6 Basketball Writers And Their Most Underrated Player of All-Time

There have been many underrated players in NBA history, but who do these writers think earn the title as the most underrated?

Huge shoutout to Jacob, Eli, Quinn, Jarrett, and Neil for collaborating with me on this post!

Jacob Sutton:

I would say Clyde Drexler and his multiple seasons of scoring over 25 PPG, but he was also a 10-time All-Star, so even though he was overshadowed by Michael Jordan, he doesn't exactly fit the bill of "Most Underrated of All-Time." Lamar Odom has the potential to be in the conversation, but his stats don't necessarily warrant such an inclusion.

Instead, I'll opt for Reggie Miller, mostly due to the fact he doesn't get enough appreciation for advancing the game. The stats, of course, fit the bill; he averaged over 18 points per game across his entire career, scored 24.6 per game in just his third season in the league, and was one of just 6 players prior to 2000 to score over 20 PPG, shoot over 40% from three, and record an effective field goal percentage of 55% or higher. He took the Pacers to the Conference Finals 5 times in 7 years, a feat only reserved for some of the league's all-time greats. Yet, somehow, he never ranked higher than 13th in MVP voting, was an All-Star just 5 times (compared to compatriot Ray Allen's 10 appearances), and was never voted in as anything higher than All-NBA Third Team.

In the moment, maybe voters failed to appreciate what Reggie would do for the game. He was the prototype that every shooter would learn to follow. He was the pioneer that would preceed the revolution brought about by Steph Curry over two decades from when Miller would first step on an NBA court. Miller taught NBA offenses how analytically viable the three-pointer was, all the while big men were still packing the paint and Michael Jordan was eating the mid-range alive (and just about everything else, of course). Sure, he's a Hall of Famer. But if you gave him the teammates that peers like Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan, and Shaq had, we might be talking about a much more decorated player.

Quinn Everts:

It’s time to put some respect on Jerry Stackhouse’s name. Plenty of NBA fans remember Stack – he’s still around, currently an assistant coach with the Warriors – but most don’t remember how great he was. So let me regale you.

Do you remember who scored the most points in the NBA in 2000-2001? It wasn’t Kobe, Shaq, Tim Duncan, KG, T-Mac, or Vince Carter. It was Jerry Stackhouse. He was one of the best scorers of the late 90s and early 2000s, posting some staggering numbers with the Pistons along with two All-Star appearances.

Unfortunately those Pistons teams were… well, they were awful. Detroit didn’t win much in those days so Stackhouse’s scoring prowess didn’t garner much attention. Still, Stackhouse was an elite scorer, so when he joined the Dallas Mavericks later in his career not everyone was sure he’d embrace a lesser role on a team with high expectations. Not only did Stackhouse embrace a sixth man role, he thrived in it; although his years with Dallas aren’t his most impressive statistical outputs, those are the years he made the biggest impact on winning. I will not let history forget how good Jerry Stackhouse was. I can’t!

Eli Pierce:

Gilbert Arenas’ career peaked just as I gained some consciousness about the National Basketball Association (I was born in 1999), so maybe my choice of Agent Zero as one of the truly underrated players ever has been marred by some nostalgia. Before injuries and an untimely suspension derailed his career - and a controversial commentating career stunk up his legacy - Gil laid the groundwork for the Harden-style of guards that would soon dominate the NBA.

For a magical three year stretch - starting in the 2004-05 season and running through the 2006-07 season - Arenas averaged 27.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, shooting 43% from the field, 36% from three, and 82% from the stripe.

The numbers on their own deserve some recognition, but a basketball fan with a time machine could easily graft Arenas’ career into the modern NBA. In his 2006-07 campaign, Arenas took the second most threes per game - 7.9 - finishing just behind Ray Allen. Gil was a dynamic offensive engine who attacked defenses particularly effectively out of the pick-and-roll, weaponizing pull-up three pointers and a tight handle en route to three straight All-Star appearances, three straight All-NBA teams, and one top-eight MVP finish.

I encourage you, reader, to go watch a few minutes of Gilbert Arenas highlights - they ooze hints of James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Arenas will likely be forgotten in NBA history - he never won a title and will almost certainly miss out on the Hall of Fame - and his fading into the landscape of NBA history represents a deep injustice and true shame. Growing up watching Agent Zero was a true treat and immeasurably impacted my love for the game of basketball.

Jarrett L. Spence

When we look at how the game is played today, we think of players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and some all-time greats who have changed how the game is played. With the different styles that they play, the next era of hoopers is looking to emulate their styles. But, one player who doesn’t get mentioned in that conversation, is Shawn Marion. In his unique way, he quietly helped form how the game is played today as well. With that, I believe The Matrix is one of the most underrated NBA players in league history.

Standing at 6’7”, Marion was drafted in an era where big men wore BIG and played the power forward position. There were power forwards like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Zach Randolph, Rasheed Wallace, and Chris Webber. Marion would be going toe to toe with these names, holding his own while getting anywhere from 17-22 points per game. But he was also down there grabbing rebounds. He was good for at least ten rebounds every night. That undersized stature but still being able to play bigger than his listed size is something we see very often in today’s game. The league is smaller now and short players are being asked to play bigger than their size.

That versatility is something that went underappreciated during Marion’s time when he only made two All-NBA squads and the All-Star game four times. Another underappreciated factor with Marion was how he made the Phoenix Suns good and ahead of their time. A player of Marion’s size, defensive ability, and versatility on offense was a big factor. The Suns were able to outrun teams by playing small, flying up the court, and playing high-scoring games during that time. Now teams are looking to find those do-it-all forwards who can switch on defense, rebound, run the floor, and also score without having plays always run for them. That was Marion’s game in a nutshell. Marion’s jumpshot was not the something you would teach to childen who was to learn how to shoot, but teams wouldn’t want to leave him open. His game was not the most pleasing to watch, but it was effective and helped him have a 15-year career, earning a championship along the way.

Neil Paine

Can a Hall of Famer still be underrated? I would argue they can from the specific perspective of NBA fans, if they didn't play in America for a long time, were often injured, or are otherwise just outside the zeitgeist of basketball culture for younger generations. And I think that's why Arvydas Sabonis might just be the most underrated player in NBA history.

Sabonis played professionally in his native Lithuania and Spain for nearly 15 years before joining the Portland Trail Blazers at age 30 in 1995, meaning the majority of his prime was hidden from the view of regular NBA fans. The moments of brilliance we did get to see showed a big man with uncommon skill as a scorer, passer, rebounder, defender and even a shooter. (For his day, Sabonis was not bad from 3P range!) He was a precursor to modern all-around high-skill bigs like Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid and Alperen Şengün -- or even his son, Domantas.

But I feel like we don't really talk about the older Sabonis very much when discussing the great centers of history, in part because he arrived in the NBA so late and only ended up playing 470 games across 7 seasons in America. He exists some on grainy '90s-era highlight videos, but only as an older player, mainly past his prime. In the absence of more robust record-keeping, Sabonis is in danger of being forgotten by younger generations -- and that makes him underrated, even if his legacy lives on in Springfield and in the games of current big men who carry a similar playing style.

Jack Zucker

Alex English is one of the most quietly brilliant players in NBA history, and yet he’s often overlooked when the conversation turns to all-time greats. Part of that is simply bad timing. English played in an era when the NBA was dominated by other mega-stars like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. While those players earned their deserved attention, English was busy quietly dominating the league in his own way, yet never getting the spotlight he really deserved. From 1981 to 1989, English averaged over 25 points per game for nine straight seasons. He finished his career with 25,613 points (ranked 7th all-time at the time of his retirement) and still holds the Denver Nuggets’ franchise records for points and minutes.

What's often forgotten about English is how crucial he was to the Nuggets during the 1980s. He consistently led them to the playoffs, and even the Western Conference Finals in 1985. Though I never got to see English play as I was born decades after, it is still incredible to see what he did with Denver, how he was their guy for over decade.

Despite his individual brilliance and team success, English never won an MVP award. That is a big part of why he is slept on. He made eight All-Star teams and wasn’t a presence on the All-NBA teams (he made a couple.) English never quite achieved the fame that players like Bird or Jordan did. His lack of post-season success — despite those impressive individual and team accolades — is often cited as one reason he’s not given the respect and acknowledgement he deserves.

Ultimately, Alex English’s underappreciation comes down to a combination of the era he played in, and a media landscape that often overlooked players in smaller markets. His Nuggets didn’t win championships, and his playing style — though highly effective — wasn’t “flashy” enough to capture much attention. English was an offensive machine, a player who could score from anywhere on the floor with efficiency. Finishing his career with over 20 points per game, almost 6 rebounds, and many achievements, the “Torch” is still unfairly being slept on. I think he deserved an MVP, and deserved to make the NBA 75 Best Players team, but he didn’t, and he is continuing to be known as one of the most underrated players. A player who could be counted on to produce night after night, Alex English deserves far more recognition when we talk about the all-time greats.

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