Hoops Habit
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The NBA’s 10 Most Criminally Underrated Stars

By Gerald Bourguet

January 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dribbles the basketball against Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Heat 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dribbles the basketball against Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Heat 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 16, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) hangs on the rim after dunking the ball during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Vivint Smart Home Arena. New Orleans won 104-94. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Derrick Favors

2015-16 Statistics: 16.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, .523/—/.702 shooting, 23.6 PER

Because of the rim protection he provides for a team so reliant on its defense, Rudy Gobert may be the most important player on the Utah Jazz. But this season, Derrick Favors has undoubtedly been their best player, as their rock in the frontcourt and a vastly improved defender on the other end.

At his worst he’s consistent; at his best he can be excellent. That ceiling was on display against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 5, when he went toe-to-toe with Paul George (48 points) in an overtime thriller that saw Utah emerge triumphant behind Favors’ 35 points and 13 rebounds.

That season-best performance included two clutch baskets: a game-tying three-point play with 10.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and a big bucket with 17.1 seconds left in OT to extend Utah’s lead to three.

If it weren’t for Favors, who remained steady for the Jazz frontcourt when Gobert went down with a sprained MCL that sidelined him for 18 games, the Jazz might not have been able to cling to their spot in the West’s top eight. Unfortunately, Favors has missed the team’s last 10 games due to back spasms, with the Jazz going 5-5 in that stretch.

Utah’s 11-15 record with Favors in the lineup is simply not indicative of his true value. He may not be the team’s leading scorer (Gordon Hayward is at 19.3 points per game) or rebounder (that’s Gobert at 9.7 boards per game), but Favors remains a highly underrated power forward who very rarely has a bad game.

In fact, it’s entirely too fitting that Derrick Favors is Utah’s power forward successor to Paul Millsap, another highly underrated do-it-all big we’ll see later on in this list.

Next: No. 9