2018 NBA All-Underrated Team

Every season, a bunch of players go overlooked despite putting up some great numbers. It's bound to happen. Not everyone can be an all-star every season. However, they do deserve recognition, and since I made this list last year, I'm doing it again this year. With that out of the way, this is my 2018 NBA All-Underrated team.

Point Guard: Tyreke Evans

Yes, Tyreke Evans is a point guard. If you disagree, then you're not alone, because multiple NBA teams have played him out of position. Despite the fact that he had a stellar rookie season for the 2009-10 season where he won the Rookie of the Year and averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game as a point guard with the Sacramento Kings, the team still moved him to the shooting guard spot. That, combined with a couple of injuries, hurt Evans' development and stock, which resulted in a pretty significant regression on the stat line. This might be why the Grizzlies got him for just $3.2 million for one year. However, when Mike Conley went down with an injury, Evans was able to run the offense for the Grizzlies as the point guard. And low and behold, Evans had his best season since his rookie season. Evans would average 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and a career-high 40% from three-point range. Now on the Indiana Pacers, Evans can hopefully keep the momentum of this past year going by having another strong season.

Honorable Mentions: Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn

Shooting Guard: Khris Middleton

As good as Giannis Antetokounmpo is, one player can't carry a team to the playoffs by himself. You'd need at one other good player on your side to help lead the team. Luckily for Antetokounmpo, he has one of the best scorers of anyone who didn't make the all-star game, and that player is Khris Middleton. Because of how high profile of a teammate he has in Antetokounmpo, it's easy for Middleton's impressive stat line to go overlooked, even though it is one of the better ones in the league. For the season, Middleton averaged 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 88% from the free throw line. If Middleton cannot only repeat but improve on his performance from this past season for next season, the Milwaukee Bucks could potentially make a stronger run in the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: Evan Fournier, Gary Harris

Small Forward: TJ Warren

It's a good thing the Phoenix Suns were able to land the #1 pick in the draft and selected DeAndre Ayton because this past season they were an absolute dumpster fire. How can you describe a team as anything else when you lose over 60 games in a season. However, they do have several talented, young players with a lot of potential. While most people would look at Devin Booker or Josh Jackson after hearing that description, there is another player who can fit that bill, and that's TJ Warren. Warren was another player who was able to put up some pretty great numbers this season, only to go about as unnoticed as they could. That might be because he played on such a bad team, but they still deserve recognition. This past season, Warren averaged 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and a steal per game while shooting 50% from the field. Now with a solid rotation, the Suns could potentially make their way into the playoffs this season, and Warren has the potential to be a big part of that run.

Honorable Mentions: Harrison Barnes, Taurean Prince

Power Forward: Tobias Harris

The Los Angeles Clippers were able to post a winning record in their first season without Chris Paul but unfortunately, their 42-40 record wasn't good enough to get them into the playoffs. Now without DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin (who they traded mid-season), the Clippers will need someone to step up and lead the team if they want to have even a chance of making the playoffs. The best candidate, in my opinion, the best candidate for that leadership job is one of the players the Clippers received in the Blake Griffin trade, and that player is Tobias Harris. Harris has been a strong player for the last couple of seasons, and this past season he really turned it up, posting the best numbers of his career. This past season, Harris averaged 19.3 points, 6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field, 41% from three-point range, and 83% from the free throw line. This is a contract year for Harris as well, so if things don't go well for the Clippers this upcoming season, then a strong showing for Harris could lead to a big deal somewhere else.

Honorable Mentions: Julius Randle, Nikola Mirotic

Center: Nikola Vucevic

It's shame that Nikola Vucevic, for as good as he's been over the last few seasons, as been saddled with leading an Orlando Magic team that has just been awful. Not only have the Magic not made the playoffs since 2012, they have only won over 30 games in one of their past six seasons. That's not at the fault of Vucevic, who has been putting up some strong numbers despite the lack of success the team has had since he joined the roster. This past season was no different, as he continued to put up some solid numbers while also improving in areas like three-point shooting and free throw shooting. For the season, Vucevic averaged 16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, a steal, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field, 31% from three-point range, and 82% from the free throw line. The fact that the Magic drafted Mo Bamba in the 2018 draft and that Vucevic is on the last year of his contract could signal the end of his time in Orlando. If that's the case, hopefully he can continue to impress this season and land on a more successful team the year after.

Honorable Mentions: Enes Kanter, Jusuf Nurkic

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