As we entered the 2000s, NBA fans were left with the question of who was going to take over the league after Michael Jordan left Chicago. Many superstars surfaced at this time but perhaps none bigger than Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers who led them to 3 straight titles at the beginning of the decade. Of course, there was Tim Duncan and the Spurs who captured 3 championships of their own in the 2000s after winning one in 1999 the year after MJ left the NBA. Due to the emergence of other superstars like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady, many other solid players who had massive success in the decade have flown under the radar as time has gone on.
To narrow down the list to 10 underrated players in the whole decade is about as tough as it gets. The 2000s were filled with incredible defenders, lights-out shooters, amazing ball handlers, solid secondary stars, and bench players who were elite at their jobs. The 2000s was an awe-inspiring time to grow up as an NBA fan and witness these real-life superheroes hit the court every single night. Today, we honor the stars whose legacies have become underappreciated as time has gone on and we get further and further away from their playing days.
Here are the 10 most underrated NBA players of the entire 2000s.
10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG
Career Achievements: 2x All-Star
For some reason, as time has gone on, fans refer to Zydrunas Ilgauskas as one of those “garbage” players that LeBron James dragged to the NBA Finals early in his career. That could not be further from the truth as Ilgauskas was a solid two-way big man who helped LeBron James adapt to the NBA. Ilgauskas wasn’t the strongest in the post but he made up for it with a beautiful 6to 8-foot jumper that he had a beautiful touch on and was nearly automatic. He was also one of the better offensive rebounders in basketball and led the league in that stat in the 2004-05 season with 299 offensive rebounds.
Ilgauskas struggled with injury the first few seasons of his career, missing his rookie season and 4th season with foot issues. From there, he developed his offensive game and defensively got more aggressive. By 2003, Ilgauskas was an All-Star and averaged 17.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG while adding 1.9 BPG. He would become an All-Star once more in 2005 averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 2.1 BPG. He was also a big reason the Cavaliers were able to make the 2007 NBA Finals, being LeBron James’ favorite option on offense. Ilgauskas deserves so much more respect than modern-day fans give him.
9. Michael Redd
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 19.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
When coming into the league, there were no expectations for Michael Redd having been the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. At his peak, he became one of the most prolific scorers in the league and ignited the spirit of the game back in the City Of Milwaukee. Redd was consistently criticized for his lack of a complete game but his scoring was by far the best part of his game. He had a smooth lefty jumper that was as good as anyone’s in the game when he was on point. He could put the ball on the floor and get by defenders relatively easily and it made him a true three-level threat.
By the time his 4th season in 2004 came around, Redd was an All-Star and a consistent and efficient 20.0 PPG scorer. From2004 through 2009, Redd battled injuries and bumps but still averaged at least 21.0 PPG every season. He peaked in 2007 when he averaged 26.7 PPG on 46.5% shooting. For his career, Redd shot 38.0% from three and 44.7% overall. Despite sharing the court with Ray Allen early on, Redd carved his own path and should be revered for his unbelievable scoring at his peak.
8. Baron Davis
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Career Achievements: 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
In an era littered with talented point guards, Baron Davis was among the most exciting to watch play. Davis was an explosive point guard who was a blur on the floor in open space. He blew past defenders and glided through the air and threw down rim-rocking dunks with brutal authority. He was a menace on the defensive side of the ball as well, never shying away from a tough matchup or assignments. Davis can be credited with sparking the “We Believe” Warriors to an upset win over the No. 1 seed Mavericks in 2007 but his career was so much more than one season.
Davis began his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. He spent 3 seasons with the team and helped them transition to the City of New Orleans. During his time with the New Orleans Hornets for 3 seasons, he averaged 20.2 PPG, 8.1 APG, and 2.0 SPG. He led the league in steals in 2004 with 2.4 SPG. He would lead the league in steals once more in 2007 with the Warriors with 2.1 SPG. Davis recorded 3 different seasons with at least 20.0 PPG and 2.0 SPG as one of the more dynamic point guards in basketball.
7. Brandon Roy
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection
Brandon Roy is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history and the little we did get to see of his career left us as NBA fans wanting so much more. Roy was a special talent on offense confirmed by some of the greats such as Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant. Roy was impossible to keep up with in isolation. He was so fast with his first step off of the dribble and even faster once he got headed toward the basket. His mid-range game and three-ball were impeccable as well. Due to a knee condition that basically deteriorated his knee cartilage as time went on, we were only able to experience 3 real years of his peak.
Roy was destined to be a star from his first season in the NBA. He won the Rookie of the Year award with the least games played in history to win the award. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 45.6% shooting in just 57 games. Roy would be named an All-Star the following 3 seasons and averaged 21.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG over that time. Roy would begin to experience his downfall by 2011, just his 5th season in the league. He would be forced to retire from the game at 27 years old. Roy attempted a comeback in 2013 but lasted just 5 games before calling it quits for good.
6. Rasheed Wallace
Championships: 1
Career Stats: 18.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Career Achievements: 4x All-Star
During his time in the NBA, Rasheed Wallace received a bad reputation as its resident bad boy. As the all-time and single-season leader in technical fouls, how could he not? This reputation caused many to forget just how imp[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 MVP and a more impactful point guard be overlooked in NBA history more than Chauncey Billups. He was a two-way mastermind who had a knack for coming through in a game’s biggest moments that earned him the nickname “Mr. Big Shot”. At his peak, Billups was a serious threat as a scorer, passer, and defender who was the perfect point guard to lead the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship. Billups’ name never comes up in Top 20 conversations as far as point guards go, let alone Top 10 lists. That needs to begin to change after you read this piece.
For the first few seasons of his NBA career, Billups bounced around until he found a home with the Detroit Pistons in 2003. That season he averaged 16.2 PPG and it was clear that the Pistons had their championship point guard. The following season it came to fruition as Billups not only led the Pistons to a title but won Finals MVP in the process. In the Finals against the Lakers, Billups averaged 21.0 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in the 5-game series to win the championship. Billups finished his career a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team selection, and a 3x All-Defensive Team selection.
1. Jermaine O’Neal
Championships: 0
Career Stats: 13.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Most Improved Player, 6x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection
The NBA has done an unfortunately great job of sweeping Jermaine O’Neal’s career under the rug after his role in the infamous “Malice At The Palace”. For some reason, O’Neal was vilified relentlessly for his role in the brawl and his reputation has taken years to recover. For those of us that remember O’Neal at his peak, we remember an undersized two-way beast for the Indiana Pacers who helped them nearly capture a championship in his heyday. He was a nightmare for defenders to stop and an even bigger one to try and score on in the paint. At his peak, he had an argument for the best big man in basketball at a time when Tim Duncan and Shaq were still in the league.
For the first few seasons of his career, Jermaine O’Neal struggled to find a role with the Portland Trail Blazers. A 2000 trade to the Pacers changed everything and almost immediately transformed O’Neal into an MVP candidate. In 2002, O’Neal won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award by averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. The following season in 2002-03, he was one of the best seasons of the decade for ANY player. He averaged 22.8 PPG and led the league with 17.5 RPG, and 3.0 BPG. He finished 3rd in MVP voting and was arguably the best two-way player in basketball. He would have a few more All-Star seasons with Indiana but after the 2004 brawl in Detroit, the damage had been done to his stance within the league. I will say it here and now. Forget the role in the fight. Forgive and forget and put Jermaine O’Neal in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame.
