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As the 2023-24 NBA season heads into the home stretch after the All-Star break, most fans are well acquainted with the league’s top-line stars and featured players.
Superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Stephen Curry and LeBron James will command most of the national attention as the playoffs approach. But we should take time to acknowledge the less recognized contributors who’ll have an impact as well.
Every team has a player or two who isn’t getting the attention they deserve.
Loyalists will be familiar with our selections, but the idea is to highlight the under-celebrated players around the NBA. Think of this a deep-cut primer for fans of the league at large.
Who knows? Maybe a few of our picks will level up and affect the playoff standings as if they were starters or stars. Even if they don’t, it’s still worth taking the time to appreciate the league’s lesser-known difference-makers.
Lest anyone doubt we’re digging deep for some of these hidden gems, little-used reserve Garrison Mathews is our pick for the Atlanta Hawks.
The 27-year-old wing grades out miserably by most catch-all metrics (minus-4.5 Estimated Plus/Minus), but Mathews has played just 12.6 minutes per game, so the numbers are especially subject to small-sample quirks. Example: Opponents are shooting 41.4 percent from deep with Mathews on the floor. He can’t be blamed for that exceptional hit rate, which contributes to Atlanta’s minus-5.4 net rating when he plays.
Put that aside for a moment and appreciate what Mathews does well, namely: shoot the lights out and grift fouls at a truly elite rate.
A career 37.4 percent sniper from deep, Mathews is canning 44.0 percent of his treys this season on solid per-minute volume. At 8.8 long-range attempts per 100 possessions (10.3 for his career), Mathews is trigger-happy enough to command constant defensive attention on the perimeter.
On the other end, he’s arguably the league’s best at drawing fouls on illegal screens. Mathews averages 1.57 non-charge offensive fouls drawn per 100 possessions, the highest rate of anyone who’s logged at least 100 minutes on the season.
Mathews shouldn’t be playing so much over rookie first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, but his niche gifts are still worth appreciating.
