Roundtable: Who has been an “Unsung Hero” this season?

While not dominating the headlines, these players have been important to their team’s success this season.

One aspect of The Lottery Mafia is giving credit to players who don’t often get the attention of the casual NBA fan. In this week’s roundtable question, some of our writers selected an “Unsung Hero,” or rather, a player that has been important to their team’s success, even if they aren’t the most notable, or talented, player on the roster.

Josh Cornelissen – Nikola Jokic

The star of the Nuggets is Danilo Gallinari, the Most Improved is Will Barton, and the shiny new rookie is Emmanuel Mudiay. But secretly, the Nuggets’ other rookie is having one of the most impressive seasons of anyone on the team. Jokic, the 41st pick in last year’s draft, is 16th in the league in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. 16th!! That’s one below Jimmy Butler. And he’s not a one-stat pony, either. Jokic is 22nd in PER, 33rd in Win Shares per 36, 22nd in Offensive Rebound Rate, and in more traditional stats, 12th in Field Goal percentage. Overall, his 10/6/2 line is flying under the radar for the middling Nuggets, but he deserves a little more recognition.

Gabe Allen – Steve Blake and Reggie Bullock

Both guys have stepped up and played well for the Pistons after spending most of their pre-trade deadline time on the bench this season. They stayed ready and now they are helping to keep Detroit in the mix for the playoffs.

Daniel Coughlin – Rodney Hood

It’s been a wild year in Utah. They had the mania of Rudy Gobert transcend seasons and the loss of Exum. Everything about the Jazz seems brimming with potential with Derrick Favors, Trevor Booker, Trey Lyles and the rest of this roster. Gordon Hayward is stuck somewhere between unflappable hair and a much more flappable consistency on the court. In all this, the praise is starting to trickle in on Rodney Hood. He’s had a really solid season, one of those players that you would want on your team, no matter which team you are talking about. He’s only in his second season, but the jump in his production has been huge. He’s now part of Utah’s best five-man lineup and has started all 61 games that he has played this season. His year-over-year FG and 3-point percentages are almost identical while his free throw shooting has improved to 87.1 percent. He’s starting to emerge as a late-round steal for the Jazz and is helping them stay within striking distance of the playoffs.

Zach Reynold – Clint Capela, Houston Rockets

Capela has been a key asset for the Rockets, and has been so good on the defensive end that the Rockets (reportedly) felt comfortable dealing Dwight Howard at the trade deadline. Solid as a rebounder on both ends while also providing needed rim protection, Capela has made life increasingly difficult on opposing big men in the paint. The Rockets still sit in the eighth spot of the playoff picture, and can thank Capela for limiting the drop-off (if any) from the starting lineup. Just ignore the free throw percentage.