Data does not lie: Take a look at the five most underrated players in the past 5 years

The name of the stars makes the NBA shine, but the light of these superstars should not hinder us from often raising our glasses to players who do not have the same reputation but have a key influence.

The selection of the most underrated players in the league in the past five years is not precise science, and subjective judgments dominate the entire process. Ultimately, we try to focus on contributors who lack the aura of regular stars but are always relied on by the team.

Before screening players who best fit this spirit, we will set several criteria to define a preliminary (and broad) range of candidates. The basic rules are as follows:

Players have to play an average of 60 games or equivalent games in the past five seasons (considering the shrinking season of 2020-21, the total number of games must be 293);

Those who have won the NBA Best Team or All-Star Honor during this period will automatically be disqualified;

Those who vote for the top five of MVP or Best Defensive Player in any season since the 2020-21 season will also not be considered;

Those who meet the criteria can be shortlisted for the top five, and the specific ranking will reflect the recognition and historical memory of each player's contribution value in the past five years.

Fifth place: Reus O'Neal

Royce O'Neal successfully defended his fifth place last year - now you can joke that the successive selection of the "most underrated player in the past five years" list itself makes him... no longer underrated? (Is it a "reasonable rating"?)

This kind of joking question will soon come true. As he gets older, O'Neal is gradually fading out of this group. But those ultra-low usage wings with accurate three-pointers and desperate defense have always been the top presence in such discussions. And in the past five years, no one has interpreted this standard more perfectly than O'Neal.

Since the 2020-21 season, he has scored 724 three-pointers with a 38.8% shooting rate, and his usage rate is only slightly higher than 12%. Not surprisingly: The 32-year-old veteran is the lowest-used of any player who has achieved this output and efficiency, and has a fault lead - Grayson Allen's 15.5% usage rate is the lowest on the list.

O'Neal can lock the opponent's number one or second scorer while efficiently outputting three points, which is simply ridiculous and phenomenal. But this phenomenon has never been and has not been truly valued.

No. 4: The moment Isaiah Haltenstein signed a three-year, $87 million contract to join the Oklahoma City Thunder, many people thought he no longer belonged to the category of "underrated players". However, even the background of this huge contract is often overlooked - the Thunder will almost certainly not execute the third-year team option, which is essentially a two-year short-term contract with an average salary raised.

In the past five years, few insiders have been as versatile as Haltenstein: he can set up iron-like covers, grab rebounds, protect the frame, switch to the outside line, and even hit the ball holder; he can not only support the attack from a short pick-and-roll, but also hit the iconic throw. If it weren't for the limited playing time, he should have been selected for the best defensive team. Among all players who averaged 20 minutes per game but were not selected as All-Stars, his "VORP" ranks tenth.

His influence is ridiculous. Only Anthony Davis and Victor Vinbanyama matched his rebounding (18.2%), assists (14.8%) and blocking (4.4%) during the same period - who played in just two seasons. Although Haltenstein won the championship with the Thunder and played in the two major markets of Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks, Haltenstein's popularity has improved, but five teams have been able to leave such a mark in five years, which proves that he has never been truly valued.

Third place: Josh Hart

Josh Hart was criticized for his flaws, most notorious for his hesitant and inefficient three-point shooting. Critics are indeed well-founded on this point - this shortcoming allows opponents to adjust their defensive counterattacks and shrink the penalty area, thereby destroying the team's offensive system.

However, the 30-year-old lays the foundation for victory with his stadium-like fighting spirit.

Except for this season, the teams he plays for tend to perform better when he plays. The "positive and negative tragedy" of the New York Knicks this year is mainly attributed to his disassembly and use with Carl Anthony Towns, and was forced to partner with a substitute inside who can neither pass or shoot, as well as a group of substitute guards who have been in a state of ups and downs.

But his life-threatening performance in rebounding, driving the team's offensive rhythm (especially the rapid advancement after grabbing rebounds), rushing the basket to put pressure, passing vision in transition and breaking through the ball, and being able to defend three to four positions - these are the core elements that shape the traits of the team.

More notable is that despite the controversy over limited range (this does exist objectively), his true hit rate of 58.7% is still significantly higher than the league average. And only three players in the league can match his defensive rebounding (22.4%), assists (17.1%) and steals (1.7%) while maintaining this efficiency - you may have heard their names: Bam Adebayo, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

Second place: Derek White

People will object to Derek White's appearance on this list (not to mention second place) - after all, he has sparked a "quasi-All-Star" discussion in the past two seasons.

But the fact is: being discussed does not mean being truly selected. White has neither the best team nor the All-Star honors on his resume. I'm not going to accuse how injustice it is, it's more like issuing a public service statement: Obviously, people have not yet viewed him through the "traditional superstar filter". I have read the reactions of netizens about the hypothesis of using him to prove this.

Defense was his main label, and in the past five years, he has improved his offensive ability to a new level: better breakthrough and pass-through decisions, significantly improved three-point shooting, and upgraded organizational ability - it is no longer just a "adhesive" for passing the ball, but has also become the starting point of the offense.

It would not be fair to attribute his progress to the protection of the Boston Celtics' luxury lineup. According to PBP Stats data, Jason Tatum shot 38% from three-pointers when he was not on the court; Jaylen Brown scored 40% when he was resting.

White was once the kind of player who needed to "beyond basic data to appreciate". But that's not the case now. Since the 2020-21 season, he has ranked first in the VORP value among "non-all-star players". During the same period, only Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to achieve at least 1,552 assists and 337 blocks at the same time.

First place: Ivica Zubac

Ivica Zubac unexpectedly gained a discussion between "fastest progressive player" and "best defensive player" last season (in the end DPOY voted sixth, which made him still qualified for this list). But before this significant outbreak, his progress trajectory was actually more gradual and low-key.

He polished his defensive footsteps, improved his rebounding skills, and surpassed the simple ending of the role - developing richer low-post skills and mid-range decision-making skills. Last season was the explosion point where all this accumulated: as his role expanded, his basic data also ushered in a blowout.

If all this is simply attributed to "a single season outbreak" it is not fair to Zubac - especially on the defensive end. According to BBall Index statistics, when he plays for more than 1,500 minutes every year, he loses points per 100 rounds than more than 90% of the league's players. Except for him, only Brooke Lopez has achieved three such seasons (and Zubac has done it for five consecutive years).

In the past five years, in the niche clubs with "two-point shooting percentage 60% + defensive rebound percentage 25% + blocking percentage 3%, Jarrett Allen, Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo have exceeded his total playing time.