The Atlanta Hawks have had an up-and-down decade. They went from being the best team in the entire league with 60 wins in the 2014-15 season to rebuilding in the 2017-18 season. During this time the team has had some incredible players, but who does B/R writer Andy Bailey rate as some of the most underrated for the decade?
The most recent underrated player was Danilo Gallinari whose talents may be lost to the NBA this season due to the knee injury he suffered when playing for Italy in the EuroBasket. Where he may be underrated is that he is not tremendous on defense and his athleticism is not at the elite level.
However, when he has the rock in his hand, Gallinari is a master. He is one of the best shooters in the NBA ever. This is not just in the category of players over 6’10” as he is just that good. He was the most important member of the Hawks’ second unit for the past two seasons. This is due to his ability to create mismatches on the perimeter and in the paint.
Who is the second member of the Atlanta Hawks on this list?
Most people forget just how good Paul Millsap was. He was a four-time All-Star for the Hawks during his tenure with them, playing more of a point forward role. As the article by Bailey states, only four players in NBA history had the same numbers that Millsap did over the past ten years.
They were Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen. This is an incredible level of player to be keeping company with, and yet Millsap has not received anywhere near the same accolades as the rest of them. He has yet to win a championship but everywhere Millsap goes, his teams make the playoffs.
Millsap was so hard to match up on during his career. He was too big for most guards to stop and too quick for the forwards. This is a bit part of the reason that he was so successful over this time but is underrated due to the lack of titles for his career.