NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 most overrated players
With NBA Free Agency around the corner, there are plenty of big names on the market. Let’s look at five players who are being currently overvalued.
The NBA Finals are over and the NBA Draft has just concluded as well. The free-agent moratorium period will be starting on July 1 and as always there are lots of rumors going to be flying in that first night of action. With the new TV money pouring into the NBA, contracts have become inflated for players at all levels.
The projected salary cap for the 2017-18 season is at $102 million, with the luxury tax limit set at $122 million. With the salary cap increases every year, teams are spending more money on players than ever before. The max contract for a player has the potential to reach up to $36 million per season, depending on experience and which team the player signs with.
It happens every single year. A certain free-agent to be plays out of his mind down the stretch of the season, and inflates his value. Or teams give a max contract to an aging veteran that doesn’t deserve it, just because they don’t have another way of landing a player of that caliber.
Attention to the 32 teams in the NBA: I’m here for you and I’m going to warn you about these five overrated players. Stay away from giving these players the contracts that they want, it’s probably not even close to what they’re worth.
5. Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors
During the regular season, Lowry averaged 22.4 points, 7.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Toronto Raptors had their best season in franchise history, with DeRozan and Lowry leading the way. He also shot a career-high 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point distance.
This is all sounding great, but here’s thing, Lowry continues to disappear in the biggest of moments. In the fourth quarter or in the playoffs, there’s a reason why announcers often say “When the money’s on the line.” For the Raptors to further advance in the playoffs, they’re going to need Lowry to step up and play like he did in the regular season — and hope LeBron doesn’t go super-human again.
Each of those moments in the last two postseasons, Lowry just seems to shy away and shrink in front of our eyes. Want an example? In the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals — arguably, the biggest postseason games for Lowry and the Raptors — the Cavaliers shellacked Toronto at home. In those two games, the Raptors’ point guard shot 8-for-28 from the field and 1-for-15 from three-point range. The worst part of it all was when Lowry left the game in the second quarter to “decompress, relax his body and relax his mind.” Wait what!? The biggest moment in your team’s history and you decide to leave your teammates on the floor and bench.
Want another example? This postseason, Lowry’s scoring dipped from 22.4 points to 15.8 points per game. Not only that, but he was taking about four less shots per game, which shows his lack of aggressiveness.
Lowry’s still one of the top-20 players in the NBA and can be a force at times. But at 31-years old, his best days are likely behind him.