A new poll of 158 NBA players found that most of them believe a pair of top stars from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers are the most overrated in the league.
There are many talented players in the NBA right now. However, they are not all equal in terms of abilities. There are talents that stand above the rest, and that is why they are honored with All-Star nods, inclusion on All-NBA teams, and huge contracts. But it doesn’t mean the majority of players in the league agree with certain players receiving those honors.
On Tuesday, The Athletic released the results of an anonymous survey of 158 NBA players from all 30 franchises. Of course, one of the questions asked was “Who is the league’s most overrated player?” When the results for the 90 votes cast were tabulated, it revealed Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton as the top choice (14.4%). Followed by expensive Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert (10%).
“I don’t (understand) the Defensive Player of the Year stuff when you don’t guard the people who have the ball most of the time, the ones who are making most of the decisions,” a Gobert voter wrote. “I just don’t see it, nor does he strike any fear in me in my heart as a defender.”
Both men are multi-time All-Stars, so it is interesting that they received the most votes in the survey. Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young received the third most votes (8.9%), then future Hall of Famer Jimmy Butler (5.5%) and Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (4.4%).
Related: Where do the Minnesota Timberwolves land in our final regular season NBA power rankings?
Players don’t believe Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards the future face of the NBA
Yet that wasn’t the only surprising result from the poll when it comes to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the question of “Five years from now, who will be the face of the league?”, top star Anthony Edwards did not receive the most votes. Instead, more than 50% of the 138 votes cast chose San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Many elements of NBA media often hype “Antman” as the next face of the league. However, it seems among players, there is much more respect for the talents of the French phenom. However, Wembanyama’s future is in limbo after undergoing surgery for a blood clot in his shoulder earlier this year.
Related: Find out where Anthony Edwards ranks on our list of the 50 best NBA players right now
