Underrated Hoopers: Stephon Marbury

“Coney Island’s Finest” is a fitting description of Marbury. An absolute bucket, Marbury might not have the accolades to show for it but he was a threat for most of the 2000s, and nobody could guard Starbury. Let’s dive into the career path, playstyle, peak and greatness of Stephon Marbury, the first installment of the Underrated Hoopers series.

Career Path

Marbury’s NBA career would start off making headlines, as he would be taken fourth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, but immediately dealt for fifth overall pick Ray Allen, as well as another future first, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves were reportedly set on taking Marbury, with rumors even circulating about Isaiah Rider, who had led the Wolves in PPG the previous year, being dealt to Toronto for the second overall pick.

Granted, Allen would have an incredible career, and hindsight is 20/20, as Marbury was traded in just his third year in Minnesota, due to an extremely interesting set of circumstances. According to Marbury, he wanted out not due to anything basketball related, stating he still loves the fans and it was nothing personal, but rather because of Minnesota itself. Pointing to the lack of diversity and the cold weather as culture shocks, Marbury just didn’t fit in with the Wolves, or rather, didn’t fit in with Minnesota.

This would lead to Marbury being dealt to the New Jersey Nets in a three team trade, which, funnily enough, involved Milwaukee as well. Although there were multiple players and picks involved in the deal, the most noticeable pick up for Minnesota was Terrell Brandon, who would be a very solid offensive guard for Minnesota.

In New Jersey, Marbury’s career would begin to take off. He averaged over 20 the whole time he played with the Nets, made an All NBA team, and was elected an All Star. The Nets, however, struggled, not making the playoffs in any of the three years Marbury played there.

These team struggles would result in, once again, a trade. Marbury was shipped to Phoenix in exchange for Jason Kidd, who would lead the Nets to the Finals in back to back years. Marbury would do his thing in Phoenix again, once again averaging over 20 for his whole Suns tenure before he was once again dealt, this time to his hometown team, the New York Knicks.

Although Marbury was out of his prime in New York, that may be his most iconic destination. A kid from Coney Island, Marbury is still oftentimes associated with the Knicks, although he had his struggles. Once again, he didn’t quite live up to expectations, and the team would struggle with Marbury at the helm, both on the court and in the locker room.

He would end up finishing his NBA career in Boston before having a long and successful career playing overseas, ending an interesting, but ultimately disappointing, NBA career.

Peak

Really, Marbury’s peak was in China. Unfortunately, playing overseas today is frowned upon, playing for China becoming a joke. For Marbury though, he embraced it. Marbury won three championships in China, and he has not just a statue but also a museum, a cultural symbol of China and widely regarded one of their best athletes.

However, we can stick for the NBA peak for this article. For all the athletes in this series, I’ll break the peak up into two different subcategories: the winning peak and their individual peak as a player.

For Marbury, a winning peak was difficult to find, and I bounced back in forth between two different periods for him. During his stint in Minnesota, he made the playoffs both years, and although they did end up losing in the first round both years, this was the only team in his career that he made the playoffs with twice, which helps the winning argument. On the other hand, he made the playoffs again in 2003 with Phoenix, and put up solid numbers of 22 and 6, but ultimately lost in the first round again. Although both peaks provided similar results, and although I’d consider China his true winning peak, we’ll give the nod to young Minnesota Marbury for the winning peak.

For the individual peak, there were more seasons to choose from. He averaged 20+ from 1999 to 2005 (with the exception of 2004, when he averaged 19.8), and was a great scorer in a tough defensive era for all of these years. He also passed extremely well in this time frame, averaging around 8 assists for many of these years. But for the serious individual peak, I would give the nod to his New Jersey years, from the second half of 1999 to 2001. During this time frame he was a 1 time All Star and 1 time All NBA member, and he averaged 23,3,8 along with 1.4 steals per game.

Career Path

So, if Marbury wasn’t really a winner, and was a bit of a locker room cancer, why do I think he’s underrated? Maybe it’s bias. Or maybe it’s because Starbury is one of the tuffest buckets this league has seen in a long time.

At just 6’2″, 280 pounds, Marbury was nowhere near a giant, but he could attack the rim like no other, fearlessly slashing at big men and finishing in a variety of ways. His layup package was ridiculous, allowing him to hit some of the toughest shots you’ll ever see, and his athleticism and bounce made him a vertical threat as well. Plus, he could get to the rim at will, with a beautiful handle and unmatched quickness.

Shooting wise, Marbury was never afraid to let shots fly. He shot threes consistently throughout his career, and although the efficiency was never incredible, he couldn’t be considered a bad shooter. He also loved to use the mid range, as was popular with players of the 2000s, at least opposed to today.

Playmaking wise, Marbury was a very solid passer, consistently averaging near 8 assists, and due to the fact that he had the ball in his hands most of the time, he orchestrated the offense often, getting guys open looks and helping spread the love.

My player comparison for Starbury is Allen Iverson. A small, athletic guard who thrives with the ball in their hands and loves to run the show. AI was certainly better (unless you ask the Chinese league), but their games share a lot of similarities.

So, Why Isn’t He Remembered?

First of all, I will 100% admit that Marbury had flaws to his game. Defensively he left a lot to be desired, he never really won much, and he took too many shots. But NBA media today loves a tough bucket (TMac, Kyrie, PG, etc) so why isn’t Marbury someone who gets his flowers? I thought of a few reasons:

• Lack of winning – Like it or not, the media puts a ton of emphasis on ring culture. Whether it was Marbury’s playstyle, his personality, or his situations, he never won, and that hurts him in the long run.
• Lack of continuity – It’s difficult to have a loyal fan base when you never stick around a team long enough to build one. Whether by his own doing of out his control, Marbury jumped from team to team often.
• Lack of accolades – Marbury never peaked much higher than All Star level, and he was a borderline All Star for much of those years. Unfortunately, those guys don’t get much time in the spotlight.

Overall, Marbury has just been forgotten about. Almost nobody brings him up in conversations, and although he certainly wasn’t a superstar, he’s someone who deserves far more respect than he gets, and someone who should be discussed as one of the tuffest buckets from the 2000s.