Each week, we assemble our
BasketballNews.com writers for a roundtable discussion where we ask
them to share their thoughts on an NBA-related prompt. This week,
we asked:
Who is a player that
you're much higher on than the general
consensus?
Nekias Duncan: Khris
Middleton. I’ve been on
Khris Middleton Island for too many years — dating back to an
article I wrote on his 2014-15 campaign for a now-defunct website —
to not have him as my answer. Multi-time All-Star. All-NBA-caliber
seasons under his belt. One win away from an NBA-Finals berth, in
large part (not the largest, that’s obviously Giannis
Antetokounmpo) due to his creation burden. And it feels like people
still don’t entirely grasp how good he is.
Ethan Fuller: Andrew
Wiggins. It's the hill
I'll die on: Wiggins can absolutely be a core piece on a
championship team. After shooting a career-high 38% from beyond the
arc, he's proven to be a versatile scorer in all areas. Wiggins
also has turned into a quietly stalwart defender, and I'll go to
bat calling him one of the more underrated passers in the league.
He should be a secondary ball-handler in Golden State, with
Draymond Green and behind Steph Curry. I don't know if he warrants
that max contract, but it's past time people give Wiggins credit as
a legit weapon on both ends of the court.
Alex Kennedy: Larry Nance Jr.
Sure, Nance is a fan favorite in
Cleveland, but he doesn’t get nearly enough national attention. He
had an injury-plagued season, but he was terrific for the Cavaliers
when he was healthy. At one point in January, the Cavs had the
NBA’s top-ranked defense thanks in large part to Nance, who was
leading the league in steal percentage (3.3%), steals (2.4),
deflections (4.8) and loose-balls recovered (2.1), while ranking
second in Defensive Win Shares (.9) and Defensive Box Plus-Minus
(2.3). When Nance was on the floor, Cleveland held opponents to a
109.9 offensive rating; when he was off the court, that increased
to 116.9. Nance is one of the NBA’s most underrated players, which
we I
asked him about on my podcast. I love his defense, his motor, his hustle
plays, his work ethic, his positivity, his loyalty to Cleveland
(where he grew up), and his leadership. But, most of all, I love
his story. Like me, Larry was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a
kid, yet he was still able to achieve his NBA dream. After making
it to the league, Larry started a foundation called Athletes vs.
Crohn's & Colitis, which pairs children who are suffering from
Crohn’s or Colitis with an athlete mentor who has the same disease.
He’s also making a difference locally, raising $322,000 for 72
small businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. Admittedly, I
may be biased, but Larry is a great guy and I’m a fan of everything
he does — on and off the court.
Spencer Davies: Russell
Westbrook. This is an easy
one. Every year that we think he’s going to step back athletically,
it doesn’t happen. Clearly hampered by an injury in the first month
or two of the season, Westbrook delivered a triple-double run like
this league has never seen before. Washington was 15 games under
.500 on April 5, and if it wasn’t for Westbrook’s infectious
energy, playmaking and aggressiveness, that team wouldn’t have even
sniffed the play-in tournament. They went 17-9 to close the season.
Yes, Bradley Beal is the head of the snake and the best player the
Wizards have, but when you talk about real leadership and giving it
150% every night, nobody comes close to the compete level of
Westbrook, who surpassed the great Oscar Robertson for the most
triple-doubles in NBA history with his 32nd of the season on May 10
(he finished with 34 total, and his career mark is 184 and
counting). By the time the postseason got here, Beal and Westbrook
seemed exhausted from lifting the Wizards to that position. So
while Russ has his questionable moments, and he has his
inefficiencies from time-to-time, you cannot challenge his heart or
his impact. His teammates will assure you of
it.