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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Jan 5, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) looks to pass the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Pau Gasol

2015-16 Statistics: 16.5 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.3 BPG, .455/.333/.792 shooting, 21.6 PER

The Chicago Bulls have transitioned from being Derrick Rose‘s team to Jimmy Butler‘s team, but can we just appreciate how well Pau Gasol has supervised that whole transition? At age 35, Gasol is a nightly double-double and is also averaging a career high 2.3 blocks per game.

To be fair, Gasol’s numbers have dipped from last season’s 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game on 49.4 percent shooting. But in a crowded frontcourt that includes Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and rookie Bobby Portis, Gasol has carried on as the most consistent contributor.

Like many of the players on this list, his ability to spread the floor with a perimeter shot helps provide some spacing for Chicago’s offense. He’s only shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range, but as his shot chart shows, he’s been extremely efficient from the midrange, where he’s taking a large percentage of his shots.

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Pau Gasol’s shot chart through 36 games of the 2015-16 NBA season, per NBA.com /

Gasol has long been known as one of the most versatile bigs in the NBA, but like Dirk and Chris Bosh, he’s continuing to be extremely efficient even as his athleticism starts to wane.

The Bulls have a frontcourt logjam that needs to be cleaned up and Gasol’s numbers are most certainly in decline. But it’s worth noting that the Spaniard is still a useful weapon for the Bulls on the offensive end and a highly underrated part of their early season success.

Next: No. 3