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The 10 Most Underrated NBA Players of the 2000s

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The 10 Most Underrated NBA Players of the 2000s

As we entered the 2000s, NBA fans were faced with the question of who would take over the league after Michael Jordan left Chicago. Many superstars surfaced at this time, but perhaps none are greater than the Los Angeles Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who led them to a 3-peat in the early 2000s. Of course, there’s Tim Duncan and the Spurs, who won their own 3 championships in the 2000s after winning one the year after MJ left the NBA in 1999. Thanks to the emergence of other superstars such as Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady, over time many other stable players who had great success during the decade were replaced by Neglected.

Narrowing the roster down to 10 underrated players in the entire decade is pretty much the hardest. The 2000s were filled with incredible defenders, lights-out shooters, great ball handlers, dependable secondary stars and bench players who were great on the job. The 2000s were an awesome time to grow up as an NBA fan and witness these real-life superheroes playing every night. Today, we salute the stars who have been underrated over time as we get further and further away from their game day.

Here are the 10 most underrated NBA players of the entire 2000s.

10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Champion: 0

Career stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG

Career achievements: 2-time All-Star

For some reason, over time, fans referred to Zydrunas Ilgauskas as one of those “trash” players who dragged LeBron James to the NBA Finals early in his career. That’s far from the truth, as Ilgauskas is a solid two-way big man who helped LeBron James settle into the NBA. Ilgauskas isn’t the strongest in the post, but he makes up for it with a nice 6- to 8-foot jumper that touches the ball beautifully, almost automatically. He’s also one of the best offensive rebounders in basketball, leading the league in offensive rebounds with 299 in 2004-05.

Ilgauskas has battled injuries for the first few seasons of his career, missing his rookie and fourth season with a foot problem. Since then, he has developed his offensive game and has become more aggressive defensively. By 2003, Ilgauskas was an All-Star, averaging 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while adding 1.9 rebounds. He would be an All-Star again in 2005, averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 rebounds. He was also a big reason why the Cavaliers were able to reach the 2007 NBA Finals, becoming LeBron James’ favorite option on offense. Ilgauskas deserves more respect than modern fans give him.

9. Michael Reid

Champion: 0

Career stats: 19.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Career achievements: 1 All-Star, 1 All-NBA selection

Coming into the league, no one expected Michael Reid to be selected with the 43rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft. At his peak, he became one of the most prolific scorers in the league and rekindled the spirit of the game in Milwaukee City. Reed has been criticized for his lack of full play, but his scoring is by far the best part of his game. He has a smooth lefty jumper, and when he’s on the floor, he’s as good as anyone in the game. He can put the ball on the floor and get around defenders with relative ease, making him a true third-level threat.

By the time his fourth season in 2004 arrived, Reed was an All-Star and a consistent and efficient 20.0-point scorer. From 2004 to 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps, but still averaged at least 21.0 points per game each season. He peaked in 2007, when he averaged 26.7 points and shot 46.5 percent from the field. During his career, Reed shot 38.0 percent from three and 44.7 percent overall. Despite sharing the court with Ray Allen early on, Red blazed his own path, and his incredible scoring in his prime should be respected.

8. Baron Davis

Champion: 0

Career stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Career achievements: 2 All-Stars, 1 All-NBA selection

In an era filled with talented point guards, Barron Davis is one of the most exciting to watch. Davis is an explosive point guard who is a nebulous player in the open space. He blew past defenders and slid through the air, and shot rim-shaking dunks with brutal authority. He’s also a threat on the defensive end, never shiing away from tough games or assignments. Davis arguably led the “We Believe” Warriors to a shock victory over the No. 1-seeded Mavericks in 2007, but his career spanned far more than one season.

Davis started his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. He spent 3 seasons with the team and helped them transition to New Orleans. He averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 2.0 assists in three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets. He led the league in steals in 2004 with 2.4. In 2007, he led the league in steals again with 2.1 SPG. One of the most dynamic point guards in basketball, Davis recorded 3 different seasons with at least 20.0 PPG and 2.0 SPG.

7. Brandon Roy

Champion: 0

Career stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Career achievements: 1 Rookie of the Year, 3 All-Stars, 2 All-NBA selections

Brandon Roy is one of the biggest hypotheses in NBA history, and so little we know about his career leaves us as NBA fans wanting more. Roy’s special talent on the offensive end was confirmed by superstars like Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. It was impossible to keep up with Roy in isolation. His first step off the dribble is so quick, and once he’s going to the rim, he’s even faster. His mid-range and 3-point shooting are also impeccable. His knee cartilage has basically degraded over time due to the condition of the knee joint and we can only experience 3 years of his true peak.

Roy was destined to be a star in his first season in the NBA. He won the Rookie of the Year award for the fewest games ever played. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in just 57 games while shooting 45.6 percent from the field. Roy will be an All-Star for the next three seasons, averaging 21.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.2 APG and 1.1 SPG in that span. Roy will begin to experience his downfall in 2011, only his fifth season in the league. He will be forced out of the game at the age of 27. Roy tried to make a comeback in 2013, only to call it quits after only five games.

6. Rasheed Wallace

Champion: 1

Career stats: 18.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Career achievements: 4-time All-Star

During his time in the NBA, Rasheed Wallace gained notoriety for his resident bad boy. As the single-season technical foul leader in history, how could he not?This reputation makes many people forget[actful Wallace was on the basketball court. Wallace helped to revolutionize the power forward position forever with his ability to spread the floor and shoot the ball He could play any role that a team needed him to. He could dominate the game on both sides from the low block, he possessed a turnaround jumper that was as unblockable as DIrk’s fadeaway, and he was a defensive nightmare for opponents nightly.

Wallace’s impact was truly measured when he was acquired by the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2004 season. Wallace’s presence propelled Detroit to an NBA championship where Wallace averaged 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG on the playoff run. During his All-Star seasons with Portland, Wallace was a double-digit scorer and rebounder while being a force to be reckoned with on defense. Personally, I believe it is a crime that Wallace is still not a basketball Hall Of Famer.

5. Peja Stojakovic

Championships: 1

Career Stats: 17.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Career Achievements: 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection

Peja Stojakovic is one of the better perimeter scorers of the 2000s decade. He had a sweet jumper and smooth release that he could knock down from anywhere in front of half-court. His presence on the early 2000s Kings teams was a perfect fit that put them over the top as a contender at the time. He could rebound the ball well at 6’10’’ tall and his passing and court vision were a perfect recipe for success with how much those Kings teams liked to run. With his accurate 3-point shot and ability to pass the ball effectively, Stojakovidc would be a nightmare for defenses in today’s game.

After taking 2 years to play overseas in Greece, Peja made his NBA debut in the 1998-99 season. Just 3 seasons later, he would become a 20.0 PPG scorer and an automatic 40.0% shooter from deep. He made 3 straight All-Star games from 2002 through 2004 and averaged 21.7 PPG on 48.1% shooting over that time. His best season came in 2003-04, Peja averaged a career-high 24.2 PPG on 48.0% shooting overall and 43.3% from three. He ended his career with a well-deserved championship with the 2011 Dallas Mavericks.

4. Rashard Lewis

Championships: 1

Career Stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Career Achievements: 2x All-Star

Right off the bat, you can tell Rashard Lewis is highly underrated simply by his lack of accolades to his name. As one of the original stretch forwards in the game, Lewis used both his size and shooting ability to become a scoring machine. Lewis was one of the NBA’s top shooters for years with 8 seasons ranked in the Top 20 for 3-pointers made. Lewis is considered one of the best second options ever for his time with both the Seattle SuperSonics next to Ray Allen and in Orlando with Dwight Howard. He helped lead the Magic to a Finals berth in 2009 by being a versatile scorer next to the dominant Howard.

During his early days in Seattle, Lewis took a bit to develop into the shooter and scorer he went down as. Six seasons into his career in 2005, Lewis earned his first All-Star selection and first 20.0 PPG season. He would average 20.0 PPG or more for the next 3 seasons and shot near or better than 40.0% from three during that time. In 2009, he earned the 2nd All-Star selection of his career when he averaged 17.7 PPG and helped lead Orlando to the NBA Finals. Lewis retired with the Miami Heat in 2014, one year after adding an NBA championship to his already impressive resume.

3. Andre Miller

Championships: 0

Career Stats: 12.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Career Achievements: N/A

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. Miller was as good as it gets running an NBA offense and he was one heck of a playmaker. He could force his way into the paint like a running back hitting the hole in the NFL and either finish at the rim easily or find the open man for an easier opportunity. With his ability to both score and pass the ball, Miller was must-watch television whenever he was in town.

For the first 12 seasons of his career, Miller was a consistent 15.0 to 17.0 PPG scorer but he really made his impact as a passer. 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. In every season in which he started over 60 games for one of his 9 NBA teams, he earned at least 6.0 APG. 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.

2. Chauncey Billups

Championships: 1

Career Stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Career Achievements: 1x Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection

I have never seen a Finals…

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Jermaine Zdrunas Ilgauskas
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