The NBA, arguably more than any other professional sports league, is driven by its stars. The league features plenty of household names that fans across the world love, but we often fail to shine a light on the players who show up night in and night out to make all the hustle plays.
In this weekly column, I will pick five players who had performances that I believe flew under the radar and did not get enough appreciation.
Scoot Henderson vs. Orlando on Jan. 30
The Portland Trail Blazers have been sneakily competitive as of late. Portland has won five in a row and nine out of the last 10 and after a rookie season filled with struggles, second-year guard Scoot Henderson looks like he is starting to turn the corner. Against the Orlando Magic, Henderson finished with 23 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
In his last 10 games, Henderson has averaged nearly 15 points per game on 47% shooting from the field, nearly 42% from 3-point range and 81% from the charity stripe. Henderson’s perimeter shooting percentage has improved by over four percentage points this season, from 32.5% to 36.7%. Many thought the Blazers would tank this year, but Portland has proven to be a team against whom opponents can’t afford to fall asleep.
Trey Murphy III vs. Boston on Jan. 31
It is no secret that the New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year. Currently sitting in last place in the Western Conference standings, Pelicans fans have not had much to look forward to this year. Despite New Orleans’ struggles, they were still able to give the reigning champion Boston Celtics a run for their money in The Big Easy.
This was largely due to the play of forward Trey Murphy III, who finished with 40 points, five rebounds and four assists. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Murphy’s 40-piece was not enough to knock off the Celtics as forward Jayson Tatum hit a game-winning shot to give Boston a narrow 118-116 victory.
Scotty Pippen Jr. vs. Milwaukee on Feb. 2
The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the best teams in the western conference this season after struggling mightily last year. With star guard Ja Morant making his return to the team and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. making his second All-Star team this season, it can be easy to gloss over Memphis’ role players that have been critical to the team.
One of those players is guard Scotty Pippen Jr., who was lethal on both ends for the Grizzlies in their 132-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Against Milwaukee, Pippen Jr. had nine points, five rebounds and 10 assists. Pippen Jr. was also tasked with guarding Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard throughout the game and finished with four steals. Memphis’ defense gave Lillard trouble as he only scored 15 points on 4-15 from the field.
Amen Thompson vs. New York on Feb 3
The Houston Rockets are also a team that has surprised many people this year. Following the departure of legendary shooting guard James Harden, casual NBA fans were most likely not tuned in to Houston’s games as the team entered a rebuild. This year, however, the Rockets are one of the most exciting young teams in the league and second-year forward Amen Thompson is a big reason why.
Although it came in a loss, Thompson posted the third triple-double of his young career against the New York Knicks on Monday with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Thompson has had a nice stretch of games for the Rockets recently, with one of those being a 33-point performance against the Boston Celtics. Thompson hit his first game-winner as Houston escaped Boston with a 114-112 victory. If he keeps up this level of performance, he might graduate to bonafide star status and no longer be eligible for this column.
Dyson Daniels vs. Detroit on Feb 3
The Atlanta Hawks have also struggled as of late. Despite the Hawks’ recent woes, Atlanta was still able to pick up an impressive win against the Detroit Pistons, who currently are in position to make the playoffs this year. In the win, star guard Trae Young stole the show by hitting a game-winner and scoring 34 points, but forward Dyson Daniels played a big part in the win.
Daniels has made a name for himself as one of the best young defenders in the league, but he was lethal on both ends for the Hawks against the Pistons as he finished with 19 points six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Daniels will need to have a strong second half of the season if Atlanta is going to make the playoffs in a crowded Eastern Conference.