The 10 most underrated NBA players of the 2010s

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DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

7. DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan‘s tenure with the Toronto Raptors is a class-A example of the burden that stems from heightened expectations.

As he blossomed into an All-Star caliber 2-guard, DeRozan was showered with admiration as he helped spearhead what continues to be the longest playoff streak in franchise history.

After capping out in the Eastern Conference Finals, though, Toronto fell to the mercy of LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. DeRozan couldn’t help the Raptors to a single win in consecutive playoff matchups, eventually drowning in a sea of criticism regarding his postseason shortcomings.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/948032438940389377

There’s no denying DeRozan’s inability to raise his game at some of the more pressing times, but that consistent focus on what he hasn’t done clouds all the good he brought north of the border.

He is a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection with the highest-scoring game in Raptors history. DeRozan is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer who placed his team on the NBA map as a perennial playoff participant with their first-ever conference finals berth as well.

As high a standard as Toronto may have nowadays, those accomplishments mattered in the moment. Without them, there is no Kawhi Leonard and there is no championship.

For the groundwork DeRozan laid for a building he couldn’t enter, a certain level of respect and admiration has certainly been earned by a player whose fingerprints reach every part of the Raptors franchise.