NBA: Who is currently the most underrated player in the league?

There are currently several players in the NBA that have a case for being the most underrated, but one stands above the rest when it comes down to it.

The term “underrated” has always been difficult to throw around in today’s NBA when assessing players because there is no certified checklist of characteristics that the player must check off. Is it based on how well they play with no recognition? How well they play on a subpar team? How good could they be on another team with an improved supporting cast?

Well, if that is indeed the criteria, the answer is relatively apparent and goes to Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans. For years now, Holiday has consistently produced on both ends of the court and received hardly any recognition for it as one of the NBA’s top guards. The 29-year-old was an All-Star back in the 2012-13 season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and has earned All-Defensive honors twice, but that is all his resume consists of at this point in his career.

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Back to this season, Holiday averaged 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game as he stuffed the stat sheet. Having shot 45.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc, Holiday played some of the best basketball of his career this season. However, the overall team continued to struggle with an almost entirely new core group of players.

For a majority of the year, Holiday and All-Star teammate Brandon Ingram were the team’s one-two punch before No. 1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson arrived and placed Holiday in the backseat as that third star.

Because of this, Holiday once again did not get all the glory and spotlight as other guards in the league, but he is undoubtedly up there with the best of them with his play. Whether it be because of the market he plays in, or the fact that New Orleans has only been to the postseason twice since he arrived, or whatever else, Holiday typically gets overlooked as being one of the league’s top-tier guards.

The guard is not an MVP-caliber player and has not made an All-Star game since his lone appearance in 2013, but still is a complete difference-maker on the court and an outstanding player. Having played stellar basketball for an underachieving New Orleans Pelicans’ team for over half of a decade now, Holiday has not received the proper recognition as he would somewhere else, which has made him vastly underrated.

Almost every team would benefit from having a guy such as Holiday as one of their guards, but when it comes to teams, there are two in particular that could use him the most: the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Both teams are contenders ranking within the top four in their respective conferences, but likely nobody’s title favorites.

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Both of these teams have well-constructed rosters but stand one player away from being able to genuinely be placed in with those title favorite such as the Milwaukee Bucks or Los Angeles Lakers. If Holiday were to go to either the Heat or Nuggets, their title chances would skyrocket because the guard is simply that good of a player.

Holiday is not the flashiest player or the most eye-catching to most, but what he can do on the court made him desirable for any team. His ability to not just thrive on the offensive end but defense as well made him a highly sought after trade target this past season, ironically by none other than the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets.

Shams Charina of The Athletic reported that both teams were indeed the top suitors for Holiday earlier this season, but at the time described his asking price by saying it “remains high.” Neither team pulled the trigger on a trade for the 29-year-old, something they could have desperately used to bolster their championship aspirations.

The guard’s lethal offensive arsenal, lock-down defense, and veteran leadership are things that could have helped either of these teams this season, making it likely they make another run at him when play resumes.

Holiday’s annual salary of over $26 million makes him a pricey asset for any team looking to acquire him. However, for a team that wants to go all-in for an NBA championship, he is undoubtedly the kind of player teams want to bring the ball up the court for them.