Ranking the NBA's 10 Most Underappreciated Players

Many defenders continue to get burned by his pump-fakes.With or without three-point volume, playing through DeRozan is also doable because he's wired to take and make the shots defenses want to give him. Extra three-point volume renders him more interesting—he's shooting 41.2 percent from the corners—but he still takes too many mid-range jumpers. And in doing so, he's turned into one of the NBA most's useful and uncelebrated players.Myles Turner exists in a weird space. And among the 73 players who have contested 30 or more total shots at the rim, Turner's 45.3 percent conversion rate allowed ranks first.It isn't just the raw numbers. Opposing bigs are almost never going to dust him off the dribble, and if he's beat on switches, he remains a threat to bust up shots from behind.Basically, no shot near the hoop is safe so long as he's on the floor, and he's an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate because of it.Larry Nance Jr.'s versatility deserves a brighter spotlight. Through it all, though, he remains an overwhelmingly positive player.Smart's offensive lows will never compare to his defensive highs. The Hornets don't have that player. It was a mistake.How it's going: Johnson is a steady rotation player on a really good Western Conference team and currently one of the best, most impactful players from his draft class.And mind you, it isn't just his standstill shooting. Defense is never going to be his strong suit, but he's quicker than credited when moving laterally and capable of making physical contests around the rim.Phoenix is more than 25 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, and he's become a net positive on both defense and offense. And he's picking up where he left off last year.He's not going to average over 25 points per game while draining 50 percent of his twos and his threes forever, but the essence of his offense is sustainable. He's not a point guard. Holmes' floaters bake some variance into his offensive outcomes, but he is shooting 76.9 percent (20-of-26) on jumpers and 70.4 percent on two-pointers, the second-highest mark among all players with at least 50 attempts inside the arc.