In this final installment of the “Overrated” series on position players, TGH is looking into centers. Just like the power forwards, this will be hard to find true centers to be considered overrated because the game is changing.
Disclaimer: When mentioning these players, it doesn’t mean they’re bad players. A lot of factors go into being overrated, whether it’s stats, team success or more.
Let’s get into the list.
Hassan Whiteside was once a valuable asset to teams competing for a title. Now he’s coming off the bench for a weak Sacramento Kings team.
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In the 2015-16 season, Whiteside was starting to emerge as a young star while he played for the Heat. He averaged a double-double from 2015-2019 while he played for Miami, while chipping in over two blocks per game.
At this time, the height of his career, he looked like a future all-star. He eventually went to Portland and continued to average those numbers last season. His numbers were similar to what he had done in Miami.
Then, he made a horrible free agency decision and chose to play for the Sacramento Kings this year. His numbers are as follows: 14.9 minutes per game, 8 points per game, 1.4 blocks and 6 rebounds per game.
These numbers in comparison to his prime are just despicable. On top of it, he’s only started one game for a team that’s well below the .500 mark.
Hassan Whiteside is a clear choice for making it onto this list. No questions asked.
Deandre Jordan is in a similar boat as Hassan Whiteside. The only difference is that Hassan is younger, and Deandre plays for a team that can win a title. So, who’s the real winner?
Image Courtesy of Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Jordan’s prime and years of success were with the LA Clippers. Those were the days of “Lob City”. The trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan were fun to watch.
In his time there, Jordan had five seasons in a row where he led the league in field goal percentage and efficiency. Not to mention, he was a rebounding machine and great rim protector.
Those are things every team would want in a center.
Then, once his Clipper years were over, Jordan bounced around a little bit. He played one season in Dallas and New York. Now, he’s in his second season with the Nets.
Even though he still plays consistent minutes, his numbers just aren’t what they used to be. He’s under 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for his season averages. You can’t forget he still can’t shoot free throws.
While Deandre Jordan was one of the most athletic and explosive centers in the league, he just doesn’t have that touch anymore. With his decrease for in-game averages, it’s clear he’s deserving to be labeled overrated.
Al Horford, a former five-time all-star isn’t what he used to be. As a matter of fact, he’s been overrated his whole career.
Yes, he has playoff experience, and he has multiple all-star games, but he’s never been the best player on any of the teams he’s played for. In Atlanta, he was overlooked by Josh Smith or Jeff Teague. In Boston he was overlooked by Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Then in Philly, he just wasn’t a good fit alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
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As a matter of fact, in his last two seasons in Atlanta where he was an all-star, he averaged 15 points and seven rebounds. Is that really all-star caliber numbers?
When he went to Boston, and then to Philly, Danny Ainge and Elton Brand were hoping Horford would be the missing piece to them getting to the Finals. Well, they were wrong.
Horford’s playoff resumé isn’t great either. His teams have either made it to the conference semifinals or didn’t get out of the first round. He did make it to the Eastern Conference Finals twice, where he faced off against LeBron James’ led teams. I’m sure you can imagine what happened.
The case for Al Horford being overrated isn’t that he’s not good at all, because that’s not the case. He’s a terrific player. He’s just not the franchise-changing player people expect him to be. For that reason, he’s on the overrated centers list.
All stats were taken from ESPN.com and basketballreference.com.
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