5 Players who changed the horrible 2013 NBA draft into a great one

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Victor? Rudy? CJ? Adams? Who is at present the best player from the 2013 NBA draft?

The 2013 NBA draft was horrible from the word go. In the history of NBA, it is regarded as the most controversial and least rated draft.

It all began with the first pick of Anthony Bennett which is regarded as the worst decision taken by a franchise (Cleveland) in selecting the first pick. Anthony himself is the biggest bust of NBA.Some players had very low average scores whereas some had injury issues.Overall after a year, the draft was declared as one of the worst drafts in the history of NBA.

But when we see back today and compare the performance of the players in the rookie season with their present stats, we will be very surprised.Many players have come a long way and are already delivering some all-star performances.

Let's take a look at the top Five players from the 2013 NBA draft.

Honorable Mention:

#Dennis Schroder

Atlanta Hawks v Boston Celtics
Dennis Schroder

The 17th pick of the 2013 NBA draft was the German guard Dennis Schroder. Nobody expected much of him when he was drafted. He did not get a lot minutes in the rookie season but he didn't give up. He worked hard on his game and was soon an important sixth man in the team and later the main point guard for the Atlanta Hawks.

Currently, he is averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds for this season.He has improved season by season and his amazing athletic ability has made him an important part of the Hawks.This young man is really working hard to become one of the best guards in NBA and I am hopeful of that in future.

#5 Steven Adams

Oklahoma City Thunder v Phoenix Suns
Steven Adams

The 12th pick of 2013 NBA draft was the New Zealander Steven Adams.He is averaging 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 block through 25 games so far. Adams is one of the most underrated players in the league or I should perhaps say he was one of the most underrated until the last season.This season he has started putting big numbers and people have started talking about him more.

But even before this season, Adams was an amazing contributor and the rim protector for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is the teammate Russell Westbrook trusts the most and their pick-and-rolls are a delight to watch. After Durant's departure to the Gloden State Warriors, he really came out with a bang and stood up for his side and how can we forget his role in the playoffs against the Warriors when he defended Curry amazingly in the 2016 Western Conference Finals!

#4 Rudy Gobert

Sydney Kings v Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert

The 27th pick of the 2013 NBA draft was the guy from France, Rudy Gobert. Gobert is the perfect example of people who carve their ways to success. His rookie season, he hardly got much to play. He averaged 2.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in the rookie season but today if we look at his stats, he is averaging 11.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game (18 games in the 2017-18 season).

He is one of the main guys for the Utah Jazz. He is amazing defensively and this is the area which is highly spoken of him. He is the defensive backbone of the team and a great rebounder. Being the 27th pick, this was not at all expected of him but, he has made his name in the NBA and will be interesting to see what can he do with the Jazz after the departure of Gordon Hayward.

#3 C.J. McCollum

Portland Trail Blazers v Brooklyn Nets
C.J. McCollum

The 10th pick of 2013 NBA draft was C.J. McCollum. CJ is special. He has come a long way from averaging 5.3 points in his rookie season to 20.8 points per game in season 2015-2016 when he won the Most Improved Player Award. He is averaging 21.7 points per game in this season. He and Damian Lillard are scoring machines at the offensive ends.

The only area which he needs to improve to become the All-star material is the defensive part of his game. He is slow on defense and this the part which is very important to be a complete player. People have a lot of expectations from him and he has got all the talent to fulfill those.

#2 Victor Oladipo

Cleveland Cavaliers v Indiana Pacers
Victor Oladipo

The 2nd pick from the 2013 NBA draft was Victor Oladipo. Coming out of college, Victor was one of the best among the considered players for top picks during the draft.He was picked second and people had great expectations from him. His rookie season with the Orlando Magic, he averaged 13.8 points per game.

His trade to OKC alongside explosive Westbrook was a blessing in disguise for him. He learned a lot at OKC and was also an amazing help for Westbrook. Although, he was not the main man he contributed to the team at both ends.

But the real Victor Oladipo has been seen this year. This year he has been amazing with the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 24.4 points,5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. His 47 points, a career-high performance against the Denver Nuggets, was so amazing to watch. He has found his zone and is certainly the leading candidate for the Most Improved Player Award this season.

#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo

giannis antetokounpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo

The 15th pick of the 2013 NBA draft was Giannis Antetokounmpo. This 6'11" young man is the Most Improved Player Award winner from 2017. If we take a look at his stats, the graph only goes exponentially up year after year. At such a young age, he has achieved so much and is one of the top running contenders for the MVP.

He is averaging 29.8 points,10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He can play on both sides of the court with amazing agility, quickness, and power. He is at present the best player from 2013 batch and is the most improved player as well.

Looking at the improvement in these guys and the amount of talent, the batch of 2013 NBA draft can no longer be called a failure and who knows, this batch might have an MVP this year!

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Edited by Yash Matange