We have made it to our last and final stop on our journey to counting down the most underrated players from each decade in NBA history. The 2010s were full of players who didn’t get the proper respect and admiration for their game that they deserved. The reason for this is a couple of guys named Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Together in the decade, James and Curry combined for 6 championships between them and faced off every season from 2015 through 2018. At the beginning of the decade, James was dominating the NBA, making 4 Finals appearances with the Miami Heat and taking home 2 titles.
Left in the wake of both LeBron and Curry’s dominance is a treasure trove of incredible players whose careers are overshadowed by it. These players were All-Stars, elite defenders, and proficient scorers who gave us some incredible moments on the basketball court. The players below were at one time or another considered elite at their positions and somehow, just a few years later, have faded away in basketball conversations among fans and media members. Get ready to relive some of the best moments from the decade of the 2010s with the players who brought them to you.
There are the 10 most underrated NBA players of the 2010s.
10. George Hill
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 10.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Awards and Achievements: N/A
Unfortunately for George Hill, he will somewhat always be known as the guy that was traded for Kawhi Leonard on draft night. Although never close to Kawhi’s level, Hill has still carved out a pretty solid career over the past 15 years. At his peak, Hill was an explosive playmaker in very quick bursts off of the dribble. His high basketball IQ led him to make great decisions as a passer and he is a true combo guard who can shoot the ball from pretty much anywhere on the court. Fighting for rebounds and playing bigger than his size on defense were also prevalent parts of his game and the perfect candidate to kick off our list.
After being traded for Kawhi on the night of the 2008 NBA Draft, Hill took a few seasons to find his way in Indiana. He began his career in a bench role and by 2015, was a 16.5 PPG scorer who contributed greatly to the Pacers contending in the Eastern Conference during the 2010s. In 2017, with the Utah Jazz, Hill averaged 16.9 PPG in 49 appearances, shooting 47.7% from the field. Although his numbers have tapered off as he has gotten older, his role as a combo guard in the 2010s cannot be forgotten.
9. Marc Gasol
Championships: 1
Career Stats: 14.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.4 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection
Marc Gasol gets an incredibly bad rep for supposedly stealing the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year from LeBron James. Gasol is so much more than a flawed voting system during the 2010s and the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors can attest to it. Gasol was an elite defender in the post, often giving opposing bigs nightmares when they caught the ball on the post and realized it was Gasol with the assignment. He was a good shot-blocker and a decent scorer on the offensive side of the ball as well. At his peak, there was an argument to be made that he was the best defender in basketball.
Gasol was never going to light up the scoreboard, but he was durable and held his own in the paint. His career-high scoring season came in 2017 with the Grizzlies when he averaged 19.5 PPG in 74 games played. His Defensive Player of the Year award did have merit as much as people push back on it as a robbery. He averaged 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG that season while leading the Grizzlies to 56 wins. When he was traded to the Raptors in 2019, it could be argued that he was the piece that put them over the top and propelled them to a championship that year. Gasol is one of those players we may not talk about 20 years from now, but his impact on the court was undeniable.
8. Al Jefferson
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 15.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.2 BPG
Achievements and Awards: 1x All-NBA Team Selection
Al Jefferson is one of the most powerful big men of the 2010s. He used his strength and big frame to dominate the low post in his prime, both as a scorer and a rebounder. At both ends, he was overpowering opponents, bullying them out of the lane on defense, and scoring at will on offense. He had quick hands for a man his size and could block his fair share of shots when the opportunities arose. Jefferson couldn’t get the ball any lower than the elbow on offense or chances were he was going to pick your team apart every time.
Jefferson took a few years to get things going with the Boston Celtics but really began to bloom into a star once he got to Minnesota. In 2008 and 2009, Jefferson had back-to-back seasons of at least 21.0 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 50.0% shooting. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2014 when he averaged 21.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG for the Utah Jazz. Jefferson shot 49.9% for his career and was more than certainly robbed of a couple of All-Star appearances in his career.
7. David Lee
Championships: 1
Career Stats: 13.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
With hustle, heart, and athleticism, David Lee made an impact wherever he went during the 2010s decade. Lee was a fighter in the paint, hustling for rebounds on both sides of the floor until they were impossible to grab. He possessed superb athleticism and made tough shots as a lefty in the low post. His energy wasn’t just limited to the offense, as he became a better interior defender as his career went on. He contributed off of the bench for the Warriors during their 2015 championship run and is still talked about greatly amongst fans in New York as well.
By the time 2009 rolled around, Lee was well on his way to becoming an All-Star. In 2009, he averaged 16.0 PPG and 11.7 RPG for the Knicks but was snubbed of a selection to the mid-season festivities. The following season, he wouldn’t be denied as he averaged 20.2 PPG and 11.7 RPG on 54.5% shooting. He was acquired by the Warriors in 2010 and was an All-Star for them by 2013. He averaged 18.5 PPG and 11.2 RPG that season. By the time the Warriors reached dynasty status in 2015, Lee was still on the team, but injuries and missed court time had taken their toll. Lee should be remembered for being one of the greatest hustle players of our generation.
6. Rajon Rondo
Championships: 2
Career Stats: 9.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 4x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 4x All-Defensive Team Selection
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen get most of the credit for their 2008 NBA championship run, but Rajon Rondo kept them competitive for longer than expected. Rondo was one of the best playmakers of the 2010s decade, winning 3 assist titles and 1 steals title to boot. His defense propelled Boston to an unexpected Finals run in 2010 and his playmaking kept them close until the very end against the Lakers. With 4 All-Star appearances and 4 All-Defensive selections, the only point guard that rivaled Rondo’s two-way ability at that time was Chris Paul.
From 2010 through 2013, Rondo was selected to 4 straight All-Star games with the Boston Celtics. Over that time, Rondo averaged 12.4 PPG, 10.8 APG, and 2.1 SPG. Even as he bounced around the league for most of the latter half of the decade, Rondo remained one of the very best playmakers in the NBA. Rondo wasn’t always the flashiest star or in the headlines as stars usually are, but his play on the court speaks for itself and his placement on today’s list is more than warranted.
5. Joakim Noah
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 8.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection
High energy and heart are the two best words one can use to describe Joakim Noah in the 2010s with the Chicago Bulls. Noah may have been mocked and ridiculed for his unorthodox shooting form and lack of offensive game, but his defense more than made up for it. Noah played and worked hard for 48 minutes and dominated opponents as a rebounder and shot blocker. He was one of the game’s best passing big men on offense and truly a team-first kind of player. Although he struggled as his career progressed with injuries and age, Noah was one of the NBA’s best centers in his prime and he is not treated as or remembered as such.
Noah was the heart and soul of the Chicago Bulls from 2008 through 2016. During his time with the Bulls, Noah was a dominant double-digit scorer and rebounder who was guaranteed to get his hands on a few shot attempts, peaking at 2.1 BPG. It wasn’t just about the contact he made with those shots, but the way offenses had to game plan around him due to the way he altered them, as well as how good he was as an interior defender. Noah definitely deserves more respect for handling Derrick Rose’s unfortunate injury, like a champion, and leading the Bulls when they were at their lowest.
4. Mike Conley
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 14.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 1x All-Star, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection
At the core of the 2010s Grit and Grind Grizzlies team was their point guard, Mike Conley. He was a low-turnover, high-assist point guard who could get his team on the scoreboard if he needed to. Conley was very fast off of the dribble and could blow by many of the top defenders in the game. Over the course of his career, Conley proved to be good at pretty much everything on the court. Not elite and not horrible, but right in the middle. He’s a consistent shooter and playmaker who impacted winning in a positive manner for most of his career.
Starting out in a smaller role for Memphis, Conley was about a 12.0 to 13.0 scorer and a 5.0 to 6.0 APG passer. He would explode into much more than that by 2017 when he began to average 20.0 PPG and 6.0 APG. He thrived in the playoffs with the Grizzlies and was a massive part of their 2013 run to the Western Conference Finals. Conley did not get selected to be an All-Star until the 2021 season with the Utah Jazz. If you ask me, that selection came about 8 or 9 seasons too late.
3. Jamal Crawford
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 14.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 3x Sixth Man Of The Year
Jamal Crawford was one of the most explosive scorers and best bench players of the entire 2010s decade. Armed with incredible ball-handling skills and a wicked first step off of the dribble, Crawford became must-watch television wherever he was in his career. He was named the best bench player in the NBA 3 times by taking home the Sixth Man of the Year awards in a 7-year stretch. Crawford even became the oldest player to score 50 points in a game when he dropped 51 at the age of 39 in the 2018-19 season.
The 2009-10 season was the first season that Crawford won the Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 18.0 PPG and 44.9% shooting. The Hawks made a playoff appearance with 44 wins that season. Crawford would win the award once again in the 2014 season with the Clippers. He appeared in 69 games for L.A. that year and averaged 18.6 PPG on 41.6% shooting. He would win his final Sixth Man of the Year award in 2016 when he averaged 14.2 PPG for the Clippers once again. Crawford solidified himself during the 2010s as one of the best bench players in NBA history and deserves more respect for it.
2. Luol Deng
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 14.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 2x All-Star, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection
Luol Deng is a name that rarely ever comes up in basketball conversations unless we are talking about some of the worst contracts in the game’s history. Deng was efficient and highly skilled at the small forward position during his time and could explode on offense to carry the load on that side of the ball for stretches if called upon. He was smart as an offensive player, knowing when to drive when to shoot, and when to defer possession to one of his teammates. He rounded out his game well as a solid rebounder, passer, and defender who did most of his damage as a member of the Chicago Bulls in his early days.
Deng began his career with the Bulls in the 2004-05 season. He had a solid 6 seasons heading into the 2010s as a 15.0 PPG scorer on average and added 6.0 to 7.0 rebounds. He earned back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2012 and 2013 by averaging 16.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.1 SPG over those 2 seasons. As of 2022, Deng was in his 3rd year of earning $5 million per season from the Lakers as a retired player due to a contract he signed with them in 2016.
1. Zach Randolph
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 16.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Awards and Achievements: 1x Most Improved Player, 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
From the outside looking in, Zach Randolph looked like he shouldn’t have been as good at basketball as he ended up being during his career. Once he stepped on the floor, all of those thoughts went away as he would embarrass opposing bigs on the low post. With amazing footwork and soft touch on his shots, Randolph became one of the better power forwards in basketball during his prime. Nowadays, fans hardly speak his name, and when they do, it is often not in a friendly manner.
Randolph has some very good years early on in the 2000s with both the Trail Blazers and Knicks as a 20.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG guarantee almost every night. He really hit his stride when he moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2010. In his first season with the team, he earned his first All-Star appearance with 20.8 PPG and 11.7 RPG on 48.8% shooting. He earned the only All-NBA Team selection of his career the following season when he averaged 20.1 PPG and 12.2 RPG on 50.3% shooting. He would earn one more All-Star appearance in 2013 and spent 8 seasons in total with the Grizzlies, establishing himself as a franchise great and now remains the most underrated player of the 2010s.
