The Four Most Underrated Players in the NBA Right Now
Some players dominate headlines, and others quietly dominate games. Every season, a handful of guys make a real impact without getting the attention their production deserves. This article highlights a few of the most underrated players in the league right now and why their value goes far beyond the conversation around them.
Brice Sensabaugh
Brice Sensabaugh has quietly become one of the most efficient young scorers in the league. He isn’t putting up massive box-score numbers yet, but his per-minute production jumps off the page. Sensabaugh’s combination of strength, touch, and shot creation already looks like a real offensive weapon. When he gets downhill, he finishes through contact, and his mid-range game is far more polished than most young wings.
Per 36 minutes this year, Sensabaugh is averaging nearly 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Sensabaugh hasn’t played a ton of minutes this year due to roster shakeup and conditioning issues at the start of the year but across his last three games he’s playing nearly 20 minutes per game and shooting 50 percent from deep while averaging 14 points per contest.
Sensabaugh may not be a household name yet, but his efficiency, versatility, and elite level shooting touch make him one of the sneaky breakout candidates to watch this season.
Jalen Johnson
Jalen Johnson is starting to look like one of the best young forwards in the league, even if the national spotlight hasn’t fully caught up yet. His blend of size, speed, and playmaking gives Atlanta a completely different dimension on both ends of the floor. Johnson pushes the ball in transition, makes quick reads as a passer, and finishes at the rim with real force. He’s the perfect blend of skill and size for a modern point forward.
Playing in Atlanta has been interesting for Johnson, most times he’s playing second fiddle to Trae Young. However, Young has been injured for most of this year and Johnson has stepped into more of a primary role. In eight games this year without Trae Young Johnson is averaging 22.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. His unique blend of size and skill is a rarity even in today’s NBA.
People are starting to catch onto Johnson but many just see him as a solid complimentary piece. However, without Trae Young he looks like he could be a legitimate number one option rather than a solid complimentary player.
Reed Sheppard
Reed Sheppard had a rough start to his 2025-26 campaign against the defending champs. He was attacked on defense and struggled to find his shooting range posting an inefficient, turnover heavy statline while being attacked on the defensive end. However, this rough start led to many fans writing him off as a bust, since opening night Sheppard has begun to find his footing in Houston.
In the last five games, Sheppard has looked like the player many thought he would be coming out of Kentucky. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting over 50% from three and 57% from the field. Sheppard shoots the ball at a high clip, makes smart passes, and rarely forces anything outside his role. His combination of touch, IQ, and off-ball movement gives his team a boost almost anytime he’s on the floor.
If Sheppard keeps this up, he’ll go from overlooked to essential in a hurry. His game is built for longevity, and he’s already beginning to outperform expectations and prove doubters wrong.
Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren is quietly becoming one of the most efficient young bigs in the NBA. Physically, he’s a force as an explosive rim runner who finishes everything around the basket and creates second-chance points just by outworking people on the glass. His ability to pressure the rim vertically opens up driving lanes for everyone else, and he’s started to anchor the offense with simple but effective playmaking reads.
Duren was a solid offensive player last year, where he’s really made strides has been on the defensive end this year. Duren has always been more than capable of being a good defender. The concerns lied in how hard he was willing to work on that end. Those concerns have been put to rest this year as he’s been a monster on the defensive end of the floor posting career highs in rebounds, steals, and blocks per game.
Duren has quietly become the anchor of a Pistons team with the 2nd best record in the NBA right now. Lots of people want to talk about Cade Cunningham but Duren is doing all the dirty work behind the scenes and has been an important piece of Detroits success early on.
