riginally Published: January 13, 2012 Five most underrated NBA players Lowry and Lawson are among the players not getting enough attention this season By Chris Palmer ESPN The Magazine Archive Kyle Lowry has had a great start to the NBA season, even though it has gone largely unnoticed. Everybody loves an underdog, the kind of player who makes an impact despite an unrecognizable name, physical limitations or the fact that he was drafted in the second round or not at all. Other guys may have all the tools, but are simply outshone on a nightly basis by the game's brightest stars. Casual fans might not recognize them at the mall, but their opponents undoubtedly show respect and spend plenty of time game-planning for these unheralded players. These guys aren't the best at their position, but often outplay the best. Here is my list of five underrated players who don't get enough credit. Kyle Lowry, PG, Houston Rockets Among the most physical players at the position, Lowry is arguably the strongest point guard in the NBA. His wide, muscular physique and deceptive quickness make his bowling ball-style penetration a nightmare to guard. This season, the sixth-year veteran has shown improved court awareness and polished his mastery of the drive-and-kick, as well as finding 3-point shooters with well-placed skip passes. After nearly three weeks, Lowry is unexpectedly ranked third in assists with 9.4 per game. His season averages of 15 points, 9.4 assists and 6.8 rebounds mean he's on triple-double alert nearly every night. Further, he's one of just four point guards averaging at least six assists and 1.9 steals. In an age of hyper-talented franchise lead guards, it could be tough to keep the blue-collar Lowry off the All-Star team. D.J. Augustin, PG, Charlotte Bobcats Augustin has quietly emerged as the Bobcats' best player, and is developing into one of the rising under-the-radar guards in the league. He's got a better PER than Deron Williams and John Wall, and ranks among the leaders in the Eastern Conference among guards in scoring (6th), assists (6th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th). He's not shooting particularly well from the field (.387), but is still putting up an excellent 16 ppg, 6.7 apg and 4 rpg. For a guy who has the ball in his hands often, he does an excellent job of taking care of it -- just 2.2 turnovers per game. Though not a steal magnet, Augustin has made strides defensively by improving his footwork, gambling less and seeing the passing lanes better. He uses great quickness to create space for his pull-up J, but when Augustin mixes up his shot selection -- a whopping 76 percent of his attempts are jump shots -- his percentages and numbers will take yet another jump. Ty Lawson, PG, Denver Nuggets [+] Enlarge Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images Ty Lawson doesn't get enough credit for his shooting ability. All Lawson has done is emerge as the best player on what looks to be a quality playoff team. Sure, he's benefited from the absence of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler by seeing his minutes increase -- up seven from last season to a career-best 33.2. But it's about more than floor time, as Lawson, like Lowry, is one of four point guards averaging at least six assists and 1.9 steals. "Shooter" is not the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Lawson, but he's a career 50-percent shooter from the field and a solid 39 percent for his career from behind the arc, which is better than All-Stars Chris Paul (36) and Rajon Rondo (24). Of course, part of his overall field goal percentage is due to the fact that he gets a lot of quality looks at the rim thanks to fearlessness when driving among the trees. He's shooting 63 percent at the rim, but his 50 percent conversion from 10-15 feet is nothing to sneeze at. Lawson is doing all of this while earning just $1.6 million this season, which could make him arguably the best bargain in the game. Wesley Matthews, SG, Portland Trail Blazers Matthews has been so consistently overlooked that the idea of him being underrated might not be what it once was, since it's mentioned so often. It's clear why that is when you actually look at what he does. His scoring and rebounding averages have steadily risen the past two seasons, and he's making his name as a hard-nosed defender. There are few shooters who are more accurate from all over the floor than this third-year shooting guard. In fact he's one of just three players who's shooting at least 47 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3 and 87 percent form the line (Ray Allen and Mario Chalmers are the others), which all adds up to the best true shooting percentage in the Blazers' starting lineup. Another huge plus to Matthews' game: He doesn't make mistakes. Among players averaging at least 33.4 mpg, Matthews turns the ball over the least at 1.2 times per game. Paul Millsap, F, Utah Jazz Millsap has earned a rep as one of those players that opponents would rather not guard. Playing in relative anonymity in Utah, his most noted achievement was his 46-point explosion against the Heat in November 2010. (In the past five seasons, only six non-All-Stars have hit for 46.) His field goal percentage of .543 is fourth among all forwards. He was one of the best jump-shooters at the power forward position last season, leading the league in field goal percentage from 10-15 feet with 51.6 percent. He can also finish inside, as his stout 70.4 percent at the rim shows. Opponents regard him as one of the strongest players at his position, and he's terribly difficult to move off the block once he gets position. He's got a better per-36-minute rebound average than draft classmate LaMarcus Aldridge (9.3 to 7.7), to whom he gives up three inches. In fact, he's one of only four players 6-foot-8 or shorter who is currently averaging at least 7.9 rebounds, and he is grabbing more boards per game than 21 starting centers. Chris Palmer has been a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com's NBA coverage since 1999. Follow him on Twitter here.
I disagree with this article's last sentence on Lowry, it is stupidly difficult due to the All Star balloting being a popularity contest and most likely over run with the same old guys they always have.