Top 5

So I had a list of players I felt got more credit than they actually contributed to, and simply, that means that there are players here that don't get enough credit for their actual contributions. Maybe I just like players more than others, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I feel like there are a lot of players that contribute a lot and ought to get noticed. Sure, some of them are based on their paychecks, but from my perspective, I could really care less about the salary, I just think they deserve a little credit here.

Five underrated players:

1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.

2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.

3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.

4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.

5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.