Ranking the 5 most underrated NBA players of all-time
With summer league over, free agency news down to a trickle, and even the Big 3 and TBT winding down, the August hoops fix takes the form of all-time lists. Here is one to get the late summer party started: a squad of underrated players, complete with a much heralded, but still under-appreciated coach.
Gus Williams, Point Guard
Guards since 1970 who have been first team all-NBA and won a championship is a short list of all-time greats. Williams is clearly the least well known of the bunch. Considered one of the fastest players of his generation, he could have won Finals MVP in 1979. Went for 23-3-7 on 49 percent shooting for the Sonics in 1982 before injuries took a toll.
Honorable Mention: Fat Lever. Asked which point guard averaged 20-9-8 in 1989, most would guess Magic. But it was Lever.
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Latrell Sprewell, Shooting Guard
What do you think of? The guy who choked his coach. Which is precisely why he is horribly underrated. That incident obscures a great career. At one time he was the second best two-guard in the best era for two-guards in NBA history (Jordan, Drexler, Richmond, Miller, Dumars).
A hard-nosed, smooth, and explosive two-way player, he needs to be remembered as an all-time great, and get serious HOF consideration.
Honorable Mention: Otis Birdsong. Scored 25 per on 54.4 percent shooting in 1981. Who shoots over 54 percent as a long-range bombing two-guard?
Michael Cooper, Small Forward
Can anyone from “Showtime” be underrated? Yes. The shadows cast by Magic and Kareem are huge enough to obscure other greats and near greats. Coop was a 3-and-D guy before there was a term for it. Among the best defenders of his era, he guarded small guards and forwards as big as Bird. Also a more than capable secondary ball handler. Never a star, but always a winner.
Honorable Mention: John Johnson. Played 29 minutes per game for the champion Sonics in 79 and averaged 17-8-5 as a Cav before that.
Bob McAdoo, Power Forward
Won the MVP smack in the middle of Kareem’s prime. His combo of length, mobility and range was best ever pre-Durant. Would be the ideal big in today’s NBA. His legacy was diminished in the years following his three scoring titles, so he is not remembered with the esteem of a dominant player of his era. He should be.
For a moment in time, before ownership completely scuttled an emerging Braves team, McAdoo was as good as it gets.
Honorable Mention: Calvin Natt. Undersized and overlooked. Relentless. Super-efficient. Shot 55% while averaging 23-8-3 in 1985.
Arvydas Sabonis, Center
Came to the NBA past his prime. Even in his advanced years he showed a modern flair for the center position by stretching the floor. Like Walton, he was not just a great passing center. He was a great passer. Period. As responsible as anyone for NBA players playing in the Olympics in 1992, because he anchored the Soviets beating team USA in 1988. If you are giving me the choice of any center in his prime, the list of those I take before Sabonis is very short.
Honorable Mention: Artis Gilmore. Physically dominant. Thought of as an ABA guy, where he won a title, MVP and Finals MVP, but was also a perennial NBA All Star.
Head Coach: Don Nelson. Nellie won by doing things no one else was doing at the time. He used point forwards, and created mismatches by playing small-ball and position-less basketball. 20 years later, the Warriors made all of these chic. A true innovator and the most wins to boot. Over-shadowed by the rings of Auerbach, Jackson, Riley, and Pop, but never had a Russell, Jordan, Magic or Duncan.