is the NBA Undervaluing Grit? A Look at the League’s Hustle Players
Table of Contents
Maybe I’m just biased as an inevitable result of spending several years with the Grit ‘N’ Grind Grizzlies, but my travel-heavy Tour de NBA the last few weeks has left me pondering a question: Is the league undervaluing grit? Are we, as a league, so focused on the upside plays, the possibility that dart throws on guys with length and athleticism “figuring it out” will hit the bull’s eye one day, that we’re missing the hustlers getting results right in front of our eyes?
Call them gamers or grinders or whatever term you want to use for hard-playing, unheralded guys with a little bit of extra edge to them, but they certainly seem to be having a moment. Almost all of these guys were massively undervalued coming out of collage, too.
Dillon Brooks is the most obvious example, inexplicably available to us in Memphis with the 45th pick in 2017. In his seventh season as a full-time starter, Brooks has been a culture-changer on the resurgent Phoenix Suns. (Not like we were towering geniuses, either – we took Ivan Rabb over him at pick 35!) The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, have basically built an entire roster of high-effort guys and parlayed that into a spot at the top of the East standings.
As I traveled the last few weeks,I have noticed a common theme,and started talking to a few of the players who best fit this profile as I went. While much of the league siestas during a light NBA Cup week schedule, I thought it was a good time to share what I found.
Jamal Shead, point guard, Toronto
Before a recent game in Atlanta, I pulled aside one of shead’s veteran teammates to give me a swift scouting report. “He is a pit bull” was the first item. Sounds promising for this purpose.
Shead is only 6-foot-1 but was the Defensive Player of the Year in two different conferences (his Houston Cougars team changed leagues in 2023-24, moving from the AAC to the Big 12), and won Big 12 Player of the Year in his final season playing for a team that relies on high-effort, suffocating defense. Like Brooks above, all that got him was the 45th selection in the relatively weak 2024 draft.An injury that kept him out of the combine and spring workouts likely didn’t help.
However, because of the Raptors’ plethora of injuries, including to Immanuel Quickley, Shead ended up getting plenty of floor time last year. He was able to show off his point-of-attack defense.
“(Defense) is something that we really, really took pride in at Houston,” Shead said.”We were the No. 1 defensive team for four years while I was there, and I think it’s just carried over. It’s just about playing hard and trying to keep that defensive intensity up.”
Shead has 12 steals in his last five games. A lot of them were him straight-up picking dribblers clean. Good dribblers, too.Just in that stretch, he got deni Avdija, Austin Reaves, LaMelo Ball, derrick White (twice!) and Jalen Brunson. Watch:
his 3.0 steal rate ranks ninth in the league.
Shead made an immediate impression with his defense and effort as a rookie, but in his second season, he’s become a rotation staple because of offensive improvements. His outside shooting (32.8 percent) remains a work in progress, but averaging five assists for every turnover will get you some leeway on the scoring front.
Before a recent game, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković credited Shead’s continued work on
Zach edey’s Drive and Defensive Development are Fueling the Grizzlies’ Turnaround
Many questioned if a player of Zach Edey’s size could truly thrive in the NBA. Think again. A team executive who interviewed Edey before the 2024 draft revealed the center harbored a significant chip on his shoulder, fueled by being undervalued leading up to the draft process. Specifically,it reportedly stung that UConn’s Donovan Clingan was selected two picks ahead of him,despite Edey scoring 37 points against him in an NCAA tournament game.
Edey doesn’t directly address Clingan by name, but acknowledges using both draft cycles – including his decision to return to college as National Player of the Year – as motivation.He felt he didn’t receive adequate recognition for his mobility given his stature.
“I always felt like that,” Edey stated, recently sidelined with a stress reaction in his left ankle (re-evaluation in four weeks). “I had games against people who were drafted in front of me or the lottery talents or whatever in my first few years. I win the matchup and then they get drafted in the lottery and I go back to college.”
Edey proactively addressed NBA concerns about his lateral movement, particularly during his offseason foot injury rehab. He’s not only alleviated those fears but has become a defensive asset. Memphis’s defense has been remarkably strong in the 11 games as his return.
While primarily utilizing drop coverages, Edey has demonstrated the ability to effectively defend on the perimeter. He recently blocked a Kawhi Leonard three-pointer and later denied Leonard’s dunk attempt.
“I feel like I can move my feet better than people think I can, which always catches people off guard,” Edey explained. “They get me out in space and on an island and they think it’s an easy match for them. I’ve always felt like I could do it,even before I got to the NBA. With Team Canada, (I’ve been) guarding Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), guarding DB (Dillon Brooks), guarding RJ barrett, all of them as I was young. It’s really helped the transition for me.”
A recent steal and fast break possibility showcased Edey’s improved mobility, briefly sparking a highlight-reel moment before he passed to a guard.”Oh man, I was thinking about taking off!” he admitted, “But I gotta stay in my lane. I get my hands on the ball, I’m just going to get it to a guard and get down the floor.”
Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo highlighted the focused rehab work, stating, “this was one of the focal points that Zach wanted to improve … and get more agile and faster, and the way he’s moving is opening up new affordances, like that steal.”
The impact is undeniable. Memphis began the season 4-9 while Edey recovered. Since his return, they’ve gone 7-4, with no losses exceeding 10 points, even while Ja Morant has been absent.
Furthermore, the grizzlies’ defensive rating has dramatically improved to 94.5 in Edey’s minutes – a 23.8-point jump from their previous rating.
The Unsung Rebounders: How These Players Are Defying Their Size
For years, the NBA has been dominated by towering centers and power forwards who control the paint. But a new breed of rebounder is emerging – players who defy conventional size expectations and rely on grit, positioning, and sheer determination to snatch boards. these players aren’t just contributing; they’re thriving,becoming vital components of their teams’ success.
Keita Bates-Diop, forward, Phoenix
Keita Bates-Diop is having a career year with the Phoenix suns, and it’s largely due to his relentless pursuit of the basketball. At 6-7, he’s substantially undersized for his position, yet he’s become a rebounding force.
“He has a knack for the basketball,” teammate Devin Booker said.”He’s gonna find it one way or the other.It’s super remarkable. He’s always in the right place at the right time. He defends at a high level. He makes the hustle plays that we need.”
Teammate Collin Gillespie, himself a dramatic story of an undrafted player succeeding in Phoenix this year, had another word for it.
“He’s crazy,” Gillespie said. “Kind of like Dillon, a little bit. Dillon’s a little crazier in the head, but Goodie is a dog out there. Just going to offensive glass, doing all the little things, diving on the floor, offensive rebounds. You love when guys like that are on your team. …”
Claimed off waivers from the Lakers this summer after he’d had an earlier stint with the Suns, this one has been much more successful for Goodwin – in part because the league is leaning more into offensive rebounding. The Suns are at the forefront of that.
In a 111-102 win over the Spurs in late November, Goodwin grabbed four offensive boards and 10 overall to lead Phoenix to the win, which was part of an insane eight-game stretch when he grabbed 25 offensive boards. (For context: Only 14 players in the entire league, all centers, average more than three offensive rebounds per game.)
Goodwin’s rebounding numbers on the season are unfathomable for a player his size – his 9.8 percent offensive rebound rate is the best of any player shorter than 6-6 with at least 250 minutes played, putting him right between Wendell carter, jr. and Jarrett Allen on the league leaderboard.
“I think it’s more instinct,” Goodwin said, “and just my motor, just always crashing on every single shot to give myself a chance – and I’m not giving myself a chance if I don’t go. And also just hanging around a bit, especially with Mark (Williams) and Nick (Richards) also in there, they are always trying to tip the ball out. And I’m right there trying to clean it up.”
Undrafted out of St.Louis in 2021 despite leading the Atlantic 10 in rebounding his final two seasons, Goodwin has had to claw his way into the league – his rookie season in Washington consisted of six minutes over two games. After stints with four different teams, he seems to have found a home in the desert with a like-minded roster of hustlers: The Suns, despite leaning heavily on undersized lineups, are sixth in the league in offensive rebound rate.
Jabari Walker, power forward, Philadelphia
you’ve heard about 3-and-D guys, but what about 3-and-ORB guys?
Walker is becoming exactly that in Philadelphia, after a logjam of forwards in Portland left him on the free-agent market and the Sixers scooped him up on a two-way deal.He leads all players on two-way contracts in games played,having seen minutes in 22 of the Sixers’ 23 games and started five of them. He surely will be converted to a standard contact before long. As the 57th pick in the 2022 draft playing in his fourth pro season,he’s already soundly beaten the odds.
Listed at 6-7 – short for his position – Walker nonetheless punches above his weight on the glass, with a 14.1 percent rebound rate that is second on the team (only renowned glass-eater Andre Drummond, at 22.2 percent, exceeds him.)
“He’s just a bully, so physical, so strong,” teammate Paul George said. “He’s kind of a glue guy. he does a little bit of everything, spreads the floor, guards, rebounds. He does so much of the little dirty work.”
But there’s a method to the brute force, as Walker told me after I relayed George’s quote.
“It starts with physicality before the shot goes up, just being in the right position,” Walker said. “I’m not th
Charlotte Hornets’ Nicolas Diabaté: An Energetic Rebounding Force
Nicolas Diabaté is quickly becoming a standout player for the Charlotte Hornets, known for his relentless energy and surprising dominance on the offensive glass. Despite his relatively lean frame, listed at 6-10 and currently around 225-230 pounds (as he stated in a recent interview), Diabaté leads the NBA in offensive rebound rate among players with at least 400 minutes played, securing rebounds on 19.0% of available offensive possessions. https://www.si.com/nba/2024/03/08/hornets-nicolas-diabate-offensive-rebounding-energy This rate surpasses even that of established rebounding centers like Steven Adams of the Houston Rockets and Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks. https://www.nba.com/stats/players/nicolas-diabate/
Diabaté’s path to this success wasn’t initially clear. Drafted 43rd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022, he was initially envisioned as a 3-and-D perimeter player after showcasing good mobility during his time at the University of Michigan. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/diabani01.html
A trade to the Charlotte Hornets in 2024 proved pivotal. Due to injuries within the team, Diabaté was unexpectedly thrust into the role of emergency center, a position he had rarely played. It was in this role that his unique skillset began to shine.
“I really think that’s something that I always had, in the sense that I’ve always been somebody that had energy,” Diabaté explained. “I think the offensive rebound is just an effect of my energy, if that makes sense. It’s not like I look for it specifically… It’s more so, ‘OK, I gotta find a way to get going,’ or, ‘I just gotta play hard.'”
His teammates recognize his relentless effort. “We give him crap about his hands,” teammate Kon Knueppel said. “he’ll drop a pass, but then he’ll go get an offensive rebound over three guys. His knack for the ball and just the shape he’s in, to be able to compete at that level is very, very impressive.”
Diabaté began the 2023-2024 season on a two-way contract, but was later promoted to a standard roster contract. He currently plays on a partially guaranteed, minimum deal for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons. Considering his impact, particularly his rebounding prowess, he represents extraordinary value for the Hornets. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/nicolas-diabate/