Who is the most underrated Celtics player?

Roundtable Discussion: Who is the Celtics’ most underrated player?

Mike DePrisco

It’s so difficult to pick one because the entire Celtics roster is made up of players who are overlooked. I’ll say Isaiah Thomas, though.

The man faces double teams every night and averages almost 30 points, on a contender, as a 5’9” guard. I don’t know how you watch the performance Thomas put on through the tragedy of his sister’s passing and not think he’s one of the best players in the NBA. He’s everything you want in a player besides his short stature.

Simon Pollock

I almost want to say that it’s Al Horford, maybe just for argument’s sake.

I’m not sure there was a better big that the C’s could have added to unlock Thomas in the pick-and-roll. He is SUCH a good passer and reliable from deep. The C’s don’t get to whip the ball around and create opportunities all over the floor without that. Maybe he’s not the 5 we all wanted in terms of rebounding and shot blocking, but he’s absolutely the 5 that a Brad Stevens offense needed to make it go.

Greg Cassoli

Jae Crowder. He’s not a perfect player, which is probably why he gets thrown into so many hypothetical trades, but he doesn’t deserve that. Crowder is critically important to Boston’s ability to go small, he’s a versatile defender, and a very good, albeit somewhat streaky, shooter.

He’s not great off the dribble, which can slow offensive possessions, but the fact of the matter is that the Celtics are way better with him on the court (Like 11.5 points per 100 possessions better). Not to mention the fact that he’s in his prime, with three more years on a bargain contract. That’s not the kind of player you think about giving away, unless he’s underrated.

Tim MacLean

I have to agree with Greg on this one.

It seems as though a lot of people are in a hurry to move on from Crowder whenever his name is brought up in trade rumors and I’m not sure why. He’s a solid offensive player with the versatility to fill multiple roles on the defensive side of the ball.

Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Crowder has the ability to be a steady contributor on a championship-caliber team. Add his cheap contract to the mix, as Greg alluded to, and you’ve got yourself a pretty valuable piece to your puzzle.

Bill Sy

He hasn’t played a single game in green yet, but I’m going with Marcus Morris. His numbers coming out of Detroit are a little underappreciated because he shot 41.8% from the field (33% from behind the arc), but he’s a plus defender that can guard multiple positions and his game is more diverse than you think. For Stan Van Gundy, he played small forward next to Tobias Harris and Andre Drummond, but I think his game will be unlocked under Brad Stevens as a playmaking big that can back down smaller defenders and face up against bigger players.