The NBA's Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED Stars

The NBA is more or less a collection of the 450 best hoopers in the world, and within that group of 450, about 24 of them are selected to the all-star team, but which of them are quote-unquote overrated and which of them are underrated? That's what we'll get into today. So without further ado, let's dive right in. We're going to kick this video off starting with the overrated stars, and for one of the first ones on the list, we got both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. And here's why. During the five seasons that they've played together, they've only brought the Jazz to the semis twice and got booted out in the first round three times. And uh, speaking of the playoffs, they lost to a Mavs team that was built around Luka but was without Luka for the first three games. Despite Donovan's multiple all-star badges and Gobert's impressive collection of deep boy trophies, the Jazz were outplayed by two all-starless second round picks in Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. The year before that, they also lost to a Clippers team that was without their best player in Kawhi Leonard. Both Mitchell and Gobert are decent regular season players, but whenever it came to the postseason, it's as clear as day that they stunk. Perhaps a big reason why is because the two of them just didn't like each other. I mean, an advanced statistic shows that Donovan only passed the ball to Gobert twice per ball game during the entire 2022 season. That's crazy if you ask me. Anyway guys, moving on here. I may get some hate for this next one, but the next player on this list is DeMar DeRozan. I understand he's the mid-range king and that he's also known as the king of the fourth quarter for his statistics. And to be honest, I love watching him but hear me out. After the Chris Bosh era, DeRozan was handed the keys to the Raptors franchise as their next star and leader. But for nine seasons, he only managed to carry the Raptors to the playoffs five times, where they were swept three times. And let's be real, they were never in any serious conversations for winning a championship in any given year when DeRozan was leading the team, even when they were the number one seed in the East. But when they swapped him out for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors instantly won it all. Now besides that, DeRozan never really adjusted his game to fit the three-point era of the modern NBA. I mean, aside from last season, he's never shot better than 31% from beyond the arc, which for a guard is crazy if you ask me. Now from one overrated scorer to another, let's now talk about Damian Lillard. To be quite honest, I got nothing against the guy. I mean, big time bucket getter, a clutch performer, and a top 75 player of all time. But despite all that, the cold hard fact still remains, the Blazers haven't really achieved anything significant since he's arrived. And just like DeMar with the Raptors, they've never been in any serious conversations for winning at all. You see, after Brandon Roy faded out into the sunset because of injury, Lillard was the chosen one to take the Blazers to the top. But in the end, the result was five first-round exits, which included back-to-back sweeps, and the closest that they've gone was one conference finals appearance in 2018, in which they got swept yet again. Now, we can't argue over the fact that Lillard is a beast during the regular season, but during the playoffs, game time isn't nearly as effective as you might think, especially when you take a closer look at the numbers. I mean, except for 2021, he's never averaged over 40% from 3-point range during the playoffs. His field goal percentage just hovers around 40%, and on top of that, Lillard ranks as the 8th worst in terms of plus minus in NBA history, at minus 235. And if you're wondering who is the worst, it's DeMar DeRozan at minus 373. Alright guys, let's move on now, and next off we got Carl Anthony Towns. In this era of unicorns, Cat is one of the guys that was hyped as the next big thing with all the stuff that he could do for someone with that kind of size. I mean, at 7 feet, he's pretty agile, has impressive footwork, and uh, he's also got a solid back-to-the-basket game. And more impressively, he's one of the best 3-point shooting big men in NBA history. But despite all that stuff, Cat has only brought the T-Wolves to two playoff appearances across 7 seasons, but um, both resulted in first round exits. Without question, Cat surely has the talent and skills to become one of the greats in the league, but his weak point has always been the mental side of the game and his lack of motivation for winning. Jimmy Butler once called out Cat for being soft, as he led a team full of 3rd stringers to win against the starting unit, just to show him what winning was all about. Anyway guys, with Anthony Edwards on his side now, and with the of the year, have a chance to redeem themselves and get off this list. Alright guys, next up on the list, we got Devin Booker. Since he got drafted in 2015, Booker never had a winning season or any playoff experience until a 35 year old 6 foot Chris Paul came and saved him. Thanks to CP3, the Suns are now on the radar, and although Booker is a decent scorer, he's sort of just riding the Now, this next quote about Devin Booker might be a little outdated, but I think it still remains true for him up to this day. In 2018, NBA writer Ben Goliver criticized Booker's game and said, People overrate Devin Booker. With Booker, he is a high volume scorer. He has made real strides in filling out his offensive portfolio and has become a more efficient scorer. But does his Phoenix's offensive rating? Dead last. There's no excuse for that. If you have a legit top 30 player who is a top 10 scorer in the NBA, and those points are not empty to some degree, there's no way that team could have the worst offense in the league. Period. Anyway guys, from talking about the most hyped stars in the NBA, let's now talk about the most underrated players. Starting off with Jimmy Butler. This guy is the definition of a winning player. I mean, although his numbers are not as eye-popping compared to other all-stars, Butler impacts winning like no other with his grind and hustle. From taking over the reins from D-Rose in Chicago to his brief stints in Minnesota, Philly and now with Miami, Jimmy Buckets has never allowed his team to have a losing record, not once. And yet, when it comes to today's NBA, no media outlet has him on their top 10 list. People tend to overlook Jimmy because he doesn't put up monster numbers, and that he's not as flashy, but the truth is, he's as tough as nails and he's got that dog in him, as well as the other intangibles which you don't see on the stat sheet. Because look, inside the bubble back in 2020, Butler led the Heat to the finals when they missed the playoffs the year prior. And uh, down 2-0 against the Lakers, Jimmy Buckets dropped 40-13-11 in Game 3, and in Game 5, he racked up 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals to give the Heat a solid fighting chance. Although ultimately they lost that series, they were just 2 wins away from winning the championship, all thanks to Jimmy's efforts. Now, for the next underrated player, we got the chef, Steph Curry. I mean, just recently, ESPN did Steph dirty yet again by placing him as the 5th best player in the NBA currently, behind Embiid, Luka, Jokic and Giannis. And uh, if that wasn't enough, they buried the Warriors at the 8th spot in terms of the Western Conference predictions. Steph impacts winning to such a degree, that in 4 of the last 8 seasons, the championship has been in the Bay Area. But uh, the media would never say he's the best player in the league, which is basketball blasphemy if you ask me. Alright guys, moving on here, the next guy on this list is none other than James Harden. Sure, he's had some moments where he choked big time during the playoffs, but we can't deny the fact that the 2018 Rockets were one Chris Paul hamstring injury away from winning the championship that season. And though the beard has struggled over the last 2 years because of weight issues, injuries and getting caught up with team drama, James Harden is still an elite player who impacts winning. I mean, as of today, Harden is still capable of facilitating and being a scoring threat when needed, and though his scoring numbers and efficiencies have dipped, he's still one of the best at getting at the free throw line where he shoots at nearly 90%. This season, he's fit, he's healthy, and he's motivated, and uh, I have a feeling we're gonna see the All-NBA version of Harden making a return. Anyway, we're now down to our last underrated stars, and for the next one, I got Andrew Wiggins. Even after earning his first All-Star nod and becoming a starter, people were still calling him lucky and saying stuff like he's only an All-Star because he's on the Warriors. But uh, the truth is, Andrew Wiggins is a legit 2-way threat. I mean, during the most crucial games in the 2022 playoffs, Wiggins proved to be the X-Factor by averaging solid numbers on both ends of the floor as the second best player on a championship team. Whatever you want to say about Wiggins, the fact is, he impacts winning and is a great locker room guy. Anyway, here's what Steve Kerr had to say about him. I think over the course of whatever it is, two and a half years since we got Wiggs, I think he's done a great job of just sort of figuring out what we needed, and our veteran players have mentored him and counseled him, and he understands now, okay, you know, gotta rebound, gotta rebound from his position, gotta attack the rim, gotta guard the best guy on the other team, and there's a reason he was the number one pick. Guy's an incredible athlete, great size, and he found a great spot here with our team, and we found a great fit in Wiggs, so it's been a really good marriage. Anyway guys, we're about to wrap up here, and for the last spot, we got Klay Thompson. Because Steph has always been the more famous of the two Splash Brothers, people often don't give Klay enough credit for what he's done. I mean, the guy is a four-time champion, one of the best shooters in NBA history, but yet, he didn't get included in the top 75 players of all time. This dude is the ultimate team player who has mastered the art of being effective without needing the ball. The reason why people perhaps always underrate him is because, like Jimmy Butler, he doesn't often put up huge numbers, and he's not a flashy player, but the undeniable truth is, without Klay, the Warriors wouldn't have the dynasty you see today. Klay Thompson plays both ends of the floor, is capable of playing the second or third option seamlessly, and scores with efficiency. 2022 was sort of an off year for him due to a two-year injury hiatus, but this season, after going through a completely healthy offseason where he trained hard, Klay is going to remind the NBA world that there's a second Splash Brother in San Francisco.