Every NBA team’s most underrated player
By Tom West
Denver Nuggets: J.J. Hickson
Hickson is by no means talented in comarpison to some of the NBA’s big men. He isn’t the most graceful, and he’s incredibly limited offensively. Yet, similarly to Al-Farouq Aminu, he doesn’t get much credit for the job he does on defense.
Primarily, Hickson is a threat on the boards. He’s had his fare share of time coming off the bench, although his production per 36 minutes (16.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks) is certainly respectable. Last season was similar, as he recorded 11.5 rebounds per 36, with 3.8 of those on offense. And with rebounding being one of the most important parts of the game, that can easily allow a team to dominate their opponents by controlling the amount of possessions, a guy like Hickson is always valuable. Even more so because he has the potential to go off for 20 rebounds when he gets big minutes.
Looking at his production can’t always serve his in-game performance justice, as he’s only playing just under 20 minutes a night. But, that’s obviously for a reason due to his limitations. When considering what Hickson has to offer, though, it’s his effort, energy, and commitment to grab rebounds and earn put-backs on offense that helps the Nuggets. He’s also holding opponents to shoot an entire 18.5 percent worse than normal within six feet, which isn’t something to be taken lightly for a defender coming off the bench. On top of that, one comparison to display that effort is his career rebounding percentage of 17.3. When comparing that to a two-time NBA rebounding champion like DeAndre Jordan, who has a mark of 19.9, Hickson doesn’t look half bad.
He’s far from being the best player on this list and he isn’t an elite defender, but on a Nuggets roster without a great deal of talent, Hickson deserves a little credit as a consistent interior presence.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves