Criminally underrated teammates of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan: Ron Harper
Throughout the entirety of his NBA career, the five-time champion and selection of the 1986-87 All-Rookie Team Ron Harper was a true force to be reckoned with. Just like Woolridge, it is pretty hard to believe that Harper wasn’t able to at least get one All-Star nod in his career before a devastating knee injury knocked down his effectiveness around halfway through his journey in the league.
Prior to landing with the Bulls, Harper was a standout for teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles clippers. He regularly averaged 20-23 points per game, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block. The fact that none of those stellar seasons he had early in his playing days in the NBA never resulted in an All-Star nod is a testament to how undervalued he truly was.
The real reason why Harper makes this list isn’t necessarily due to how underrated he was during his time as a Jordan teammate with the Bulls. But he makes this list because of how undervalued he was throughout his NBA career as a whole.
Harper is widely recognized today as one of the most notable names from the Jordan supporting cast from all of those title years in the 1990s in Chicago.
Harper was still an effective player for the Bulls starting unit in his five seasons with the team, despite his drop-off in production after knee injuries started to take hold of his career. In his five seasons with the Bulls, Harper averaged 7.8 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks. And he shot 44 percent from the field, 30 percent from beyond the arc, and 70 percent from the free-throw line.