Elton Brand is the most underrated star of the 2000s because he managed to have 2 All-Star Seasons after being drafted No.1 in the 1999 Draft. Maggette had his best seasons during the 2004, 2005, and 2008 seasons. Ilgauskas struggled with injury the first few seasons of his career, missing his rookie season and 4th season with foot issues. He made 3 straight All-Star games from 2002 through 2004 and averaged 21.7 PPG on 48.1% shooting over that time. Vancouver selected Abdur-Rahim third overall, and he immediately became the teams leading scorer. Unfortunately, but very reasonably, he will also be remembered for one incident above any other when he choked his coach P.J Carlesimo.Sprewell was suspended from the NBA for an entire season after playing for the Golden State Warriors for 14 games. Career Stats: 12.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG. 5. Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Playing position: Striker. At his peak, he became one of the most prolific scorers in the league and ignited the spirit of the game back in the City Of Milwaukee. Scottie Pippen is #15 on this list and would have been much higher a decade ago, but recent lists have been very kind to Pippen and have listed the versatile defensive small forward in the top twenty of all-time (which we believe is way too high for a player with his numbers).. Andre Miller was never an MVP candidate or even an All-Star but he was quietly one of the better point guards during the 2000s. Was he good enough that its a travesty that his name isnt among the great scorers in the history of the NBA? He had a ton of athleticism and scoring prowess in his 6'6" frame, and played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers. Here is our list of 12 of the most underrated players in the NBA today. For the first few seasons of his career, Jermaine ONeal struggled to find a role with the Portland Trail Blazers. Career Stats: 13.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG, Career Achievements: 1x Most Improved Player, 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection. But for now, Lillard looks like the young PG with the most potential to grow into the best point guard of his era. BYL's Most Underrated NBA Players of the 2000's Follow BYL and comment who we missed out on Who's the Most Underrated?? One year later with the Kings, Miller would have a career year averaging 14.1 PPG and 10.3 RPG while making his second straight All-Star Team. In nine of his last ten NBA seasons, James has scored at least 2,000 points. Get ready to relive some of the best moments from the decade of the 2010s with the players who brought them to you. This happened because other great players such as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal were the faces of the NBA and grabbed all the headlines all the time. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. The 2000s was an awe-inspiring time to grow up as an NBA fan and witness these real-life superheroes hit the court every single night. I will say it here and now. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports, Career Stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection. www.basketball-timemachine.com. Press Esc to cancel. 10 James Lofton. He blew past defenders and glided through the air and threw down rim-rocking dunks with brutal authority. Elton Brand led the way with 24-10 as the best player on a championship contender, the 2005-06 Clippers. He averaged 21.2 points a game that season and would never be the same. Career Stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG. On offense, he was a great spot-up shooter and that's why he is mainly known for being a shooter during the Steve Nash era in Phoenix. He made the All-Star game and was selected to the All NBA-Third Team. Obviously, we have to mention the Malice at the Palace incident that saw him miss the entirety of the 2004-05 season with Indiana. . #NBA #NBATwitter #BYL #NBAPicks #Goats #Underrated. Personally, I believe it is a crime that Wallace is still not a basketball Hall Of Famer. The problem with most underrated NBA lists is too many of the players are, well, overrated. His most valuable skill? He could dominate the game on both sides from the low block, he possessed a turnaround jumper that was as unblockable as DIrks fadeaway, and he was a defensive nightmare for opponents nightly. It is borderline insanity that Miller was never even honored with an All-Star selection and for that, he is the 3rd most underrated player of the 200s decade. However, when we look at this year, we can see that it was Rons best statistical start to an NBA season. And while many fans will remember the Clippers for continuously being one of the dumpster fires of NBA teams, alongside Sacramento, Minnesota, and others, those other teams have had moments in the spotlight that are remembered fondly. As a member of the Indiana Pacers, O'Neal was a very gifted two-way big man. In fact, Kirilenko was born in Izhevsk, where the weapon was first manufactured. In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. While Redd played amazingly, the team finished the season with a horrible record28-54. Michael Redd is another interesting 2000s player. In 2002, ONeal won the NBAs Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. Unfortunately for Christie, what should have been a fruitful career as a spot-up shooter quickly ended due to a litany of injuries. He had a sweet jumper and smooth release that he could knock down from anywhere in front of half-court. 19. Brand's best year came in 2006 as an MVP candidate averaging 24.7 points and 10 rebounds while leading the Los Angeles Clippers back into the playoffs. Lewis was one of the NBAs top shooters for years with 8 seasons ranked in the Top 20 for 3-pointers made. From there, he developed his offensive game and defensively got more aggressive. Iverson took the fourth most shots per game in NBA history and is the worst-shooting volume chucker in the modern NBA. In 2002, O'Neal won the NBA's Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. He averaged 22.8 PPG and led the league with 17.5 RPG, and 3.0 BPG. Brandon Roy is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history and the little we did get to see of his career left us as NBA fans wanting so much more. His only season above 50% from the floor was with the 2009-10 Miami Heat, which isnt anything to write home about for a 611 power forward. With the trade of superstar Ray Allen, the Bucks fell off as one of the NBAs top teams, but the leading role was filled by Redd, who went on to average 21.7 points en route to his only All-Star appearance. Thats not that tough. Still, with his peak year coinciding with his healthiesthe appeared in 78 gameshe led the Utah Jazz in total points, points per game, total rebounds, rebounds per game, blocks, blocks per game, steals, steals per game, free throws made, free throws attempted, three pointers made, and three-pointers attempted. During his 3rd season in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miller led the NBA in assists with 10.9 APG to go with 16.5 PPG and 1.6 SPG. Center from Newark, New Jersey, United States of America. He helped lead the Magic to a Finals berth in 2009 by being a versatile scorer next to the dominant Howard. Ronald Koeman - Barcelona. Many superstars surfaced at this time but perhaps none bigger than Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers who led them to 3 straight titles at the beginning of the decade. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); My name is Hayden, and I'm a digital marketing consultant. Like many on this list, the 2003-04 season was the best of Rons career. Finley was a no-nonsense small forward that was the perfect complement beside Dirk Nowitzki, had multiple seasons averaging above 20-5-5 per game, and capped his career off with a championship on the 2007 San Antonio Spurs. Bottom Line: Otis Thorpe. That needs to begin to change after you read this piece. He ended his career with a well-deserved championship with the 2011 Dallas Mavericks. Jabbar was from the very beginning of his career being named the 1969-1970 rookie year, Abdul-Jabbar was a 5x MVP, 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA, and 8x All-Defensive selection in the 1970s with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers; moreover, he averaged 28+ points, 14+ rebounds, and 5+ assists per game and led the Bucks to their first NBA title, winning Finals MVP in . Just 3 seasons later, he would become a 20.0 PPG scorer and an automatic 40.0% shooter from deep. His best season, 2003-04, when he averaged 20-10 and 2.6 blocks, earned him 3rd place in the MVP race. Ilgauskas deserves so much more respect than modern-day fans give him. A look at those who were ranked too high and too low in the preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday Career Achievements: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection. He won the Rookie of the Year award with the least games played in history to win the award. Still, you dont hear much talk about the years the Clippers might have been the championship favorite. The 2000s was an awe-inspiring time to grow up as an NBA fan and witness these real-life superheroes hit the court every single night. He could rebound the ball well at 610 tall and his passing and court vision were a perfect recipe for success with how much those Kings teams liked to run. Lewis retired with the Miami Heat in 2014, one year after adding an NBA championship to his already impressive resume. As the all-time and single-season leader in technical fouls, how could he not? Here are the teams, odds and spread for Super Bowl 57 matchup, Super Bowl 2023 predictions and picks for each round of the NFL playoffs. He was a menace on the defensive side of the ball as well, never shying away from a tough matchup or assignments. Here are the 10 most underrated NBA players of the entire 2000s. CJ McCollum voted most underrated player since 2000. Corey Maggette was the player version of the Los Angeles Lakers/Los Angeles Clippers relationship in that he was the Walmart version of Kobe Bryant. Davis was an explosive point guard who was a blur on the floor in open space. That was the year Richardson became a solid 3-point shooter, as he nailed 38.4% of his threes. He would have 5 more dominant scoring seasons for Milwaukee by averaging 23.0 PPG, 25.4 PPG, 26.7 PPG, 22.7 PPG, and 21.2 PPG. But when we focus on his game, we can see that he was overlooked for his talent, with many casual fans not understanding that at points in the 2000s, Ron Artest was seen as one of the top NBA players in the league. Well, that counts for something, right? Other Underrated NBA Players for 2021-22. As of early May, James and . Here are the 10 most underrated stars during the 2000s. Due to a knee condition that basically deteriorated his knee cartilage as time went on, we were only able to experience 3 real years of his peak. That could not be further from the truth as Ilgauskas was a solid two-way big man who helped LeBron James adapt to the NBA. He peaked in 2007 when he averaged 26.7 PPG on 46.5% shooting. He had a smooth lefty jumper that was as good as anyones in the game when he was on point. Roy attempted a comeback in 2013 but lasted just 5 games before calling it quits for good.