The Most Underappreciated NBA Superstar
Throughout the history of the NBA there have been many talented players, maybe even legends that have gone without notice by the mainstream media. Players like Sidney Moncrief, Nate Thurmond, and Bob McAdoo each had incredible NBA playing careers, but did not get the recognition they deserved. Many NBA fans may not recognize these names, although each are hall of famers.
Sidney Moncrief was a defensive juggernaut who averaged as many as 22.8 points per game, Nate Thurmond a rebounding and scoring machine, led the San Fransisco Warriors throughout the late 60’s and early 70’s while playing with other legends like Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain. Bob McAdoo a true shooting big man and an unstoppable scorer, was a tenacious rebounder, a complete player averaging 34.5 points per game in 1974-75 earning himself the MVP award. These NBA greats have all played fantastic careers but the most underappreciated player of all is Alex English.
English was a prolific scorer throughout the 80’s. He made his money from his signature move which was his high release jump shot, a truly unguard-able move. English cut up teams, beating them to the basket with dunks and layups, showing off his arsenal of offensive shots and moves. Players would develop mystery injuries before games against the Nuggets so that they would not have to face English, who would consistently drop 29 or 30 points in a meeting. This phenomenon was referred to as Alex English-it is. English retired as the 7th all-time leading scorer in the NBA in 1990, but now sits at 20th with 25,613 points after being passed by Vince Carter this season. Alex English was always a quiet scorer, filling it up then backing up and playing good defense, not trash talking like other stars such as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
English had an impressive career at South Carolina improving his scoring every season. As a first-year student, English was scoring 14.6 points a game and by his senior year he was averaging 22.6 a meeting. English showed he could be a great defensive player as well, averaging over 1.5 blocks per game in 4 seasons at South Carolina. English’s rebounding was also a big part of his game and as a 6’7 forward, he was averaging over 10 rebounds per game in both his first and last season. As an impressive scorer and rebounder from the forward spot, English was a player that many NBA teams were interested in. English won the NCAA all-region award and was also named to two all-American teams in 1975 and 1976.
English ended up going to the Milwaukee Bucks with the 22nd pick in the 1976 draft, and although he played 4 full seasons with the Bucks, he did not fully appear until the 1979-1980 season where he averaged 21.8 points per game.
When English was traded to Denver, he seemed like a whole new player and the NBA began to take notice. For the next 10 seasons in Denver, English averaged 25.9 points per game, along with 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He was named to 8 straight all-star teams from the 1981-82 season to the 1988-89 season and made 3 All-NBA teams. In 1982-83 English led the NBA in scoring with 28.4 points per game. At the high point of his career, English was putting up superstar numbers averaging as many as 29.8 points, 5.3 assists and 9.0 rebounds per game. English set a career high of 54 points in a game and is one of just 41 NBA players to score 50 points in a game more than once. Other career highs for one game include 20 rebounds and 16 assists, an impressive number for English, being one of the only small forwards to grab 20 or over in a game.
But English should be remembered as more than a scorer, he was a leader for the Denver Nuggets leading them to the playoffs 7 years in a row, with one appearance in the conference finals before losing to the Kareem Abdul Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers. English has always been an impressive scorer, a team player, and a solid defender, who is not afraid to pass the ball and make plays. English averaged 5.5 assists through his career, showing his play making ability. On the defensive side of the ball English was always solid, and his best season, he averaged 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. His complete all-around play is what made him such an outstanding player and why he is one of the most underappreciated and underrated NBA superstars to ever play in the game of basketball.
This article is original content published by sports writer Matthew White. Please feel free to link to and discuss this article but do not copy content
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