Chauncey Billups is a future Hall of Famer and there is no debate about it. The man is a one-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA champion, three-time All-NBA Team member, five-time All-Star, and made the All-Defensive Team twice throughout his career. However, just like every great player in this ongoing series, there is one season on his resume that does not get enough credit. Without further adieu, let’s delve into the most underrated season of Chauncey Billups’ career.
Chauncey Billups’ Most Underrated Season
Chauncey Billups: His 2008-09 Campaign
During the 2008-09 season, Billups would see his last minutes of the Detroit Pistons before he would end his career with them. He would be traded to the Denver Nuggets in the infamous deal that dealt Allen Iverson to the Pistons. The results for Denver would be extremely beneficial. As great as Iverson was, Billups was the right fit for a Nuggets squad with Carmelo Anthony as their primary scorer. This team would become the “Thuggets,” and their bruising physicality would push them to the Western Conference Finals.
Unfortunately, they would run into a hungry Los Angeles Lakers squad with a motivated Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. However, it is often agreed upon that if Denver would have won (and if a certain inbounds pass was not stolen), they would have made short work of the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals like the Lakers did. The man leading the way in the playoffs and setting up his co-star often was none other than Chauncy Billups himself. After all, Billups is beloved in the Mile High for more than just growing up there.
Mr. Big Shot: His 2008-09 Stats
During the 2008-09 campaign, Billups was starting to exit his prime. However, that means he still had some gas left in the tank and he certainly showed why he was the perfect All-Star to pair with Melo. During the 2008-09 season, he averaged 17.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He was also instrumental at the charity stripe as he would be true on 91.3 percent of his free-throws.
Billups would also post impressive advanced analytics during this particular season as well. He would tally an offensive rating of 121. Not to mention, Mr. Big Shot would also rattle off an assists percentage of 28.9 percent along with a win share of 10.1. Billups also posted a true shooting percentage of 59.2 percent. Despite having to take a bit of a more limited role as a scorer, Billups proved he still had value. His leadership and play-making ability were instrumental to Denver’s success in the 2008-09 playoffs.
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