1. Eric Gordon
Much like his teammate on the Bahamas in Ayton, Eric Gordon is underrated in an altogether different way to that of Eubanks. How can a 34-year-old who has been around the league a long time be overlooked? Anybody he plays for knows exactly what they’re getting in Gordon, or so they think.
At this point in his career though, Gordon is underrated because he is capable of being a little bit more than just another role player. As he showed in having a team high 27 points in the Bahamas’ victory over Argentina recently, the biggest in their history, Gordon can do whatever you need him to.
Suns guard Eric Gordon went CRAZY in the clutch to lift the Bahamas over Argentina 🔥🇧🇸
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 21, 2023
The Bahamas win the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and will have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics next year 👏pic.twitter.com/ijK062vUgB
He is comfortable playing next to superstars as he has for much of his career, fitting in around the fringes and knocking down open shots when called upon. He is also capable of defending not only at a high level for stretches, but as a result of his stout frame, against players who are considerably taller than him.
In the playoffs last season while with the L.A. Clippers, Gordon spent considerable time guarding Durant. That should tell you all you need to know about how highly he is thought of on that end. He can even become the primary scorer for stretches, as we saw with his national team, and can handle the ball some as well.
Given that the Clippers are trying to win a championship with their own duo of stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, they underrated Gordon simply by letting him go. Prior to that, the Houston Rockets that came close to making the finals on a few occasions wouldn’t have been quite the same without Gordon. All underrated him, and now the Suns will profit.