It has been a few years since I have put out my rankings of the NBA Draft classes. Every now and then, I cycle back around to this list out of sheer curiosity. I also think the last 12-18 months of NBA have re-sparked my interest in the league. The Raptors knocking out the mighty Warriors in 2019 was must-see TV. Then came 2020. I wasn't following the NBA that closely until the pandemic hit. The NBA bubble had me fascinated, and I felt an urge to watch this experiment play out. Also, having mid-week matinee basketball was the closest thing to March Madness I was going to get this year. After a crazy season, here we are almost at Thanksgiving, and instead of talking about the fourth week of the new season, we are finally getting around to the NBA Draft. As the season is also only around the corner, let's rank past drafts.
In ranking the drafts, I go back to 1989 when the current format started (lottery, 2 rounds). I have come up with a formula that generates a score for each draft as well, looking at factors like All-Stars to come out of the draft, All-NBA, MVP's, Hall of Famers, success of the #1 overall pick, and success of the best player in the draft. I also look at how well they drafted by penalizing the draft for each top 10 flop and rewarding the draft for each successful second round pick. I use the Win Share stat to determine the success of the players. For a player to be considered a "success" on my list, they need to average 2 Win Shares per season or have a career total over 20 for players that were drafted over 10 years ago. To rank the top picks and best players, I ranked the players by WS/48 and WS/Yr and averaged the two rankings together. Here is the formula...
Score = (All Stars) + (All NBA players) + (Hall of Famers) + (MVP Awards) + (MVP Players) + (Flipped Rank of #1 pick / 2) + (Flipped Rank of Best Player / 4) + (Notable 2nd Rounders / 2) - (Top 10 Flops) - (Players That Never Played / 2)Now let's look at the rankings...
31. 2019 Draft
Score: -1
1st Pick: Zion Williamson (19, 2.0 WS)
Best Player: Brandon Clarke (21, 5.0 WS)
All Stars: 0
All-NBA: 0
HoF: 0
MVP's: 0
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 7
Worst Top 10 Pick: Darius Garland (-1.3 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1 (Eric Paschall)
Last place in this power ranking is almost always the most current draft class as they simply just haven't had time to build up numbers and careers. With that said, a score of -1 is the best score of any draft class in my rankings of any rookie draft class. If Zion truly becomes the phenomenon he is hyped to be, then this class can shoot up this list quick.
30. 2000 Draft
Score: 1
1st Pick: Kenyon Martin (22, 48.0 WS)
Best Player: Hedo Turkoglu (31, 63.3 WS)
All Stars: 3 (Jamaal Magloire, Kenyon Martin, Michael Redd)
All-NBA: 1 (Michael Redd)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 8
Top 10 Flops: 5
Worst Top 10 Pick: Marcus Fizer (2.7 WS)
Notable 2nd Rouders: 3 (Eddie House, Eduardo Najera, Michael Redd)
For a draft from 20 years ago to be below drafts from 2 or 3 years ago, that's pretty bad. Martin had a below average career for a #1 overall pick, and their All Star and All-NBA tallies are some of the lowest of any class. On top of all that, they have the lowest ceiling of any draft, with Hedo Turkoglu ranking last among the most productive players of their respected drafts.
29. 2017 Draft
Score: 2.25
1st Pick: Markelle Fultz (28, 3.2 WS)
Best Player: Jarrett Allen (20, 20.0 WS)
All Stars: 3 (Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum)
All-NBA: 1 (Jayson Tatum)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 4
Top 10 Flops: 5
Worst Top 10 Pick: Josh Jackson (-1.8 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (Thomas Bryant, Monte Morris)
This class has a lot of promise to get a lot better. The three All Stars should be stars in the league for a long time, their best player has yet to make an All Star Team, and Markelle Fultz, although he started his career about as bad as possible for a #1 overall pick, has a lot of potential to be a solid contributor for a long time. This class should be on the rise.
28. 2006 Draft
Score: 4.25
1st Pick: Andrea Bargnani (27.5, 18.9 WS)
Best Player: LaMarcus Aldridge (21, 111.4)
All Stars: 5 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Roy)
All-NBA: 4 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 8
Top 10 Flops: 6
Worst Top 10 Pick: Adam Morrison (-1.4 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (P.J. Tucker, Paul Millsap)
This draft I see only declining from here. Only a small handful of players are still in the league getting ready to play a 15th season with only one or two still contributing enough to improve their resume. Bargnani turned out to be a horrible top pick, ranking in the bottom 5. Potentially the draft's best player (Roy) only made it 6 seasons due to injury. When all is said and done, this draft and 2000 will be fighting it out for the worst in this era.
27. 2013 Draft
Score: 6.875
1st Pick: Anthony Bennett (30.5, 0.5 WS)
Best Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo (12.5, 64.4 WS)
All Stars: 3 (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Victor Oladipo)
All-NBA: 3 (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Victor Oladipo)
HoF: 0
MVP: 2 (Giannis Antetokounmpo (2))
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Anthony Bennett (0.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1 (James Ennis)
Giannis has become one of the best players in the NBA. Gobert and Oladipo are also perennial All Stars now. However, this draft class will forever be marred by one of the worst #1 picks of all time. Because of that and a lackluster 2nd round, this class can only rise so high.
t-25. 2014 Draft
Score: 8.875
1st Pick: Andrew Wiggins (26, 15.0 WS)
Best Player: Nikola Jokic (7.5, 48.7 WS)
All Stars: 2 (Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic)
All-NBA: 2 (Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 7
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Dante Exum (3.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 6 (Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jerami Grant, Nikola Jokic, Dwight Powell, Jordan Clarkson)
These players have been in the league for 6 years, and this class has shifted greatly in that time. It started with Wiggins being a can't-miss star and Embiid, his college teammate, being the big risk not knowing if he would ever be healthy enough to play. Wiggins has never fulfilled the lofty expectations even though he had an encouraging start, and Embiid has become the star of one of the more exciting rosters in the league. However, they are all looking up to Jokic, one of the more unique talents in the game today.
t-25. 2018 Draft
Score: 8.875
1st Pick: Deandre Ayton (16.5, 9.0 WS)
Best Player: Luka Doncic (24.5, 24.5 WS)
All Stars: 2 (Luka Doncic, Trae Young)
All-NBA: 1 (Luka Doncic)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 4
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Kevin Knox (-1.2 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson)
For this draft class to be this high after just two seasons shows how much promise they have. Luka is a future MVP candidate, Young is a true star, and Ayton still has the potential to be great. Another thing that helps is the league seems to have gotten much better at drafting players that will actually play in the league. You have a lot less foreign players picked in the second round that they hope will cross the Atlantic at some point in the next 5-10 years to make their NBA debut.
24. 2010 Draft
Score: 9.5
1st Pick: John Wall (18, 44.3 WS)
Best Player: Paul George (23, 70.0 WS)
All Stars: 4 (DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Gordon Heyward, John Wall)
All-NBA: 3 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Epke Ukoh (10.4 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1 (Hassan Whiteside)
This draft is full of ups and downs. John Wall is dynamic if he can stay on the court. Players like George and Heyward appear to still be building their resumes, but a player like Cousins feels like he is definitely on the decline. The top 10 was one of the more successful with the "busts" still being solid contributors, but only one notable player by Win Share came out of the second round. It's all over the place.
23. 1994 Draft
Score: 10.25
1st Pick: Glenn Robinson (22, 39.8 WS)
Best Player: Jason Kidd (26, 138.6 WS)
All Stars: 5 (Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones, Jason Kidd, Glenn Robinson)
All-NBA: 4 (Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones)
HoF: 2 (Jason Kidd, Grant Hill)
MVP: 0
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Sharone Wright
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (Michael Smith, Voshon Lenard)
It's telling that you have a player from this draft that has been an NBA coach and another player coaching in the college ranks. And neither of those are Grant Hill, the most natural talent of the class. With that said, the Win Share stat seemed to not like Kidd much. Combine that with a lackluster second round, and this draft class has a fairly low ceiling.
22. 2015 Draft
Score: 12.125
1st Pick: Karl-Anthony Towns (5, 50.4 WS)
Best Player: Karl-Anthony Towns (8.5, 50.4 WS)
All Stars: 4 (Devin Booker, Kristaps Porzingis, D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns)
All-NBA: 1 (Karl-Anthony Towns)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 16
Top 10 Flops: 6
Worst Top 10 Pick: Emmanuel Mudiay (-0.2 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 5 (Montrezl Harrell, Richaun Holmes, Josh Richardson, Pat Connaughton, Norman Powell)
With Towns stuck in Minnesota, it's easy to overlook how good he has been since entering the league. Add that to rising star Devin Booker and the freak athlete that is Porzingis, you have huge upside and room to improve. With that said, there are 6 flops in the top 10 and still 16 players that haven't played. Some might still come over from Europe, but 5 years removed from the draft makes it less and less likely.
21. 1989 Class
Score: 12.625
1st Pick: Pervis Ellison (25, 21.8 WS)
Best Player: Vlade Divac (28.5, 96.4 WS)
All Stars: 9 (B.J. Armstrong, Dana Barros, Mookie Blaylock, Vlade Divac, Sean Elliott, Tim Hardaway, Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Cliff Robinson)
All-NBA: 3 (Glen Rice, Tim Hardaway, Shawn Kemp)
HoF: 2 (Vlade Divac, Dino Rada)
MVP: 0
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Randy White (1.9 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (Sherman Douglas, Cliff Robinson)
This draft had a lot of good but not a lot of great. Ellison was a flop at #1. Divac is one of the worst best players in this era. They may have two Hall of Famers, but one of them made it for his time in Europe and only played 4 seasons in the NBA. This first draft that qualifies is one of the more unique of them all.
20. 1991 Draft
Score: 12.875
1st Pick: Larry Johnson (13, 69.7 WS)
Best Player: Dikembe Mutombo (25.5, 117.0 WS)
All Stars: 7 (Kenny Anderson, Terrell Brandon, Dale Davis, Chris Gatling, Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Smith)
All-NBA: 2 (Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo)
HoF: 1 (Dikembe Mutombo)
MVP: 0
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Mark Macon (0.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1 (Bobby Phills)
It's easy to forget how good Larry Johnson was at his peak. It also helps to have a dominant defensive presence like Mutombo in your class, even though he doesn't rank that high among the top players. Only one notable second rounder hurts too.
t-18. 2016 Draft
Score: 13.625
1st Pick: Ben Simmons (9.5, 24.4 WS)
Best Player: Ben Simmons (19.5, 24.4 WS)
All Stars: 4 (Brandon Ingram, Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, Ben Simmons)
All-NBA: 2 (Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Top 10 Pick: Dragan Bender (0.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (Ivica Zubac, Malcolm Brogdon)
The last time I put this list together, this class had only played one season, Ben Simmons had yet to see the court, and they were buried in last place. Now, they have several budding stars in Simmons and Siakam and several other strong contributors. Where this draft ends up on the list when all is said and done depends on how Simmons's next 10 season go.
t-18. 2001 Draft
Score: 13.625
1st Pick: Kwame Brown (27, 20.8 WS)
Best Player: Pau Gasol (18.5, 144.1 WS)
All Stars: 8 (Gilbert Arenas, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Mehmet Okur, Tony Parker, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace)
All-NBA: 6 (Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 8
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Rodney White (1.8 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur, Bobby Simmons)
Although Kwame has become the definition of a flop and proving the risk of picking a developmental project, he actually turned out to have a long, somewhat productive career. It just wasn't on par with being #1 overall. With that said, this class will still rise some in the next few years as players like Parker and Gasol become eligible and get inducted into the Hall of Fame.
17. 1990 Draft
Score: 15.125
1st Pick: Derrick Coleman (18, 64.3 WS)
Best Player: Gary Payton (20.5, 145.5 WS)
All Stars: 6 (Cedric Ceballos, Derrick Coleman, Antonio Davis, Tyrone Hill, Gary Payton, Jayson Williams)
All-NBA: 2 (Derrick Coleman, Gary Payton)
HoF: 1 (Gary Payton)
MVP: 0
Never Played: 2
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Top 10 Pick: Bo Kimble (0.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4 (Toni Kukoc, Bimbo Coles, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos)
This draft features a Hall of Famer and two second round All Stars. The biggest thing that places this draft in the middle is lack of elite talent and a an injury-riddled career from Derrick Coleman.
16. 1995 Draft
Score: 15.625
1st Pick: Joe Smith (19, 60.3 WS)
Best Player: Kevin Garnett (12.5, 191.4 WS)
All Stars: 6 (Michael Finley, Kevin Garnett, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace)
All-NBA: 2 (Antonio McDyess, Kevin Garnett)
HoF: 1 (Kevin Garnett)
MVP: 1 (Kevin Garnett)
Never Played: 8
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Ed O'Bannon (1.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2 (Eric Snow, Fred Hoiberg)
Just call this the Kevin Garnett draft. If it wasn't for him, this draft class would be horrible. However, KG brings an MVP, a Hall of Fame inductee, and close to a top ten peak player (#2 in this class has just over half his win shares), and you get an average class.
15. 2004 Draft
Score: 15.75
1st Pick: Dwight Howard (7, 134.2 WS)
Best Player: Dwight Howard (16, 134.2 WS)
All Stars: 5 (Luol Deng, Devin Harris, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Jameer Nelson)
All-NBA: 2 (Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 13
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Rafael Araujo (-0.4 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Anderson Varejao, Chris Duhon, Trevor Ariza)
Dwight Howard may be a role player now, which makes it easy to forget how elite he was in his prime. However, I could see this class lose ground the longer Howard's career lasts at a less-than-elite level. They also have the rare player that has made an All-NBA Team but not an All Star Team.
14. 1998 Draft
Score: 16
1st Pick: Michael Olowokandi (30.5, 2.5 WS)
Best Player: Dirk Nowitzki (8, 206.3 WS)
All Stars: 5 (Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Rashard Lewis, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce)
All-NBA: 3 (Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce)
HoF: 0
MVP: 1 (Dirk Nowitzki)
Never Played: 1
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Michael Olowokandi (2.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 5 (Ruben Patterson, Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, Cuttino Mobley, Greg Buckner)
Olowokandi is tied with Anthony Bennett as the worst top pick on the list. If it wasn't for that horrible pick, this would be a top 5 class with the amount of all-time greats in this class. How was Dirk the only won that won an MVP?
13. 1993 Draft
Score: 16.625
1st Pick: Chris Webber (14, 84.7 WS)
Best Player: Sam Cassell (28.5, 87.5 WS)
All Stars: 7 (Vin Baker, Sam Cassell, Penny Hardaway, Alan Houston, Jamal Mashburn, Nick Van Exel, Chris Webber)
All-NBA: 5 (Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Sam Cassell)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Top 10 Pick: Bobby Hurley (-1.2 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4 (Lucious Harris, Nick Van Exel, Bryon Russell, Chris Whitney)
The class has one of the worst peaks in Sam Cassell, but they build their resume by volume. With five All-NBA selections and only one top 10 flop (which was more due to injury than anything), this draft class builds a neaky good resue.
12. 2002 Draft
Score: 17.125
1st Pick: Yao Ming (6, 65.9 WS)
Best Player: Amar'e Stoudemire (22.5, 92.5 WS)
All Stars: 4 (Carlos Boozer, Caron Butler, Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire)
All-NBA: 3 (Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer)
HoF: 1 (Yao Ming)
MVP: 0
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Nikoloz Tskitishvili (-1.6 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4 (Carlos Boozer, Matt Barnes, Rasual Butler, Luis Scola)
This draft class may benefit the most from how I calculate value. Yao only played 8 season, but he was elite when he played. So since I am looking at average and not career accumulation, Yao is almost a top 5 player. That catapults this draft class to on the verge of a top 10 spot. They shouldn't go any higher in future years though.
11. 2007 Draft
Score: 18.375
1st Pick: Greg Oden (15.5, 7.3 WS)
Best Player: Kevin Durant (4.5, 141.7 WS)
All Stars: 4 (Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Joakim Noah)
All-NBA: 4 (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marc Gasol)
HoF: 0
MVP: 1 (Kevin Durant)
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Yi Jianlian (3.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Carl Landry, Marc Gasol, Ramon Sessions)
This is another draft class that benefits from looking at averages. Greg Oden would easily be among the worst picks in NBA Draft history, however it was all due to injury. When he was on the court, he was productive. Add in an MVP in Durant, and the ranking makes sense.
10. 1999 Draft
Score: 18.625
1st Pick: Elton Brand (12.5, 109.6 WS)
Best Player: Shawn Marion (23.5, 124.9 WS)
All Stars: 9 (Ron Artest, Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Manu Ginobili, Richard Hamilton, Andre Kirilenko, Shawn Marion, Wally Szczerbiak)
All-NBA: 5 (Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Manu Ginobili)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 12
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Top 10 Pick: Jonathan Bender (3.8 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1 (Manu Ginobili)
This is another draft class you don't necessarily think of being that strong, but it cracks the top ten on the back of 9 All Stars and one of the best second round picks in NBA history . This class will get a boost when Manu eventually get inducted in the Hall of Fame.
9. 2008 Draft
Score: 19.875
1st Pick: Derrick Rose (22, 39.7 WS)
Best Player: Russell Westbrook (17.5, 101.5 WS)
All Stars: 7 (Goran Dragic, Roy Hibbert, DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook)
All-NBA: 5 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Goran Dragic)
HoF: 0
MVP: 2 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook)
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Joe Alexander (0.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 5 (Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik, Luc Mbah a Moute, Goran Dragic)
Man, if only Derrick Rose had stayed healthy... The combination of Rose and Westbrook could have been one of the most elite duos of any draft class. As it is, this is the first draft class to pop up on this that has multiple MVP winners.
8. 2011 Draft
Score: 21.75
1st Pick: Kyrie Irving (11, 61.3 WS)
Best Player: Jimmy Butler (14, 75.1 WS)
All Stars: 7 (Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Isaiah Thomas, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Kemba Walker)
All-NBA: 6 (Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Isaiah Thomas)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Top 10 Pick: Jimmer Fredette (2.2 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Bojan Bogdanovic, Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas)
This is another draft that is high on the list just by pure volume of elite players. No MVP's in this group yet, but that doesn't mean there can't be in the next few years. I see this draft class still on the rise.
7. 2005 Draft
Score: 23.25
1st Pick: Andrew Bogut (19, 50.6 WS)
Best Player: Chris Paul (2, 180.3 WS)
All Stars: 5 (Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, David Lee, Chris Paul, Deron Williams)
All-NBA: 5 (Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, David Lee)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 5
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Top 10 Pick: Ike Diogu (6.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 7 (Brandon Bass, C.J. Miles, Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Amir Johnson, Marcin Gortat)
At first glance, this draft class shouldn't be this high on the list. Then you see how much the win share stat benefits Chris Paul, and how there was only one flop in the top 10, and how there were 7 second rounders that became good players. Once you piece all that together, you have a pretty great draft.
6. 1997 Draft
Score: 26
1st Pick: Tim Duncan (2.5, 206.4 WS)
Best Player: Tim Duncan (6, 206.4 WS)
All Stars: 3 (Chauncey Billups, Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady)
All-NBA: 3 (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady)
HoF: 2 (Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady)
MVP: 2 (Tim Duncan (2))
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Top 10 Pick: Ron Mercer (9.4 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (Anthony Johnson, Stephen Jackson, Alvin Williams)
Can one player make a draft elite? Well, if that player is one of the best #1 overall picks of all time, one of the best players of all time, a two-time MVP winner, and a Hall of Famer, yes, one player can make a draft elite.
5. 2012 Draft
Score: 28.125
1st Pick: Anthony Davis (2.5, 83.1 WS)
Best Player: Anthony Davis (5.5, 83.1 WS)
All Stars: 6 (Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton)
All-NBA: 4 (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, Draymond Green)
HoF: 0
MVP: 0
Never Played: 4
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Thomas Robinson (4.6 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 5 (Jae Crowder, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Will Barton, Kyle O'Quinn)
The first draft class in the top 5 is carry by a transcendent talent at #1, a couple more perennial All-NBA players, and a second round that produced two stars. When all is said and done, this draft class could have up to 3 Hall of Famers.
4. 1992 Draft
Score: 28.25
1st Pick: Shaquille O'Neal (4.5, 181.7 WS)
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal (9, 181.7 WS)
All Stars: 5 (Tom Gugliotta, Christian Laettner, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Latrell Sprewell)
All-NBA: 3 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Latrell Sprewell)
HoF: 2 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning)
MVP: 1 (Shaquille O'Neal)
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Top 10 Pick: Todd Day (17.5 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3 (P.J. Brown, Popeye Jones, Matt Geiger)
The Shaq Draft. Other classes have been carried by a single player, but this class also came with another Hall of Famer, who happened to be the 2nd overall pick. In future years, I could see this class drop below the 2012 Draft in the rankings.
3. 2009 Draft
Score: 28.625
1st Pick: Blake Griffin (9, 75.2 WS)
Best Player: James Harden (2.5, 135.0 WS)
All Stars: 6 (Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague)
All-NBA: 4 (Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan)
HoF: 0
MVP: 3 (Stephen Curry (2), James Harden)
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Top 10 Pick: Jonny Flynn (-1.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 7 (Dante Cunningham, Jonas Jerebko, Jodie Meeks, Patrick Beverly, Marcus Thornton, Danny Green, Patty Mills)
This draft just keeps getting better and better. It produced two of the current top 5 players in the NBA right now that very likely will add to that MVP total in the next few years. It produced a total of 7 contributing second round players (and a couple undrafted guys like Wesley Matthews and Joe Ingles). Just imagine where this class would be if Blake Griffin could have stayed healthy. This class has a firm hold on #3 on this list. The question is ... is there a scenario where they crack the top 2?
2. 2003 Draft
Score: 34.375
1st Pick: LeBron James (1, 236.4 WS)
Best Player: LeBron James (1.5, 236.4 WS)
All Stars: 9 (Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Josh Howard, LeBron James, Chris Kaman, Kyle Korver, Dwyane Wade, David West, Mo Williams)
All-NBA: 4 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade)
HoF: 0
MVP: 4 (LeBron James (4))
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Top 10 Pick: Darko Milicic (7.1 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 7 (Steve Blake, Zaza Pachulia, Keith Bogans, Matt Bonner, Mo Williams, James Jones, Kyle Korver)
Having the best player in a generation is enough to put a draft class in the top 5 all time (and he's not done). However, it is very likely this class ends up with 4 Hall of Famers. Combine that with the seven solid second rounders to round out the draft, and it still amazes me that this class isn't in the top spot. Maybe it gets there when all the HoF inductions come in.
1. 1996 Draft
Score: 36.5
1st Pick: Allen Iverson (13, 99.0 WS)
Best Player: Kobe Bryant (15, 172.7 WS)
All Stars: 10 (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Peja Stojakovic, Antoine Walker)
All-NBA: 7 (Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal)
HoF: 4 (Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash)
MVP: 4 (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash (2))
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Top 10 Pick: Samaki Walker (14.2 WS)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4 (Othella Harrington, Jeff McInnis, Malik Rose, Shandon Anderson)
Every time I write about this draft class, I am amazed. The talent level here is just absurd. Ten All Stars is top among these classes, as is 7 All-NBA, 4 Hall of Famers, 4 MVP's, 3 different MVP winners, only one top ten flop (tied for lowest). It's insane. Then you notice how the top of this class in AI and Kobe are players that the Win Share stat doesn't like. No way Iverson is the 13th best top pick and Kobe is the 15th best player. That means their score should be even higher! They are still the undisputed champion.
