somewhat volatile stars.

SF: Jaylen Brown

Good player? Yep. Great player? Nah. Modest rebounding numbers and good-but-not-great volume just isn’t that exciting on a max contract. Is it possible that Jaylen is Taurean Prince – sans the butter fingers - with a better publicist? IDK!

SG: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan is a superstar and probably the best player on this list, but he is also...kind of disappointing? For a guy who took the league by storm in year-2 and year-3 (30 ppg...stocks...efficiency...etc.), the plateau is disappointing. Year-6 has been the worst of his career. His scoring and rebounding have regressed and his turnovers have spiked a bit. I would have thought he’d have given us more than Zach LaVine to this point.

PG: Ja Morant

Fresh of a supercamp, Ja seems like he may be destined for a Kemba Walker / Dame Lillard type career. He’s a good player who will provide volume and efficiency at Point Guard, but the per-minute turnover numbers are concerning and the defense isn’t good either.

Other Nominations: Clint Capela is kind of a JAG... Andre Drummond gets tons of love on the boards – and is really good – but I’d probably prefer to have 85% of the player for 30% of the capital it would take to pry him away... Jimmy Butler don’t get enough stocks or boards for my liking... LaMelo Ball is (hot take) the worst BALL brother....Everyone keeps saying Draymond Green is finally good, but why? He’s a mid-butt with mid-efficiency... Jayson Tatum still turns it over too much for his (relative) lack of volume...The Kings suck.
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Merv
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Post by Merv »

I see John Henson love. I upvote.
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Post by jwoo »

Merv wrote: January 21st, 2025, 1:09 pm I see Jerian Grant love. I upvote.
free healthcare has never been more important
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GX.
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Post by GX. »

sad days :(
2020 Bubble Boyz
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GX.
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Post by GX. »

the saddest part is i agree, so that is exponential sadness over here. SxS = S^2
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Derek
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Post by Derek »

Ya, pretty sick when your young players loaded with potential get worse in TC
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Post by Derek »

Figured I’d have a chance to keep Kornet but he’s yet another casualty of the Milwaukee system
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Joe
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Post by Joe »

I know this is a classic Skillz trolljob but I'll bite. Let us not shit our britches over Ja Morant's 10 mpg in the third year of his rookie deal. Here are some better comps of a few gents who have more similar molds to Ja (high Inside, high Potential) than Kemba and Dame (who were B-/C+ Inside guys most of their careers)

James Harden in Y3: 32.7 657 1444 .455 263 326 .807 100 304 .329 6.1 5.8 1.6 0.1 3.5 1 20.5
Deangelo Russell in Y4: 35.5 696 1526 .456 281 314 .895 144 357 .403 4.6 8.4 1.4 0.3 3.1 1 22.2
Steph Curry in Y3: 37.5 901 1927 .468 317 388 .817 213 504 .423 4.1 7.3 2.1 0.2 2.9 1 28.4

And Ja is already a better defender than Harden or Steph ever was!
Celtics ah the balls
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Post by jwoo »

Joe wrote: January 21st, 2025, 3:12 pm I know this is a classic Skillz trolljob but I'll bite. Let us not shit our britches over Ja Morant's 10 mpg in the third year of his rookie deal. Here are some better comps of a few gents who have more similar molds to Ja (high Inside, high Potential) than Kemba and Dame (who were B-/C+ Inside guys most of their careers)

James Harden in Y3: 32.7 657 1444 .455 263 326 .807 100 304 .329 6.1 5.8 1.6 0.1 3.5 1 20.5
Deangelo Russell in Y4: 35.5 696 1526 .456 281 314 .895 144 357 .403 4.6 8.4 1.4 0.3 3.1 1 22.2
Steph Curry in Y3: 37.5 901 1927 .468 317 388 .817 213 504 .423 4.1 7.3 2.1 0.2 2.9 1 28.4

And Ja is already a better defender than Harden or Steph ever was!
play him then
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Joe
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Post by Joe »

jwoo wrote: January 21st, 2025, 3:17 pm
Joe wrote: January 21st, 2025, 3:12 pm I know this is a classic Skillz trolljob but I'll bite. Let us not shit our britches over Ja Morant's 10 mpg in the third year of his rookie deal. Here are some better comps of a few gents who have more similar molds to Ja (high Inside, high Potential) than Kemba and Dame (who were B-/C+ Inside guys most of their careers)

James Harden in Y3: 32.7 657 1444 .455 263 326 .807 100 304 .329 6.1 5.8 1.6 0.1 3.5 1 20.5
Deangelo Russell in Y4: 35.5 696 1526 .456 281 314 .895 144 357 .403 4.6 8.4 1.4 0.3 3.1 1 22.2
Steph Curry in Y3: 37.5 901 1927 .468 317 388 .817 213 504 .423 4.1 7.3 2.1 0.2 2.9 1 28.4

And Ja is already a better defender than Harden or Steph ever was!
play him then
The reigning MVP of the league starts at PG for us chief
Celtics ah the balls

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