Even the greatest NBA legends have parts of their game that go unnoticed. Fans remember Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's scoring, LeBron James' power, Hakeem Olajuwon's defense, and Shaquille O'Neal's strength, but each of these legends possessed quieter or less-known skills that made them unstoppable. These underrated abilities contributed to what made these players legendary even if they may not be recognized as much as their most defining attributes.
Michael Jordan: Shot Blocking
Many people remember Michael Jordan as a great defender due to his agility, steals, and on-ball defense, but another aspect of Jordan's defensive skill set that made him great was his shot-blocking ability. Jordan combined his unreal leaping ability with his defensive IQ to become possibly the greatest shot-blocking guard of all time.
Michael was not only able to block shots from opposing guards, but he also frequently swatted shots from seven-footers in the paint. His off-ball defense was elite as he could quickly sneak up from behind a center or forward and block the shot attempt from behind.
Jordan's career average of 0.8 blocks per game may not seem overly impressive, but it's the most blocks per game by a guard with at least 500 games played in NBA history. With how skilled Jordan is in so many different facets of the game, it's easy to overlook some of his smaller and more specific skills, but his shot-blocking ability is a skill that definitely should not be undervalued anymore.
LeBron James: His Mentality
LeBron James' mentality on and off the court has been questioned throughout his career. He has been criticized for his lack of killer instinct, being too passive in late-game situations, and joining a 'super team' to chase rings.
The main reason why James' killer mentality is widely questioned is his performance in the 2011 finals vs. the Mavericks, in which he averaged an underwhelming 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. While that series was the biggest blemish of his career, he's had multiple dominant finals series under immense pressure since then to redeem himself and prove he does have a killer mentality.
In LeBron's 8 finals appearances since 2011, he has averaged an incredible 30.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 8.0 APG. Some of his best single-game finals performances include 51 points in game one of the 2018 finals, 44 points in game one of the 2015 finals, and 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in game five of the 2017 finals, which was a critical game to avoid elimination.
The second stint with the Cavaliers is what proved his doubters wrong about his mentality. He rejoined the team he was criticized for leaving and won them a championship while producing multiple elite performances under immense pressure.
Despite these performances and championships that redeemed himself, James' killer mentality is still questioned because of a few poor performances that happened over 14 years ago.
Kobe Bryant: Playmaking
The narrative that Kobe Bryant "never passed" is a common narrative brought up when discussing his game.
While this narrative may have a hint of truth, Kobe's playmaking ability was very good when he was willing to pass. Kobe averaged 6.0+ assists three different seasons in his career, well above the average assist rate for a shooting guard. In the 2013-14 season, his 6.0 assists tied him with Monta Ellis for the most assists by a shooting guard in the NBA. Not bad for a player who is regarded as 'selfish' and a 'ball hog' by some people.
In the 2012-13 season, Kobe went on a stretch where he recorded three straight games with 10+ assists. When asked about how he felt about his playmaking streak, Kobe replied that if he focused more on playing point guard and facilitating the offense, he would become "obsessed" with mastering the position and wouldn't stop until he was perfect at it.
This quote reflects that Bryant's inconsistent passing was more about his scoring mentality than his actual playmaking skill. He believed he was the best player on the court to take the shot most of the time. If he were to become a point guard and focus his entire game around playmaking and facilitating the offense, it's not hard to see Kobe leading the league in assists if he wanted to.
Tim Duncan: His Leadership
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center.
May 14, 2014; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center.
Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images
Tim Duncan is as stoic and unemotional as a superstar gets in the NBA. He wasn't giving fiery speeches to his team or barking out orders like a stereotypical leader, which is why his leadership skills were underrated.
Duncan led the Spurs in a different style than other great leaders like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, but his leadership had the same positive impact on winning. Duncan was completely unbothered by pressure, trash talk, or outside noise. His calm and methodical approach kept his team level-headed in any situation, and his willingness to sacrifice personal accolades for team success set the standard for everyone around him.
Tim's personality and leadership formed what the Spurs' culture was: unselfish, team-first basketball, and all about winning. This culture led to five San Antonio championships in one of the most competitive eras in NBA history.
Hakeem Olajuwon: Stealing
Centers in the NBA are usually tasked with the role of protecting the rim on defense. Hakeem Olajuwon was a great rim protector, but another part of his defensive abilities that may go underrated is his stealing skills, which most centers don't have.
Olajuwon holds 7 of the top 10 spots for the most steals per game by a center in a season. In the 1989 season, Olajuwon stole the ball an average of 2.6 times per game while playing all 82 games that year. In comparison, the elite defensive point guard Gary Payton only eclipsed 2.6 steals per game in one season in his career.
Hakeem was so successful at stealing mainly because he had quick hands, which is abnormal for 7'0 centers. His hands helped him intercept passes or swipe the ball from slower centers he was defending.
Hakeem Olajuwon had such a complete defensive skillset that it's not hard to see why he's considered one of the greatest defenders in NBA history.
Stephen Curry: Inside Scoring
With how much Steph Curry's shooting is talked about, there's multiple skills that Curry possesses that go under the radar. The one skill that is the most underrated for Curry is his inside scoring and finishing ability.
Curry utilizes his remarkable three-point shooting to drive past his defenders or cut to the basket. The defense is always tight on Curry which results in his ability to drive past his defenders into the paint. Inside the paint, his incredible touch leads to some of the most impressive finishes in the NBA.
Curry has the ability to somehow spin layups off the glass into the hoop or fling high-arching floaters over tall defenders. His shooting touch translates to his inside scoring; he just finds ways to make the ball go into the hoop.
The strength that Steph has added over the years also helps his finishing ability against physical defense. All these things combine to make Steph Curry a terrific inside scorer, displaying his whole scoring ability that goes beyond just three-point shooting.
Bill Russell: Athleticism
Not many people know that Bill Russell was a world-class high jumper in his early 20s. Russell was ranked 7th in the world for high jumping and 2nd in the United States. He could have gone on to the Olympics for his leaping ability, but decided to focus on basketball instead.
Bill's athleticism was key for him in containing his rival Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt was another uber-athletic center in the 60's, but Russell's leaping ability helped him contest Wilt's shots, block shots, and contain Wilt despite how dominant of a scorer Chamberlain was.
Magic Johnson: Scoring
Magic Johnson averaged just 19.5 points per game throughout his career, which is the reason why his scoring has become underrated to those who didn't watch him in the 1980s.
He had multiple effective ways to score. He could finish layups over defenders using his height, he had a deadly 'baby hook' shot which was uncommon for guards, and he had a solid mid-range jumper as well.
In the video above, the Lakers were facing the 76ers in game six of the 1980 NBA Finals. Kareem was out due to injury so Magic (who was just a rookie) was tasked with carrying the Lakers without his superstar sidekick. It turned out to be one of the best games of his career as he took the Lakers to victory to win the finals. He was able to fill in for Kareem's scoring and rebounding absence by scoring 42 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, all while being the primary facilitator of the Lakers' offense. It was truly a remarkable performance for the 20-year-old.
If he switched his mindset to look to score more points himself, like he did in that finals game, Magic could likely have been one of the best scorers of the 1980s.
Larry Bird: Playmaking
If we're going to include Magic Johnson, then of course we have to include Larry Bird. The most underrated part of Bird's game (and the 1980's Celtics in general) is his playmaking/passing ability.
If it wasn't for LeBron James, Bird would have been the greatest passing small forward of all time. He averaged an impressive seven assists per game in his prime, but stats don't even tell the full story of how great Bird was as a passer. He could throw deep full-court passes in transition, routinely do behind-the-back passes, and fool the defense with no-look passes.
His passes had a high degree of difficulty, yet he never had high turnover rates in his career. Alongside other good passers like Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Jerry Sichting, Kevin McHale, and Bill Walton, the '80s Celtics became one of the best offenses in NBA history because of their extraordinary ball movement.
Kevin Garnett: Outside Shooting
Kevin Garnett was a master of the mid-range and deep two-point attempts. His shooting ability often gets overlooked because of his position and defensive skills.
In his 2003-04 MVP season, Garnett made 43% of his long twos, which was 7th best in the entire league. The best jump shooting forward of the 2000s, Dirk Nowitzki, only shot 41% on deep twos that season.
Garnett had a variety of moves to get an open mid-range shot. He could catch and shoot, or back his defender down and turn around for a fadeaway using his 7'5 wingspan to shoot over the defender, which made his shot impossible to block.
Garnett also used his ball-handling skills (another underrated part of his game) to pull up for mid-range shots off the dribble. Oftentimes, when the Timberwolves ran out of point guards, they had Garnett bring the ball up the court. He could then shake off his defender with his handle and create space for an open 20-footer.
Kevin Durant: Defense
When people talk about Kevin Durant, the conversation almost always starts and ends with his scoring. It makes sense since he'll go down as one of the greatest scorers of all time as a 6'11 forward with elite handles and shot creation that we haven't seen before. But lost in his incredible scoring ability is Durant’s second-most impactful skill: his defense.
At his peak, Durant was erasing shots at the rim, switching onto guards, and helping anchor a Warriors defense that was top 5 in the league. His defense is part of his game that he doesn't usually get praised for, yet it’s a significant reason why his teams have dominated on both ends of the court.
Shaquille O'Neal: Playmaking
With how routinely Shaquille O'Neal got double-teamed in the post, he needed to have the vision and passing skills to kick the ball out to open teammates, and he definitely had those skills.
O'Neal's teammates were terrific at cutting to the basket when their defender left them to double Shaq, and Shaq was great at finding his cutting teammates in return.
Shaq also had reliable three-point shooters that he could kick out to. Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and Rick Fox were all good shooters who made the defense have to pick their poison between letting Shaq have a 1v1 in the post or leaving a shooter open on the perimeter.
Shaq's passing is what made the Lakers' offense click. Lakers' coach Phil Jackson also deserves credit for unlocking O'Neal's playmaking ability, as Shaq averaged 3.1 APG when playing for the Lakers and only 2.1 APG on his other teams.
Allen Iverson: Off-Ball Movement
Allen Iverson was an all-time great isolation scorer, but a different scoring skill he also had was his off-ball movement. His off-ball movement allowed him to find open space to catch the ball and shoot or drive to the hoop.
His speed and stamina tired out his defenders as he navigated around tight screens and double teams to find a quick moment to catch the ball in space.
Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown was terrific at drawing up these screens for Iverson and creating these plays to pass him the ball and help him find space to score.
Ray Allen: Athleticism
Ray Allen may not be remembered as a great player like some of the other legends in this article, but with how underrated his athleticism is, he needs to be on here.
Allen's athleticism is widely underrated by NBA fans because he's mainly remembered for his time with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat later in his career where he won two championships and hit an iconic game-tying shot. His athleticism dwindled by his mid to late 30s when he was playing with the Celtics and Heat, so many people forget how athletic he was earlier in his career.
He was incredibly explosive in college and during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks. As a rookie, he was part of the 1997 dunk contest, in which he finished 4th. He had multiple in game jaw-dropping dunks that you definitely wouldn't expect from one of the greatest shooters of all time.
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