Being overrated isn’t the same as being overpaid. Sometimes, players are good, just not as good as some fans think they are. That’s why putting together a list of the top 10 most overrated NBA players right now was a bit of a complicated task.
Most overrated NBA players right now 2022-23
You have to be one of the best basketball players on Earth just to have a chance to make it to the NBA. Even a guy who averages 2 points and 1.5 minutes per game is much better than most hoopers on the planet, and not many people could bare or handle an NBA workout.
That’s what makes stating that a player is overrated so difficult. But numbers don’t lie, and often times the narratives around them just seem way too overhyped when you take a look at the stats and/or how much money they’re making.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 most overrated NBA players right now:
10. Eric Gordon
There was a time when Eric Gordon was a serviceable veteran and one of the best sharpshooters in the league. Then, he signed a big contract and failed to live up to it, mostly because of the current status of the Houston Rockets. Ironically, that same status made him vastly overrated.
Gordon hasn’t been durable over the past couple of years, and the Rockets have no incentive to play him. He’s a veteran taking shots away from their young studs. But he continues to be tangled up in multiple trade rumors as if he were a team’s savior, and that’s not likely to happen with that contract.
9. Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris gets plenty of fair criticism from the fans. He makes way too much money to put up such underwhelming stats, especially in the postseason. He went from being underrated to overpaid and overrated in the blink of an eye, and he stopped playing hard as soon as he got paid.
Some believe Harris is an elite three-point shooter, but he’s just average. He’s got the physical tools to be a good defender, yet he often gets blown by and caught up in switches. Truth be told, he’s an average player making All-Star-caliber money.
8. Terry Rozier
Terry Rozier rose to prominence in the playoffs with the Boston Celtics, and it looked like he could become one of the most explosive backcourt scorers in the league. He then joined the Charlotte Hornets on a big contract and has never even been the best guard on that team.
Rozier is a major defensive liability due to his lack of size or commitment. Moreover, he can go ice-cold on the offensive end of the floor and is quite the streaky shooter. He’s not an efficient scorer at all and shouldn’t even be a starter going forward.
7. Christian Wood
Talking about players who lost their starting job, we have to address one of the most overrated NBA players in 2022, Christian Wood. Wood was a feel-good story after climbing his way up as an undrafted player and signing a big contract with the Houston Rockets. Then, he was outplayed by Alperen Sengun.
The Rockets traded him to the Dallas Mavericks, who were reportedly looking to add more size next to Luka Doncic. Shockingly, Wood lost his starting spot in training camp and the preseason, and he’ll now make a bunch of money just to play 20 minutes a night as their Sixth Man. I mean, he went undrafted for a reason.
6. Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic is by far one of the most overrated basketball players currently. Arturas Karnisovas went to great lengths to get him to the Chicago Bulls, and some fans thought he was just what they needed to get over the hump. Needless to say, that wasn’t the case at all, although he did help them sign his lifelong buddy DeMar DeRozan.
Vucevic can’t get a stop to save his life. He’s not a defensive factor whatsoever despite his long arms and big hands, and he’s not very good at putting the ball on the floor, either. People think he’s a borderline All-Star because he can score 20 a night, but that’s not helpful when you allow your rival to put up 30 on you.
5. Kristaps Porzingis
There was a time when Kristaps Porzingis was considered a blossoming star and a new, better version of Dirk Nowitzki. He swatted shots, put the ball on the floor, created for others, and knocked down shots from all three levels. All that while being a seven-foot specimen who could shoot over anybody.
But the New York Knicks weren’t that sold on him, and even though they faced criticism for trading him, time eventually proved they were right. Porzingis has been unable or unwilling to embrace a lesser role, yet he’s not good enough to be a go-to guy. Still, he continues to get more chances to prove his worth.
4. D’Angelo Russell
As much as I hate to admit it, D’Angelo Russell has proven to be one of the most overrated NBA players right now. He has been a non-factor since joining the Minnesota Timberwolves and was nothing short of awful in the postseason, struggling to put up 10 points per game.
Russell was projected to be an elite combo guard, but other than that solid season with the Brooklyn Nets, he’s failed to live up to that status. He’s not athletic and seemingly lost his quick first step. He’s not a pass-first kind of guard either and looks like a tweener on the defensive end of the floor.
3. Julius Randle
Just like Russell, Julius Randle was once touted as one of the saviors of the Los Angeles Lakers. His career got off to a rocky start, but he climbed his way up and started proving his worth as a scorer and a rebounder. Then, he broke out with the New Orleans Pelicans and looked like a star in the making.
But following an All-Star season with the New York Knicks, Randle’s fall from grace was as head-scratching as it was worrisome. He was getting torched on the defensive end and couldn’t shake a double team to save his life on the other side of the floor.
2. Rudy Gobert
This might well be a controversial take, but one I had to make nonetheless. I’ll go out there and say it: Rudy Gobert is one of the most overrated players in the history of the NBA, and it has nothing to do with fans not liking defensive-minded players.
No one can deny that Gobert is an elite rim protector, perhaps one of the best ever. But he can’t defend the perimeter, is not much of an offensive factor, and has been exposed in the playoffs year after year. Yet, he’s making Shaquille O’Neal kind of money and drew a historically massive trade package.
1. Jerami Grant
And last but not least, we find Jerami Grant as the most overrated player in the National Basketball Association. He’s a good, versatile defender and is capable of putting up 15+ points per game on any given night, but he’s not the elite baller they want you to think he is.
Grant was tangled up with multiple trade rumors, but advanced metrics proved that he was an average defender at best while not providing any sort of offensive boost. He’s making a bunch load of money, and rival teams continue to keep tabs on him, but Boban Marjanovic had better advanced stats than him.
