While young college stars look to forward to hearing their names announced at the NBA Draft on Thursday, the city of Cleveland is still recovering from the hangover of the long Championship parade that was conducted on Wednesday. The 2016 NBA Championship, won by the Cleveland Cavaliers was their first in franchise history and first in the city’s pro sports history since 1964, when Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns won the NFL.
With the NBA title, Cleveland also became the first team in league history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals. Finals MVP LeBron James became the first player ever to lead the players on both teams in all five categories of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals while playing 42 minutes on the floor.
Despite all of the history, Cleveland would probably among the first cities to not undermine the Draft. Many key players of the 2016 Championship campaign were Cavaliers through the Draft, including their home state King LeBron James (2003 NBA Draft). Kyrie Irving (#1 overall) and Tristan Thompson (#4 overall) were both acquired through the Draft in 2011.
And with small ball being the most trending style of play, here’s a throwback draft edition of the most valuable and versatile picks since 2000:
#5 Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans, 2011
A 6 foot 10 inches forward with a 7’5.5” wingspan, who can shoot the mid-range jump shot and runs like the wind, is one of the dream bodies you envision for a basketball player. That’s Anthony Davis for you. At the age of 23, he already has 3 All-Star Game selections and 1 All-NBA First Team selection. In three of his four seasons so far, he has registered a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 25 or above, including a 30.8 during the 2014-15 season (age-22).
Davis was drafted number 1 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) after playing for a year under John Calipari at Kentucky. So what makes a four-year NBA player on the top 5 picks list since 2000 list?
Davis’ ability to be able to contribute to the team all across the board, which is basically what the PER suggest, is what makes destined for greatness. In his best year, the NBA’s 2014-15 season, he averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks (led the league), 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in just 36 minutes on the court. Since that season, he’s had a couple of games where he comes mighty close to registering a quadruple-double.
In a double overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, Davis registered 36 points, 14 rebounds, 9 blocks and 7 assists. As it can be seen, he was 1 block and 2 assists away from the remarkable achievement while scoring 36 as well. If the Pelicans can only build a respectable contending supporting cast around him, expect multiple league MVP trophies being raised by Davis in the future.
#4 Chris Paul – Charlotte Hornets, 2004
Drafted number 4 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans), Chris Paul is probably the purest point guards you’ll see in the league today. He has an efficient mid-range jumper who can shoot the odd three-pointer to keep the defense guessing. One of the best, if not the best in the league at finishing at the rim whether it’s with floaters or tear drops Paul always has the alpha in his team. Despite all that, his biggest talent or expertise that he provides to his team is his passing.
His court vision is so impeccable that it could be compared to the likes of greats like John Stockton and Magic Johnson. Whether it’s coming off a screen or running a fast break, Paul is always thinking pass first. He is one of the best point guards at making shots easier for his teammates and handing open teammates the ball exactly when they should have it. Barring his rookie season (7.8 APG, 6th in league), Paul has been in the top 5 of assists per game in the league for 10 consecutive seasons.
If his court vision is flawless, his basketball IQ is just phenomenal. In just a couple of seconds, he can read what the defense intends to do and how he can counter attack their strategy. He perfectly balances the art of scoring and assisting as a point guard. If it wasn’t for his on-point alley-oops, there would never be any Lob City in Clipperland.
Other than the basketball aspects of his personality, Paul is also known to be among the most fiercest and smartest competitors in the league. He is always looking to trap opponents into positions where they would have conceded a foul. The 2013 All-Star Game MVP is also very famously and popularly known to be among the best leaders the game has ever seen.
#3 Pau Gasol – Memphis Grizzlies, 2001
Pau Gasol is just so gifted, it’s a pity he spent much of his younger career with a franchise like the Memphis Grizzlies. His stats were on point and among the league’s elite but the team wasn’t equipped to succeed and he spent 7 seasons in Memphis never winning a Playoff game in 3 post-season appearances.
When he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the 2007-08 NBA season, it changed the landscape of not just his career but also that of the franchise. In the next three years, he along with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers made it three straight Finals and won two of them. Although through both the wins Bryant was named the Finals MVP, Gasol’s contribution was pivotal and cannot be taken for granted.
Having played for FC Barcelona for three years before being drafted 3rd overall in 2001, Gasol made an impression immediately by distinguishing himself with his European style of play. Those three years had cultivated a style of play the league was not very familiar with and that’s what made him such a valuable player on any team.
Qualities like being able to hit mid-range jumpers consistently and having a unique eye for open teammates as a 7 footer was something that was not seen a lot in the NBA. Over the course of his 15 year career, he has played for three teams and has been a huge reason for success on every one of those teams. Gasol is also among that pool of players whose game is fundamentally sound and their basketball IQ almost unmatched.
#2 Kevin Durant – Seattle Supersonics, 2007
Kevin Durant is a pure scorer but one like we have never seen before. You don’t associate a lot of 6 foot 9 inches forward with a wingspan of Durant’s (7 feet 4.75 inches) to shoot 48.3% from the field for their career. Some high volume shooters at that height that instantly come to mind are Larry Bird and Dirk Nowitzki. Durant differentiates himself from both of those legends in unique ways. His ball handling is far superior to that of Nowitzki’s.
The evolution of the game has also helped Durant grow as a ball handler and there aren’t a lot of players with his wingspan and his handles at his height. When it comes to Bird, Durant is a lot longer and agile. His agility at his size makes players of his height too slow and the players with his agility are far too short to have any impact on his jumper.
Having said that, Durant’s biggest positive and quality is his scoring. His jumper has one of the sweetest strokes this game has ever seen and to knock down the shot after a crossover for a player of his height, is something this league has never seen. Durant is a physically gifted no doubt but his constant work ethic has been the key to shooting to 50% from the field on a high volume of shots.
The Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) had drafted Durant number 2 overall in the 2007 Draft. With the unique talent that they acquired, the franchise set about a successful rebuild around Durant with smart draft decisions in the coming years.
#1 LeBron James- Cleveland Cavaliers, 2003
If LeBorn James was to retire right now, at the age of 31 at the twilight of his peak, he would most certainly be in the conversation to be named among the Top 5 to ever play this game. That might sound like a hot take but in all honesty, it is not.
Despite being in his 13th season, James has not only broken some insurmountable records but also set some mind boggling ones. Take, for example, the 2016 NBA Finals. The Finals trip was James’ sixth consecutive, something no players has accomplished since the 1960s. Over the course of the seven games of the Finals, James, as, mentioned earlier, is the first player in league history to lead both teams in the Finals in all five categories of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Weighing 250 pounds at 6 foot 8 inches, James is a physical specimen and that certainly plays into his hands. When he drives to the hole, defenders of his build can’t keep up with his speed while defenders his height are way too lean to pose any kind of physical threat. James has made a career out of harnessing the most out of his unique body structure, without taxing it too much.
Even after 13 seasons in the league, James is yet to suffer any major key injuries which says a lot about not just his commitment to rehabbing and relaxing his body but also about his understanding of the physical gift he has and how to best harness it.
James was drafted number one overall in the 2003 Draft by his home state franchise of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
