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The faces of the franchises are not the only ones making crucial plays for their teams on a nightly basis. More often than not, it is those who are devoid of the regular spotlight that steps up frequently when their team's in distress.
The league is stuffed with talented players who are reliable and deliver consistently, but the uneven distribution of attention across the NBA landscape often leaves them unappreciated.
The reasons that a wide majority of over 400 players go unnoticed year-in and year-out are varied, ranging from the presence of a megastar as a teammate to a professional (monotonous) court regime that doesn't garner enough surveillance and more.
Here we tend to make an effort to recognize the five most underrated individual talents across the league and everything they stand for.
#5 Steven Adams
Standing at seven-foot and weighing 265-pounds, the big New Zealander fits the OKC brand of physical basketball fairly well.
Just this past season, he clocked in a career-best 4.9 offensive rebounds per game(second-best in the league) along with freeing up his teammates via some of the stiffest screens ever.
Playing along Paul George and Russell Westbrook, Adams was an integral part of the Thunder's dominance on either end of the court.
The 25-year-old holds the ability to operate on the perimeter as well as guard multiple positions defensively and certainly has his prime years still ahead of him. Although, now with his All-Star teammates elsewhere, Adams does stand as a question mark for the organization.
During his 2018-19 campaign, Adams averaged 13.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, all of which were career-highs. As expected of the uber-talented center, he shot 66.7 percent from within three feet of the hoop.
#4 Brandon Ingram
Of all the players in their early 20s, Brandon Ingram's All-Star caliber year seems to be just around the corner - keeping in mind his immense breakout capability.
Before being diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis during early March, the 21-year-old was posting a blistering career-high average of 18.3 points per game, playing alongside LeBron in LA.
“Brandon’s ability as an elite playmaker and a long, athletic defender is going to enable him to play multiple positions,” David Griffin said July 16.
Possessing the unique handles and footwork to create his shot, Ingram was shooting almost 50% from the field. He recorded a 57% conversion from the floor(and averaged 27.8 points per game) in his final six games during the 2018-19 season.
With 5.6 free throw attempts last season, Ingram also carries an underrated ability to draw fouls. Moreover, his addition to the New Orleans' young core makes them a top-tier defensive club.
#3 Buddy Hield
Last season, the Kings missed out on a playoff berth by the slimmest of margins but the brilliance displayed by Buddy Hield did not go unnoticed.
He stepped up to become one of the most efficient perimeter shooters across the league, carrying an impressive conversion rate of 46% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc, having played through all 82 regular season games.
Hield also broke the record for the most three-pointers by any player in his first three years via his stack of 602 treys so far.
There is no doubt that Hield is the core piece of Sacramento's future and much of the franchise's rebuild depends on how he grows as a player.
One of his undervalued qualities is his movement without the ball, something that makes efficient shooters like Curry and Thompson, even more lethal.
At 26 years of age, Buddy averaged almost 2.7 miles per game, underlining hi constant off-ball movement.
#2 Andre Drummond
Ever since Andre Drummond joined the Pistons squad in 2012, he has been a glass-crashing fiend on a nightly basis along with providing unmatched durabilty for a big man of his size.
In order to put his expertise into perspective, it helps to know that he set an NBA record for most seasons(4) with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 100 steals. So far, he has been the NBA’s rebounding leader three times and is a two-time All-Star.
After averaging an imposing double-double of 17.3 points and 15.6 rebounds per game during his 2018-19 run, the 25-year-old is set to make $27.1 million dollars for the upcoming season with a player option of $28 million lined up for the 2020 season.
Moreover, during his time at the Motor City, his defensive stats host respectable numbers like 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. He also improved his once-nightmarish free-throw shooting to a laudable 60% this year.
#1 Julius Randle
After the Knicks couldn't land Durant and/or Kyrie, they made sure to not miss out on a future All-Star and bagged Randle to a three-year, $63-million deal.
"The fan base(in NewYork) is starving for competition and wanting to win and I feel like all the guys that we have on the team bring an edge and an intensity," Randle said. "They just have a certain aura about them so I'm excited, it's going to be fun."
The former Kentucky Wildcat stepped up to a whole new level as a player when he averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 boards per game, on 52% shooting from the floor during the recently ended season with the Pelicans.
The 24-year-old bruising power forward has proven that his ceiling is sky high, and given the right conditioning and freedom, he would be ready to be named amongst NBA's elite.
