It is impossible to win in the NBA without talent, but beyond the top superstars there are the depth players that can make the difference when it comes to winning an NBA championship. Talent is certainly a big part of the equation, but there is a handful of players that have managed to grind and carve out decent roles with their respective clubs despite lacking in that area. Here is a look at the NBA’s all-overachieving starting five this season.
PG: Ish Smith, Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have just eight wins this season, but seven of them have come in the 57 games Smith has played. He has averaged 12.1 points, 6.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in just 27.2 minutes per game this season. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a 27-year-old undrafted point guard playing on the worst team in the NBA. Smith has played for nine different teams over the last six seasons, but it appears as though he has at least temporarily found a place where he can spend at least the next couple of seasons.
SG: Matthew Dellavedova, Cleveland Cavaliers
Dellavedova became a household name while playing big minutes for the injury-ravaged Cavaliers in last year’s NBA playoffs, but he has maintained a significant role coming off the bench playing an average of 25.9 minutes per game for Cleveland this season. The undrafted Australian has averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers. It is pretty safe to say that he has overachieved while proving his critics that think he doesn’t even belong in the NBA wrong.
SF: Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics
Sullinger isn’t an undrafted free agent. In fact, he was a first round pick of the Celtics back in 2012, but one with a supposedly limited skill set taken 21st overall. However, the 6’9’’ forward has made progress in each of his four NBA seasons and has really thrived since Brad Stevens arrived as Boston’s head coach. Sullinger has averaged 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Celtics this season. Those are pretty strong averages for a player that is averaging just 24.0 minutes per game this season and the potential is there for his numbers to get even better as he continues to develop under Stevens.
PF: Jae Crowder, Boston Celtics
The entire Celtics’ roster has pretty much overachieved this season and that’s probably a credit to head coach Brad Stevens. However, Crowder joins Sullinger as the two players from Boston that deserve a spot on this list. Crowder has averaged a career-high 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game for the Celtics this year and those numbers are way up from what he produced in the final 25 games last season with the Dallas Mavericks. Crowder had averaged just 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game for Dallas last year, but he is averaging more than 32.0 minutes per game with Boston and it’s clear he has overachieved this season. He’s become a very serviceable asset and a nice player to have in trade talks as the Celtics continue to look for a superstar.
C: Zaza Pachulia, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks missed out on DeAndre Jordan and lost Tyson Chandler before they settled on Pachulia as their starting center, so they couldn’t have anticipated him overachieving as a key cog this season. Pachulia’s not a superstar by any means. As a matter of fact, he’s a worn down retread that many people figured would be the worst starting center in the business. However, he has averaged 9.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steal while playing 28.9 minutes per game for Dallas this season. That’s nearly a double-double per game. Those are some impressive numbers for the starting center for a Mavericks’ team that is holding down a playoff position in the Western Conference right now. He’s not a great threat at the offensive end and he’s not going to deter anyone coming to the basket. However, the Mavs were in a bind and they did the most with what they could. Pachulia has overachieved to this point.
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