Last season, NBA players had some egg on their faces. In April 2025, The Athletic released an anonymous player poll that voted Tyrese Haliburton as the league's "most overrated" player. Fast forward to June, and Haliburton was one win away from an NBA championship, delivering one of the most memorable playoff runs in recent memory before tearing his Achilles in Game 7. Oops.

This year, though, the players might have redeemed themselves. The latest poll crowns Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun as the most overrated player in the league—and the playoffs back that up. With Kevin Durant sidelined, Sengun was expected to step up as Houston's offensive anchor. Instead, he scored fewer than 20 points in four of five games against the Lakers, including the final three. The Rockets have now been bounced in the first round for two straight seasons under his watch.

If that's not enough, there's the "Baby Jokic" label. Sengun flashes undeniable talent and some bright moments, but comparing him to a multi-time MVP is a stretch. Players are clearly saying it's time to pump the brakes on that hype.

The poll wasn't perfect, though. Rudy Gobert tied with Trae Young for second-most overrated—but that was before Gobert's masterful defensive work against Nikola Jokic in the playoffs. Karl-Anthony Towns landing at No. 4 also feels a bit off. On the bright side, Jalen Johnson being voted the league's most underrated player was a sharp call.

And speaking of underrated, ask any random NBA fan who leads the Denver Nuggets, and they'll rattle off several names before landing on fourth-year star Christian Braun. According to Braun himself, that's a mistake. In a recent interview with The Denver Post, Braun claimed to be the vocal leader of the Nuggets. At 25, he's not wrong—but it also explains a lot about where the team stands right now.