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Overrated *clap* *clap* *clap* Overrated in the NBA *clap* *clap* *clap*
All-Star big man Al Horford joined the Boston Celtics to help them take the next step. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Overrated *clap* *clap* *clap* Overrated in the NBA *clap* *clap* *clap*

Postseason analysis, summer league, the 2016 Rio Olympics and then finally, the preseason. It often feels like a lifetime (and a hundred trades) occurs between the end of the NBA Finals and the first game of the season just a few months later. In this time, players see their stocks fall and rise even if they're not seeing time on the court, so it's easy to get caught up in rankings before opening tip-off.

Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable where our experts talk about the serious, and not so serious, sides of sports. Yesterday we confronted the weird new metric of tracking players' high-fiving each other on the court. Today we asked our team to sound off on an even more subjective topic:

Who is the most overrated team and player going into this season? 

Demetrius BellThe Boston Celtics suffered a first-round exit against a team led by Al Horford — a player whom Tommy Heinsohn described as not being a "great player." Well, that same player joined the Celtics as the crowning jewel of their free agency class, and now people are trying to have us believe that this means that the Celtics are elite now. Putting on a Celtics uniform doesn't magically turn stars into superstars, and that doesn't turn decent-to-good teams into title contenders, either.

Alex Wong: Minnesota Timberwolves. Shouts to Tom Thibodeau and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves have a great young core and remind me of the Oklahoma City Thunder as they were coming up with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. But, becoming a contender in the West takes time, and I'm not entirely sure this team will be even close to competing for a playoff spot this season.

Rajon Rondo. I'm not entirely sure whether overrated players even exist anymore in this age of information and analysis where we pretty much know every player's strengths and flaws. But I like to think Rondo's no longer a point guard capable of elevating a roster like Chicago's. We'll see.

Sam Greszes: I bet a few people will agree with me on this one: The Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook. Every season, people get really hyped about the Thunder, only to realize that their offense is a lot more one-dimensional than it looks at first glance. This year, they've lost, like, most of that dimension with Kevin Durant going to the Warriors — which leads me to Westbrook.

I don't think he's regressing, but all the Durant/Westbrook drama has masked the fact that a lot of Westbrook's production has come because Durant is such a superstar on the floor. Teams couldn't double team both of them. He's a great player, but I wouldn't be surprised if he looks lost on the floor this year.

Jason Clinkscales
: Boston Celtics. Horford was a great addition, and Isaiah Thomas is as dynamic as they come, but the Celtics have no offensive options if either or both get into foul trouble. In a playoff series, that will become an even more glaring issue.

Shiloh Carder: Knicks. Not that a ton is expected from them on the court, but they will be constantly talked about no matter what. They've built a team on a bunch of dudes who can't stay healthy and Carmelo Anthony, who hasn't led his teams to much of anything in his career.

My overrated player is Hassan Whiteside. This guy went from a nobody to a max contract in two years. He's a great shot blocker, but is he really the guy Miami wants to build its team around?

David MatthewsI think it's the Bulls. I have seen projections where they win over 40 games. How in the world is that going to be possible? Dwyane Wade has been healthy recently, but is there any way he makes it through the year? Jimmy Butler might get traded. Rajon Rando is going to start! It's going to be hard to watch the Bulls next year, but the ensuing high lottery pick and potential free agency signings (oh, Blake Griffin, waddup?) should make the 2017 iteration of the Chicago squad much more enticing.

Most overrated player is, as always, DeMar DeRozan.

Phillip Barnett: Team: The Boston Celtics. Al Horford made an already good Celtics team a lot better, but they're still going to struggle scoring the ball late in games. Horford, with everything he brings, isn't the answer to their largest issue, and their smallest player is their biggest option. Scoring against Boston is going to be painful, but if you're able to spread the floor, move the ball well and knock down shots, these Celtics don't have the ability to make enough happen in halfcourt sets to offset a good offensive team.

Player: Blake Griffin. For some reason, Griffin continues to have better odds to win the NBA's MVP award than Chris Paul, the team's best player. Griffin is a fantastic player and proved that he can do much more than dunk on everyone's head when Chris Paul missed significant time a few years ago. However, Griffin's injury history continues to be an issue, and he still remains the second most important player in the Clippers' frontcourt after DeAndre Jordan.

Jamie Neal: Russell Westbrook is going to have a hard time creating without Kevin Durant there to take attention away from him. While he will still have his games where he shocks everyone, I don't think it'll be anything close to what we have been used to the past couple years.

The Warriors are going to be a fantastic team, but the expectations being placed on them this season are extraordinarily high. After setting the record for most wins in a season last year, this team is motivated to get back to the Finals and win. However, that championship-or-bust mentality from the fans is a lofty expectation.

Kerith Gabriel: Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant. Durant was the big fish in a small market, but it'll be interesting to see how he responds to being one of many stars under the California spotlight. 

Can you name the top three overall picks in every NBA Draft since 1985?
SCORE:
0/111
TIME:
10:00
1985-NYK
Patrick Ewing
1985-IND
Wayman Tisdale
1985-LAC
Benoit Benjamin
1986-CLE
Brad Daugherty
1986-BOS
Len Bias
1986-GSW
Chris Washburn
1987-SAS
David Robinson
1987-PHO
Armen Gilliam
1987-NJN
Dennis Hopson
1988-LAC
Danny Manning
1988-IND
Rik Smits
1988-PHI
Charles Smith
1989-SAC
Pervis Ellison
1989-LAC
Danny Ferry
1989-SAS
Sean Elliott
1990-NJN
Derrick Coleman
1990-SEA
Gary Payton
1990-DEN
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
1991-CHH
Larry Johnson
1991-NJN
Kenny Anderson
1991-SAC
Billy Owens
1992-ORL
Shaquille O'Neal
1992-CHH
Alonzo Mourning
1992-MIN
Christian Laettner
1993-ORL
Chris Webber
1993-PHI
Shawn Bradley
1993-GSW
Anfernee Hardaway
1994-MIL
Glenn Robinson
1994-DAL
Jason Kidd
1994-DET
Grant Hill
1995-GSW
Joe Smith
1995-LAC
Antonio McDyess
1995-PHI
Jerry Stackhouse
1996-PHI
Allen Iverson
1996-TOR
Marcus Camby
1996-VAN
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
1997-SAS
Tim Duncan
1997-PHI
Keith Van Horn
1997-BOS
Chauncey Billups
1998-LAC
Michael Olowokandi
1998-VAN
Mike Bibby
1998-DEN
Raef LaFrentz
1999-CHI
Elton Brand
1999-VAN
Steve Francis
1999-CHH
Baron Davis
2000-NJN
Kenyon Martin
2000-VAN
Stromile Swift
2000-LAC
Darius Miles
2001-WAS
Kwame Brown
2001-LAC
Tyson Chandler
2001-ATL
Pau Gasol
2002-HOU
Yao Ming
2002-CHI
Jay Williams
2002-GSW
Mike Dunleavy
2003-CLE
LeBron James
2003-DET
Darko Milicic
2003-DEN
Carmelo Anthony
2004-ORL
Dwight Howard
2004-CHA
Emeka Okafor
2004-CHI
Ben Gordon
2005-MIL
Andrew Bogut
2005-ATL
Marvin Williams
2005-UTA
Deron Williams
2006-TOR
Andrea Bargnani
2006-CHI
LaMarcus Aldridge
2006-CHA
Adam Morrison
2007-POR
Greg Oden
2007-SEA
Kevin Durant
2007-ATL
Al Horford
2008-CHI
Derrick Rose
2008-MIA
Michael Beasley
2008-MIN
O.J. Mayo
2009-LAC
Blake Griffin
2009-MEM
Hasheem Thabeet
2009-OKC
James Harden
2010-WAS
John Wall
2010-PHI
Evan Turner
2010-NJN
Derrick Favors
2011-CLE
Kyrie Irving
2011-MIN
Derrick Williams
2011-UTA
Enes Kanter
2012-NOH
Anthony Davis
2012-CHA
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2012-WAS
Bradley Beal
2013-CLE
Anthony Bennett
2013-ORL
Victor Oladipo
2013-WAS
Otto Porter
2014-CLE
Andrew Wiggins
2014-MIL
Jabari Parker
2014-PHI
Joel Embiid
2015-MIN
Karl-Anthony Towns
2015-LAL
D'Angelo Russell
2015-PHI
Jahlil Okafor
2016-PHI
Ben Simmons
2016-LAL
Brandon Ingram
2016-BOS
Jaylen Brown
2017-PHI
Markelle Fultz
2017-LAL
Lonzo Ball
2017-BOS
Jayson Tatum
2018-PHO
Deandre Ayton
2018-SAC
Marvin Bagley
2018-ATL
Luka Doncic
2019-NOP
Zion Williamson
2019-MEM
Ja Morant
2019-NYK
RJ Barrett
2020-MIN
Anthony Edwards
2020-GSW
James Wiseman
2020-CHO
LaMelo Ball
2021-DET
Cade Cunningham
2021-HOU
Jalen Green
2021-CLE
Evan Mobley

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