Just what makes a player overrated is something that is often debated. While many NBA players have achieved success, not all have reached their full potential.
When discussing “overrated” players, we can identify two main groups. The first comprises role players whose popularity is inflated due to playing in large markets alongside superstars. The second group consists of former stars who, while still capable of competing, are no longer as effective as they once were.
Before we continue, it’s important to understand that the people we’re talking about are likely really skilled at their jobs, maybe better than any of us are at ours, unless you’re one of the best in the world at what you do.
All we’re simply doing is comparing a player’s actual production/value/worth against his perceived production/value/worth.
Keeping that logic in mind, here’s a look at the 10 most overrated NBA players currently, including a big surprise that might raise some eyebrows.
1. Bradley Beal
Who’s the most overrated NBA player right now? Bradley Beal is the top pick.
Beal got traded to the Phoenix Suns after playing for Washington his whole career. People used to think Beal was really good, but now that he’s in Phoenix, people expect even more from him. But during the playoffs, Beal didn’t play as well as people hoped.
Considering Beal is making over $50 million in the next few years, his playoff performance was disappointing, especially since he scored 15 points or fewer in three out of four games.
Beal is the third best player on the team, not the star. He stayed in Washington for a long time, so his stats looked better than they really were. Beal isn’t as good as people think, especially after his performance against the Timberwolves.
2. Domantas Sabonis
How can a player be called overrated when he’s a three-time All-Star and just finished a season with impressive stats: averaging 19.1 points, leading the league with 12.3 rebounds, and dishing out 7.3 assists?
Well, let’s start with what happened in the playoffs. In the Sacramento Kings’ first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors, their star center, Sabonis, didn’t perform as well as expected. He struggled against Kevon Looney and couldn’t shoot well from outside, handle the ball in open space, or defend the rim. These weaknesses didn’t matter as much during the regular season when opponents didn’t focus on exploiting them.
Sabonis is really good at offense, but he has some limits. For the Kings, who want to do well in the playoffs, these weaknesses are important. If Sabonis can’t improve on these weaknesses, he might not be able to help the Kings win playoff games. The Warriors showed how to neutralize Sabonis, and other playoff teams will have studied their playbook.
On top of that, the Kings gave Sabonis a big contract extension worth $217 million over five years. That’s a lot of money for a player who struggled in the playoffs, with his team performing poorly when he was on the court.
During the regular season, Sabonis was a key player for the Kings, but his weaknesses are too obvious to ignore when it comes to his star reputation and high salary.
3. Kyrie Irving
In this case, Kyrie Irving isn’t underrated when it comes to his skills as a player. He’s definitely one of the best and highly skilled NBA players capable of amazing moments on the court, and his amazing stats prove that.
But what makes him a bit overrated is his behavior off the court and missing games for reasons that some people think are silly reasons. NBA fans are really passionate, and if a player disappoints them in any way, they don’t hesitate to criticize.
4. Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole scored an average of 17.4 points per game in the regular season, but his performance didn’t match the impact he was supposed to have. Despite high expectations, he struggled and only shot 41.3% from the floor.
Fans on social media often compared him to James Harden, expecting him to make a big leap like Harden did in Houston, but it didn’t happen. His performance in the NBA Finals a few years ago has made people unsure about how good he really is now, making him seem overrated.
5. Dillon Brooks
If Dillon Brooks had accepted a contract for less money after leaving the Memphis Grizzlies, he might not have ended up here. But the Houston Rockets offered him a four-year deal worth up to $90 million, outbidding everyone else.
That’s a lot of money for a player who had the lowest Box Plus/Minus of anyone who played at least 2,000 minutes in the previous season.
Brooks is mainly valued for his defense, but his defensive contributions haven’t always outweighed the problems he causes on offense. Out of the 65 players who took at least 900 shots last season, Brooks had the worst true shooting percentage at 49.4%.
Some argue that Brooks was the most damaging offensive player in the league last season, and his offensive performance hasn’t been much better in the past. He’s never come close to shooting as well as the average player. This level of offensive inefficiency is tough to handle, especially for a wing player, where teams expect efficient scoring.
Considering all the talk and actions that have caused problems over the past few years, the Rockets are paying starter-level money to a player who, statistically and based on how the Grizzlies handled his free agency, does more harm than good.
RELATED POST:
Attention Millennials: Can you actually pass this impossible quiz?
15 Sweet Memes That Will Sweeten Your Day (Funny New Pics)
Laugh Along with this 10 Best Parenting Posts
6. Kyle Kuzma
Last offseason, the new Wizards team leaders signed Kyle Kuzma to a contract that could easily be traded. It’s for four years and $90 million, with a chance for another $12 million if he meets certain goals. The contract gets smaller each year. They also added a 15% bonus for trades, which means they can adjust his pay to make a trade happen.
During the 2024 trade deadline, they could have traded him to the Dallas Mavericks and gotten a first-round pick in return. They asked Kuzma about it, but he said he wanted to stay in Washington. He’s going to be 29 next season, and he hasn’t gotten much better. He has some skills, but they don’t really help a team that’s trying to get better. He’s big and talented, which sounds great for a player.
But here’s the problem: Being big and skilled doesn’t mean he’s good at scoring or helping his teammates score. Basically, he misses a lot of shots and turns the ball over a bunch.
This season, Kuzma made 53.0% of his two-point shots, 33.6% of his three-point shots, and 77.5% of his free throws. Those are all lower than what most players in the league do. He also averaged 4.0 turnovers for every 100 times he had the ball, which was more than most players in the league.
7. Julius Randle
Julius Randle is 29 years old, born on November 29, 1994. He’s 203 cm tall and plays for the New York Knicks.
Randle is considered one of the Knicks’ top players, but what does the team miss when he’s not in the playoffs? Despite Randle missing about 40 games, New York is close to defeating the Joel Embiid-led Philadelphia 76ers as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
When it comes to shooting, Randle has the lowest efficiency among players who take at least 15 shots per game.
While Randle is a good role player for a playoff team, he can’t be one of the top two players if you want to win the NBA Finals. But, that’s often the case when a player plays in a big market—their value gets overrated.
8. DeMar DeRozan
There aren’t many players better than DeMar DeRozan at scoring one-on-one standstill matchup. He’s really skilled, especially with his footwork near the basket, and he’s great at drawing fouls.
For the past four seasons, DeRozan has been among the top players in scoring when they’re in isolation situations. He’s been selected for the All-Star game six times and has averaged 21.0 points per game throughout his career.
But despite his scoring abilities, DeRozan hasn’t had much team success. Also, his defense isn’t very good, which kind of cancels out the value he brings as a scorer, at least most of the time. He’s not known for playing well without the ball or shooting three-pointers, which limits his role on the team.
In 11 out of his first 12 seasons, DeRozan’s teams performed better when he wasn’t on the court. Although his Chicago Bulls team has played better with him recently, his defensive problems continue, and there’s tension between him and Zach LaVine because DeRozan doesn’t contribute much when he’s not the main scorer.
DeRozan is great at scoring, but he hasn’t shown he can help the team succeed in other ways.
9. Russell Westbrook
Some people believe Russell Westbrook can do no wrong, but he’s not perfect, even though he’s a valuable player for his teams. One of his biggest problems is that he hasn’t been as consistent as he used to be.
People often talk about Westbrook being too quick to shoot and being selfish. To date, he’s averaging a career-high 8.4 assists per game. Just because he was really good at one point doesn’t mean he’s still the best while he’s still playing. When he was with the Washington team, he played alright, but he didn’t do much to help them, so he left for the Lakers, hoping to win a championship.
10. Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson has had an amazing career with the Golden State Warriors. He’s known for his excellent shooting, strong defense, and ability to spread out the game. Thompson has been a key player for the Warriors, who have won four championships in the last decade. However, things have changed recently.
After Klay Thompson got injured in 2019 and 2020, his performance (and the team’s performance in some ways) hasn’t been as good. This isn’t unexpected or a criticism of Klay. He’s a great player, but he’s also almost 34 years old and has had serious injuries in the past, like a torn ACL and ruptured Achilles.
Now, he can’t stay in front of opposing guards and wings as effectively as before. He also seems to struggle with balance when facing bigger players.
Which NBA player do you believe is overrated and hasn’t been mentioned here? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
