New York Knicks: 5 recent Knicks players who were heavily underrated
It’s hard to be underrated while being subjected to the bright lights of New York, however some of these New York Knicks were under appreciated during their stints in Madison Square Garden.
Over the past decade, the New York Knicks have not been the dominant franchise that fans were used to seeing in the ’90s when they sported Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Charles Oakley. Since that dominant decade, the Knicks have been a let down only appearing in five playoffs since 2000.
During the ups and downs of the ball club’s 21st century, there have been great players such as Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Kristaps Porzingis that have passed through. However, there were some players that graced the historic Manhattan hardwood that weren’t as memorable to some fans but were almost unsung heroes when they put on the orange, white and blue.
These are five of the most underrated New York Knicks in the past decade and we are kicking things off with the Henny-God himself.
J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith was an intriguing asset that the Knicks received in what some would call his athletic prime. In his four seasons with the Knicks, Swish averaged 15.1 points a night while being a great contributor to the 2012-13 New York roster that finished the season 54-28.
Simply putting it, the man could hoop in MSG.
Whether it was breaking a Knicks record with 10 threes in a single game in 2014, or just being able to come off the bench and flat-out score, Smith was a sight to see. He would have multiple 30 point outbursts, and would even find himself winning a Sixth Man of the Year award in that 2012 season.
J.R. has been inactive for the vast majority of this season, only playing in 11 games and I expect him to move elsewhere at the start of next year. Regardless, this man was and will always be exciting and fun to watch in any NBA uniform. He’s a national treasure and we should all cherish this man for the memes and memories that he was able to leave and will continue to leave in the NBA.