Who Are The Most Overrated Players In The NBA?

You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, especially when it comes to NBA players.

There are always players who don’t deserve the spotlight they’re accorded. Sometimes that spotlight shines on a player who plays in a big market, because he had one good season, or because of the team on which he plays.

Here are five players who currently size up as overrated NBA players.

Kyle Lowry

There is little debate among casual NBA fans: they believe Toronto Raptors’ point guard Kyle Lowry is worthy of being an All-Star starter. However, does that perception hold water? Let’s find out.

Courtesy: USAToday.com

For the first six years of his career, Lowry never reached an average of ten points per game. He also shot high 20’s-low 30’s on his three-point percentage–a very average NBA performance.

Now, let’s skip five years of Lowry’s career. Lowry started averaging 15 ppg while shooting mid 30’s from the three.

But just how good is Lowry? During the 2015-2016 season, Lowry averaged 21.2 ppg, 6.4 apg, and 4.7 rpg. Good numbers that the media hyped. Now, let’s now move to this season. Lowry is currently averaging 16 points and seven assists per game.

Hype enters the equation once again. In all-star voting, Lowry is ahead of players who have better stats, including Kemba Walker and Bradley Beal.

Why is this happening? Lowry plays in a big market, Toronto. There he’s a fan favorite and media focus.

Isiah Thomas

Don’t get me wrong. Throughout his career, Isaiah has shown dedication and determination. But that’s not the issue. The question is whether Thomas deserves the hype he has received?

Courtesy: Youtube.com

Thomas started at the bottom as Mr. Irrelevant (last pick) in the 2011 NBA Draft. But to his credit, Thomas worked his way into becoming a capable NBA starter. That was made possible by a 2015 trade, which shipped Thomas to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first round pick. That transaction enabled Thomas to become a starting point guard.

Thomas became a household name, too, averaging an impressive 28.9 points, 6 assists a game last year while shooting 38% from three. He earned an All-Star spot and made the All-NBA second team.

They hype machine was at it once again. The main basketball video game, known worldwide is the NBA2k series, declared that he was really good. Last summer the series rated Thomas an 89 overall, good enough to make him the 6th best point guard in the League.

But is Isaiah the 6th best point guard in the game? His height, 5’9,” makes Thomas a huge liability on defense. On top of that, Thomas has trouble distributing the ball precisely, which has led to a lot of turnovers. To minimize turnovers, Thomas turns to isolation plays to score points. But that maneuver doesn’t help teammates get better looks.

2016-2017 was Thomas’ breakout year. But it was one year only. How can you rank a player who has had one shining year and struggles on defense ahead of proven players like Damian Lillard and Mike Conley?

Hassan Whiteside

Courtesy: Miami Herald

Like Thomas, Whiteside went from NBA bottomlands to heights of stardom. He went undrafted in 2010, bouncing around with minor-league NBA teams, until he found his home in 2014-15 with the Miami Heat.

Whitesides’ “breakout year” came in 2015-2016. He averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds, and a ridiculous 4 blocks a game. That performance put Whiteside on the national map.

And Miami rewarded him handsomely. The Heat signed Whiteside to a 4-year $98 million dollar deal. He lived up to the money, too. The following year Whiteside averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game.

But was he an NBA star? 2k thought so, rating Whiteside over the past summer as an 87–the 6th best center in the league. Currently, Whiteside is averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks a game during (for him) an injury-plagued season.

Those stats don’t make him the 6th best center in the NBA.

Al Horford

The #3 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, Al Horford has always been blessed with media hype. He made the NBA All-Rookie team by averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds a game. That catapulted him to become the face of the Atlanta Hawks. Although he couldn’t sustain an All-NBA performance, Horford still had pretty good numbers: 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

Courtesy: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

When Horford became a free agent in 2016, it was the first year of the exponential increase in the NBA salary cap. That caused some teams to overpay players because they weren’t accustomed to the new system. Lucky Al signed a 4-year $113 million dollar contract with the Boston Celtics.

But Horford hasn’t lived up his signing numbers. As a Celtic, he’s averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Those would be reasonable numbers for most NBA players–just not when you’re making an absurd $27 million a year.

Draymond Green

Before you go crazy on me in the comments section, please hear me out! Draymond is a very good defender, a player who’s worthy of being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The issue for me is different. Why–year after year–is the league making him an All-Star?

Courtesy: Bleacher Report

Like Thomas, Green started his career as a diamond in the rough–in Green’s case as the 35th overall in the 2011 NBA draft. With hard work, good coaching, and great fortune (selected by the Warriors) Green’s game progressed over the next three years. He went from a bench warmer to a capable NBA bench player.

In year four, his game elevated to a career-high 14 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. That season his team won the NBA championship and many people viewed Green as a major cog in that Warriors’ offense.

That perception got the hype rolling.

During the next two seasons–last year and this–Draymond has averaged a combined 10.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds a game. Those are good, but average, numbers. Right? Not really. In Green’s case, they’re good enough to make him an All-Star.

Why? It’s the system Green’s in. And in that system, Green is Golden State’s defensive backbone. Fair enough.

But I look at it this way: Green also benefits from what I’ll call “The Dennis Rodman Effect.” That happens when a player gets overhyped because he plays a key role on a dominant team.

There’s no question that Draymond Green is a solid NBA player. It’s just that he benefits enormously from the hype that surrounds his play, his role, and his team.