B/R Names Suns Player Among 'Most Overrated'
Bleacher Report once again released another list - this time naming the seven most overrated players in the NBA.
The list, according to author Adam Fromal, is built around the player's actual level of play being misaligned with public perception.
It just so happens that a Phoenix Sun was mentioned on the list in shooting guard Eric Gordon.
The first-year Sun has quickly become one of the best signings of the offseason as the NBA season is quickly approaching the quarter point, so his inclusion may be puzzling to Suns fans.
The general explanation for Gordon's inclusion was his one-dimensional play being redundant in the grand scheme of a team.
Fromal goes on to explain further:
"Though Eric Gordon can rain down three-pointers, serve as a capable secondary playmaker and put constant pressure on the rim, he's no longer at a stage of his career in which those skills matter quite as much. He's not effective enough to demand the requisite touches to maximize his abilities, but he needs touches to have an impact since he's a poor defender who doesn't exhibit the same degree of off-ball gravitational pull he once did.
"Plus, he's on the Phoenix Suns.
"At full strength, the desert dwellers should always have at least one of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker on the floor. That leaves Gordon either serving as a tertiary offensive option, operating alongside a singular star or leading an entirely overmatched bench unit with the primary goal of not hemorrhaging away a lead.
"For all the attention Gordon has drawn on the trade market during his shockingly long stint with the Houston Rockets, he hasn't posted a positive box plus/minus since 2017-18. Set to turn 35 on Christmas Day, he's not likely to change that or emerge as a role player with value befitting his reputation anytime soon."
This reasoning is certainly solid from the surface, but many who have watched Gordon frequently this season would claim that the sharpshooter has been the Suns' best player outside of the Booker/Durant duo.
Gordon is playing his most inspired on the defensive end since the Harden/Paul Rockets, has surprisingly been an effective connector, has pressured the rim as much as anyone on the team, and has won the Suns at least two games off of his flame throwing shooting ability.
The argument that Gordon can't work with the Suns' fully healthy lineup is silly as well. The space that the Suns star trio can create would only be beneficial to Gordon's ability as a knock-down shooter and a driver.
Gordon being on the list just seems like grasping at straws - he should be on most underrated lists if anything - after coming into the season as an afterthought by many.
One of the best value signings of the offseason will continue to look to silence the doubters and be a key contributor on a top-shelf title contender.
Former Suns center Deandre Ayton was also mentioned as one of the most overrated players in the game.
