Power Rankings: NBA Draft Classes - 2017 Edition

I have to admit something ... the 2016-2017 NBA season was the least interesting season of sports in any of the "Big 3" sports that I can remember.  It seemed predetermined before the season even started that it would come down to the Warriors and Cavs again for the third straight season, and no one else really had a shot.  I was completely disinterested from start to finish.  During the NBA Finals, I chose to watch Super Regional College Baseball and Track & Field National Championships over the showdown between Cleveland and Golden State.  I know I am in the minority on this since the NBA Finals were the highest rated since Jordan played.  However, in my opinion, super-teams are ruining the NBA and eliminate any sense of parody that may have existed before.  Unless they do something soon that makes more than two or three teams contenders, then the NBA will start losing fans quick.

With all that said, my interest immediately perked up again once the Finals ended.  I love the offseason of any sport.  One thing that makes the NBA unique is the fact that the NBA Draft comes up within a week or two of the end of the season.  As much as I loathed the NBA this season, I watched most of the NBA Draft.  This is because the Draft gives equal time to every team and not just the super-teams that dominate the regular season.

In 2014 and 2015, I put out rankings of NBA Draft classes in the recent incarnation of the draft that goes back to 1989 (lottery, 2 rounds).  I did not put out these rankings last year for several reasons.  I think it was partially due to the fact that I was leading into such an apathetic mood towards the NBA in general.  However, the biggest reason I shelved the idea was the subjectivity of it.  I created a complex formula that tried to make it as objective as possible, however there was a level of subjectivity, specifically in ranking the top picks and the best players in the draft, that I struggled with.  Honestly, I didn't feel qualified in my apathetic state to make those judgment calls.

Recently, I considered putting out the rankings this year, only if I could find a more objective way of evaluating.  I dug into some of the more analytic statistics and found the Win Shares stat, a calculation of the number of wins contributed by a player.  This is much like the WAR stat that has become so popular in baseball.  I decided to rank the top picks and best players in the drafts by Win Share per season for each player.  I also calculated top 10 busts as a player that had less than 2 WS per season and less than 20 WS for players drafted more than 10 years ago.  Likewise, a significant second round pick was determined as a player who contributed more than 2 WS per season and over 20 WS for players drafted more than 10 years ago.  The formula to determine the draft score is as follows...

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)

With that said, let's get into the rankings. The mean score for these drafts is 13.93.

28. 2016 Draft

'15: NR, '14: NR

Score: -17

1st Pick: Ben Simmons (28th, 0.0 WS/yr)

Best Player: 36th Pick - Malcolm Brogdon (28th, 4.1 WS/yr)

All Stars: 0

All-NBA: 0

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 15

Top 10 Flops: 10

Worst Top 10 Pick: 4th Pick - Dragan Bender (-0.3 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

Obviously, an evaluation process on a draft class just one year removed is still a work in progress.  It hurts that the top pick didn't even see the court, but none of the top 10 picks really played well this year.  For the first time ever, the Rookie of the Year came from outside the first round.  Once Simmons plays, and more international players make their debut, this draft has a potential to be much better.  Can't get much worse...

27. 2013 Draft
'15: 26, '14: 25

Score: -2.5

1st Pick: Anthony Bennett (27th, 0.13 WS/yr)

Best Player: 27th Pick - Rudy Gobert (20th, 7.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 1 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)

All-NBA: 2 (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Top 10 Pick: 1st Pick - Anthony Bennett (0.13 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

Once again, terrible production out of the top pick destroyed this draft.  Anthony Bennett might be the worst pick of all time.  There are some decent players starting to develop though.  Gobert and the Greek Freak have star potential.

26. 2014 Draft
'15: 25, '14: NR

Score: -0.75

1st Pick: Andrew Wiggins (20th, 3.4 WS/yr)

Best Player: 41st Pick - Nikola Jokic (17th, 8.2 WS/yr)

All Stars: 0

All-NBA: 0

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Top 10 Pick: 5th Pick - Dante Exum (0.6 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

This draft class brings about some interesting questions of perception vs. production.  Everyone says that Andrew Wiggins is a star in the making.  However, with only 3.4 WS per year, he hasn't played like it yet.  Instead, a guy like Nikola Jokic claims the spot as the most productive player in the class.  The success of this class all revolves around if Wiggins actually develops into what he is supposed to.

25. 2000 Draft
'15: 24, '14: 24

Score: 0.25

1st Pick: Kenyon Martin (21st, 3.2 WS/yr)

Best Player: 16th Pick - Hedo Turkoglu (27th, 4.2 WS/yr)

All Stars: 3 (Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire, Michael Redd)

All-NBA: 1 (Michael Redd)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Top 10 Pick: 4th Pick - Marcus Fizer (0.5 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

When there are only two players (Mike Miller, Jamal Crawford) in the draft class that were still in the league this year, you can't really improve your score.  So the fact that this class barely has a positive score is not a good sign.  This is doomed to be considered one of the least talented drafts in recent memory.

24. 2015 Draft
'15: NR, '14: NR

Score: 4.75

1st Pick: Karl-Anthony Towns (3rd, 10.5 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - Karl-Anthony Towns (7th, 10.5 WS/yr)

All Stars: 0

All-NBA: 0

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 18

Top 10 Flops: 6

Worst Top 10 Pick: 7th Pick - Emmanuel Mudiay (-1.0 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

This draft makes a decent debut after two seasons for one reason: Karl-Anthony Towns.  If he continues at this pace, he could be one of the best players of all time.  You have to think some more players will make debuts as well which will help this class out too.

23. 2006 Draft
'15: 22, '14: 21

Score: 5.5

1st Pick: Andrea Bargnani (24th, 1.9 WS/yr)

Best Player: 2nd Pick - LaMarcus Aldridge (18th, 7.9 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap)

All-NBA: 4 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Top 10 Pick: 3rd Pick - Adam Morrison (-0.5 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

There were no real superstars to come out of this draft.  Aldridge is a good player that has hovered on the brink of being a superstar, but doesn't look like he will get there.  The best player of the draft was probably Brandon Roy, but his career ended way too early.  This draft instead will be remembered for guys like Bargnani and Morrison, two of the biggest busts of all time.

22. 1994 Draft
'15: 12, '14: 13

Score: 8.75

1st Pick: Glenn Robinson (19th, 3.6 WS/yr)

Best Player: 2nd Pick - Jason Kidd (21st, 7.3 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones)

All-NBA: 4 (Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 6th Pick - Sharone Wright (0.4 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

The Win Share stat is not kind to this draft class.  The eye test tells you Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd, and Grant Hill had better careers than the numbers suggest, but that's what the numbers say.  This is what caused the sudden drop is rankings.

21. 2010 Draft
'15: 23, '14: 23

Score: 9.5

1st Pick: John Wall (13th, 5.8 WS/yr)

Best Player: 7th Pick - Greg Monroe (24th, 6.5 WS/yr)

All Stars: 4 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, Paul George)

All-NBA: 3 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 6th Pick - Epke Udoh (1.1 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

Again, Win Shares is an interesting stat.  Superstars like John Wall and Paul George are in this draft.  An emerging star like Gordon Hayward is there too.  Yet, Greg Monroe is the most productive player of the draft class so far.  I have to think this won't last much longer as some of these players continue to dominate the league.

20. 1989 Draft
'15: 19, '14: 20

Score: 10.25

1st Pick: Pervis Ellison (23rd, 2.0 WS/yr)

Best Player: 26th Pick - Vlade Divac (25th, 6.0 WS/yr)

All Stars: 9 (Sean Elliott, Glen Rice, Mookie Blaylock, Tim Hardaway, Dana Barros, Shawn Kemp, B.J. Armstrong, Vlade Divac, Cliff Robinson)

All-NBA: 3 (Glen Rice, Tim Hardaway, Shawn Kemp)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 6

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Randy White (0.4 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

Pervis Ellison is said to be one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history.  However, this draft is somewhat saved by the fact that there were so many good players that came out of this draft.  Nine All Stars is the second most of any draft class on this list.

19. 2007 Draft
'15: 18, '14: 16

Score: 12.25

1st Pick: Greg Oden (22nd, 2.4 WS/yr)

Best Player: 2nd Pick - Kevin Durant (3rd, 12.0 WS/yr)

All Stars: 4 (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marc Gasol)

All-NBA: 4 (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marc Gasol)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 1 (Kevin Durant)

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 6th Pick - Yi Jianyian (0.6 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

For as disappointing as Greg Oden was as a top pick, Kevin Durant makes up for it as one of the best players of his generation.  However, thanks to Greg Oden, Durant's draft class is the lowest of all classes containing an MVP.

18. 1991 Draft
'15: 16, '14: 17

Score: 12.75

1st Pick: Larry Johnson (10th, 7.0 WS/yr)

Best Player: 4th Pick - Dikembe Mutombo (23rd, 6.5 WS/yr)

All Stars: 7 (Larry Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Smith, Terrell Brandon, Dale Davis, Chris Gatling)

All-NBA: 2 (Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo)

Hall of Famers: 1 (Dikembe Mutombo)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 10

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Mark Macon (0.0 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

The surprising part about this draft class is the low number of All-NBA players even though they have so many All Stars.  We also have our first Hall of Famer in Mutombo.  Larry Johnson is really a forgotten star of the NBA.

17. 1995 Draft
'15: 15, '14: 18

Score: 13

1st Pick: Joe Smith (18th, 3.8 WS/yr)

Best Player: 5th Pick - Kevin Garnett (12th, 9.1 WS/yr)

All Stars: 6 (Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Theo Ratliff, Michael Finley)

All-NBA: 2 (Antonio McDyess, Kevin Garnett)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 1 (Kevin Garnett)

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 9th Pick - Ed O'Bannon (0.6 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

There is no way Joe Smith should have been the top pick of any draft, but he was a servicable pro for 16 seasons which is a feat in itself.  The crown jewel of this draft is definitely Kevin Garnett, whose average WS/yr was hurt by a his last few years that were less than productive.

16. 2001 Draft
'15: 17, '14: 10

Score: 13.25

1st Pick: Kwame Brown (25th, 1.7 WS/yr)

Best Player: 3rd Pick - Pau Gasol (15th, 8.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 8 (Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur)

All-NBA: 6 (Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 9th Pick - Rodney White (0.5 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

There were some pretty good players in this draft.  Tyson Chandler was one of the better defensive players for a good stretch, Tony Parker led the Spurs dynasty, and Pau Gasol was one of the quietest superstars of the last decade.  However, this draft will always be remembered for Kwame Brown.  What were they thinking?

15. 2002 Draft
'15: 10, '14: 14

Score: 14

1st Pick: Yao Ming (8th, 8.2 WS/yr)

Best Player: 9th Pick - Amar'e Stoudemire (22nd, 6.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 4 (Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer)

All-NBA: 3 (Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer)

Hall of Famers: 1 (Yao Ming)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 5th Pick - Nikoloz Tskitishvili (-0.4 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

An important note to make here as it applies to this and several other draft classes.  I decided the best player in the draft class would be the player with the highest total Win Shares.  Although Yao Ming has a higher WS/yr than Amar'e Stoudemire, Stoudemire had a higher total since Yao's career was cut short due to injury.  Yao may have been one of the most important draft picks of this era.  This is also the first draft class that is above the average mark.

14. 1990 Draft
'15: 11, '14: 9

Score: 15

1st Pick: Derrick Coleman (16th, 4.3 WS/yr)

Best Player: 2nd Pick - Gary Payton (16th, 8.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 6 (Derrick Coleman, Gary Payton, Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos)

All-NBA: 2 (Derrick Coleman, Gary Payton)

Hall of Famers: 1 (Gary Payton)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 2

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Bo Kimble (0.0 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

Something that almost skews this draft class up a few notches is the fact that only two picks never appeared in the NBA, tied for the fewest of any draft class.  Derrick Coleman was a solid pro, but Gary Payton was the star of the group and now a Hall of Famer.

13. 1993 Draft
'15: 14, '14: 6

Score: 15

1st Pick: Chris Webber (14th, 5.6 WS/yr)

Best Player: 24th Pick - Sam Cassell (26th, 5.8 WS/yr)

All Stars: 7 (Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Allan Houston, Sam Cassell, Nick Van Exel)

All-NBA: 5 (Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Sam Cassell)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 1

Worst Top 10 Pick: 7th Pick - Bobby Hurley (-0.2 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

What gives this draft class a boost is the fact that only one draft pick in the top ten was not a solid pro (and that one was possibly the best collegiate player).  The combination of C-Webb and Penny made for a very strong top of this draft class.

12. 2004 Draft
'15: 20, '14: 12

Score: 15.5

1st Pick: Dwight Howard (6th, 9.3 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - Dwight Howard (10th, 9.3 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (Dwight Howard, Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Jameer Nelson)

All-NBA: 2 (Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 13

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Rafael Araujo (-0.1 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

Dwight Howard, although he has greatly struggled over the last few seasons, is one of only eight number one picks to also be the top player in his draft class.  Even with his struggles, he makes the top ten out of the top picks and the best players lists.  He single-handedly lifts this draft almost to the top ten.

11. 1998 Draft
'15: 9, '14: 15

Score: 16

1st Pick: Michael Olowokandi (26th, 0.3 WS/yr)

Best Player: 9th Pick - Dirk Nowitzki (6th, 10.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Rashard Lewis)

All-NBA: 3 (Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 1 (Dirk Nowitzki)

Never Played: 2

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 1st Pick - Michael Olowokandi (0.3 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 5

Michael Olowokandi is one of only two top picks (along with Anthony Bennett) to be the biggest bust from their class.  So why did 1998 almost reach the top ten while 2013 is one of the worst of the era?  The answer is everyone else.  Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, and Paul Pierce are future Hall of Famers.  Only two top ten picks didn't work out, and only two picks never played.  This was a great class, with the exception of numero uno.

10. 1999 Draft
'15: 7, '14: 4

Score: 17.75

1st Pick: Elton Brand (12th, 6.4 WS/yr)

Best Player: 9th Pick - Shawn Marion (19th, 7.8 WS/yr)

All Stars: 9 (Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Wally Szczerbiak, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, Manu Ginobili)

All-NBA: 5 (Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Manu Ginobili)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 12

Top 10 Flops: 1

Worst Top 10 Pick: 5th Pick - Jonathan Bender (0.5 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

The first draft class in the top ten is an interesting one.  Neither the first pick nor the best player reached the top ten in their categories, and 12 players never played in the NBA.  With all that, they also had 9 All Stars, 5 All-NBA players, and only one flop.  A deep class can make you a good draft class, but great players are what make a great class.

9. 2011 Draft
'15: 21, '14: 22

Score: 19.75

1st Pick: Kyrie Irving (11th, 6.7 WS/yr)

Best Player: 15th Pick - Kawhi Leonard (11th, 9.2 WS/yr)

All Stars: 6 (Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Isaiah Thomas)

All-NBA: 5 (Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Isaiah Thomas)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 6

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 10th Pick - Jimmer Fredette (0.5 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

In the last two years, this draft class jumped from outside the top 20 to inside the top 10.  This is due to the emergence of some serious stars from this draft class.  Kyrie is the 11th best number one pick in the era, but can't even claim the best player in his class.  The five players that have made the All-NBA Team are some of the top superstars in the league today.  Few classes have produced this much firepower.

8. 2008 Draft
'15: 4, '14: 7

Score: 21.75

1st Pick: Derrick Rose (15th, 4.3 WS/yr)

Best Player: 4th Pick - Russell Westbrook (13th, 8.9 WS/yr)

All Stars: 6 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, DeAndre Jordan)

All-NBA: 5 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Goran Dragic)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 2 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook)

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Joe Alexander (0.3 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 6

Russell Westbrook's incredible 2016-2017 season has given this draft class a boost by improving their best player as well as providing a second MVP for the class.  The final standing of this class all depends on if Westbrook continues to produce since it seems most of the production out of guys like Rose, Love, Lopez, and Hibbert has all but stopped.

7. 2012 Draft
'15: 8, '14: 19

Score: 22

1st Pick: Anthony Davis (4th, 9.8 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - Anthony Davis (8th, 9.8 WS/yr)

All Stars: 4 (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, Draymond Green)

All-NBA: 4 (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, Draymond Green)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 4

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Top 10 Pick: 5th Pick - Thomas Robinson (0.9 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

As Anthony Davis continues to turn himself into one of the best players in the league, this draft class will continue to move up this list.  There can easily be multiple MVP's that get added to this class from either Davis or Lillard.  Even Andre Drummond has a shot if he gets on a good team at some point.  This draft class will keep getting better.

6. 2005 Draft
'15: 13, '14: 5

Score: 22

1st Pick: Andrew Bogut (17th, 4.2 WS/yr)

Best Player: 4th Pick - Chris Paul (2nd, 12.9 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, David Lee)

All-NBA: 5 (Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, David Lee)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 5

Top 10 Flops: 1

Worst Top 10 Pick: 9th Pick - Ike Diogu (1.1 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 7

The Win Shares stat loves Chris Paul!  He is an amazing player, but I don't think I would put him as the second best player drafted over the last 28 years.  Nevertheless, there he sits.  Also, on the surface, Bogut looks like a bust, but he is average compared with his other top picks and showed he had the skill if it weren't for injuries.  Also, only having one flop in the top ten is helpful too.

5. 1997 Draft
'15: 6, '14: 8

Score: 23.25

1st Pick: Tim Duncan (2nd, 10.9 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - Tim Duncan (5th, 10.9 WS/yr)

All Stars: 3 (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady)

All-NBA: 3 (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady)

Hall of Famers: 1 (Tracy McGrady)

MVP's: 2 (Tim Duncan*)

Never Played: 10

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 6th Pick - Ron Mercer (1.2 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

Every draft class has at least one MVP.  The 1997 boasts one of the greatest draft picks of all time in Tim Duncan.  The Great Fundamentalist won 2 MVP's and will soon join his draft classmate Tracy McGrady in the Hall of Fame.  So this draft class, although no one still plays, still has room to grow.

4. 1992 Draft
'15: 3, '14: 3

Score: 25.75

1st Pick: Shaquille O'Neal (5th, 9.6 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - Shaquille O'Neal (9th, 9.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 5 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Tom Gugliotta, Latrell Sprewell)

All-NBA: 3 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Latrell Sprewell)

Hall of Famers: 2 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning)

MVP's: 1 (Shaquille O'Neal)

Never Played: 6

Top 10 Flops: 1

Worst Top 10 Pick: 8th Pick - Todd Day (2.2 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

This draft features two of the greatest centers of their generation in Shaq and Zo.  However, on top of that, they also featured a very strong top 10, with only one flop (and the only thing making Todd Day a flop was he didn't play for 10+ years, but he averaged over 2 WS/yr).  This class was solidly in the top three, but it slips one slot more from the strength of the new number three than this class losing something.

3. 2009 Draft
'15: 5, '14: 11

Score: 26.5

1st Pick: Blake Griffin (7th, 8.9 WS/yr)

Best Player: 3rd Pick - James Harden (4th, 11.4 WS/yr)

All Stars: 6 (Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozen, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague)

All-NBA: 4 (Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozen)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 2 (Stephen Curry*)

Never Played: 10

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Top 10 Pick: 6th Pick - Jonny Flynn (-0.4 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 8

Talk about a draft class on the rise!  Blake Griffin is a star that puts up high Win Shares.  Stephen Curry is one of the biggest stars in the NBA, winning two MVP's.  However, he isn't even the best player in his class according to WS.  James Harden, who almost won the MVP this season, shows just how dominant he has been over the last several seasons.  This class has a potential to keep moving up these rankings.

2. 2003 Draft
'15: 2, '14: 2

Score: 32.25

1st Pick: LeBron James (1st, 14.7 WS/yr)

Best Player: 1st Pick - LeBron James (1st, 14.7 WS/yr)

All Stars: 9 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Chris Kaman, David West, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, Kyle Korver)

All-NBA: 4 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade)

Hall of Famers: 0

MVP's: 4 (LeBron James***)

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Top 10 Pick: 3rd Pick - Darko Milicic (0.7 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 7

When I first did this list 3 years ago, I thought the 2003 Draft Class would run away with the title.  They have the best player drafted during this time period, as well as possibly the strongest top five or six in NBA Draft history.  There is only one exception to this: Darko.  Darko had the potential of being the next Dirk Nowitzki.  Now he is just a punchline for being one of the worst draft picks in NBA history.  If Darko had developed into the player he could have been, this draft class might be number one.  One thing that will be interesting to see is how the development of super-teams will affect the legacies of some of these classes.  This season proved that a player forced to carry their team is more likely to win the award than the best player on a super-team.  Will LeBron win another MVP?  It's possible he will always lose out to guys like Westbrook or Harden.  However, now with Paul George on the Thunder and Chris Paul on the Rockets, who knows...

1. 1996 Draft
'15: 1, '14: 1

Score: 33.5

1st Pick: Allen Iverson (9th, 7.1 WS/yr)

Best Player: 13th Pick - Kobe Bryant (14th, 8.6 WS/yr)

All Stars: 10 (Allen Iverson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas)

All-NBA: 7 (Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal)

Hall of Famers: 1 (Allen Iverson)

MVP's: 4 (Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash*, Allen Iverson)

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 1

Worst Top 10 Pick: 9th Pick - Samaki Walker (1.4 WS/yr)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

This is once again the best and deepest draft class in the modern era.  Ten All Stars is the most by any class, and seven All-NBA players is also best out of any class.  This doesn't even include Ben Wallace, who was an All Star and All-NBA player that went undrafted that year.  They are one of only five draft classes with multiple MVP awards (tied for the lead with 4) and one of only two classes to produce more than one MVP winner (2008 just joined this club this season with Westbrook's win).  This is even taking into account the fact that the Win Shares stat is not very kind to Iverson and Kobe, as both have been listed in the top five of their lists in the past.  Even their one flop, Samaki Walker, had a 10 year career and one of the higher WS/yr out of all the worst picks.  This draft will only get better too as more of its members (Bryant, Nash, Allen for sure) join AI in the Hall of Fame.  It will take a lot for this class to be unseated in the future.


And with that, the rankings are completed.  I can go back to not caring about the NBA now.

Power Rankings: NBA Draft Classes - 2015 Edition

With the end of the NBA season now here (congratulations to the Golden State Warriors by the way), the NBA Draft is very quickly upon us.  Last year, I posted a ranking of the best draft classes over the last 25 years.  I decided that, with another draft class to add to the rankings and more knowledge about some of the younger classes, it was time to reevaluate.  I revisited every draft class and evaluated the best and worst of each.  In last year's Power Ranking, I went into detail on how the scoring system works.  I made one slight modification to the scoring system.  Each draft class gets an additional point for every league MVP to be won by a member of the draft class, with another added point awarded for each player from the draft class to win the MVP.  I thought it would make sense to consider how many times that draft class produced the best player in the league for a season and how many players were able to accomplish that feat.  With that said, let the countdown begin!

The average score of the 26 draft classes is just above a 12.5.

26.  2013 Class

# 25 last year

Score: -9.25

1st Pick: Anthony Bennett (26th)

Best Player: Giannis Antetokoumpo (26th)

All Stars: 0

All NBA: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 12

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Anthony Bennett (1st - Cleveland Cavaliers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 0

Last year, I said the jury was still out on this class.  Although they improved their score slightly, David Stern's last draft is starting to look like an all-time worst.  There is some promising talent in this class that is still developing (Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Kelly Olynyk), and the emergence of the Greek Freak gives this class some hope.  However, they join the most recent draft as the only ones not to log an All Star or All NBA selection, half the top 10 looks to be busts, and the whole second round was a waste.  The most notable player not picked in the first round might be a player who wasn't even drafted: Matthew Dellavedova.  On top of that, Anthony Bennett is on track to be the worst top pick the NBA has ever seen.  At least a bust like Greg Oden could blame injuries, and a bust like Michael Olowokandi still had a 10 year semi-productive career.  If nothing changes, Bennett could be out of the league by the end of next season with nothing to blame but his poor performance.

25.  2014 Class
NR last year

Score: -4

1st Pick: Andrew Wiggins (14th)

Best Player: Andrew Wiggins (23rd)

All Stars: 0

All NBA: 0

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 18

Top 10 Flops: 3

Worst Flop: Joel Embiid (3rd - Philadelphia 76ers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

Yes, even the most recent class bested the 2013 class.  This class will only be moving higher in the future as Andrew Wiggins continues to develop into the All Star everyone expects him to be.  Add to that guys like Jabari Parker coming off injury, Marcus Smart, and others, this is a solid class.  One player that can truly make this a special class is Joel Embiid.  If he is able to come back from injury and be the talent everyone thinks he can be, then this could be a top 10 class.

24.  2000 Class

# 24 last year

Score: 1.5

1st Pick: Kenyon Martin (16th)

Best Player: Michael Redd (25th)

All Stars: 3 (Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire, Michael Redd)

All NBA: 1 (Michael Redd)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 6

Worst Flop: DerMarr Johnson (6th - Atlanta Hawks)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

This class seems to be pretty set in its place in history as most of these players are now out of the league.  There are some impact players still in the league like Mike Miller, Jamal Crawford, and Hedo Turkoglu, but they are definitely in the twilight of their careers.  It is pretty telling just how weak the draft is when your only All NBA player was originally a 2nd round pick.

23.  2010 Class

# 23 last year

Score: 4.25

1st Pick: John Wall (13th)

Best Player: DeMarcus Cousins (24th)

All Stars: 3 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George)

All NBA: 2 (DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Al-Farouq Aminu (# 8 - LA Clippers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

There is some other decent talent in this draft class, but the success of this class revolves around Wall, Cousins, and George.  Wall and Cousins have had questions about effort and motivation, while George will be trying to regain his form after a horrific injury playing with Team USA last summer.  If they can actually look like the players their talent says they should be, this draft class could still improve its positioning.

22.  2006 Class

# 21 last year

Score: 6.25

1st Pick: Andrea Bargnani (20th)

Best Player: LaMarcus Aldridge (14th)

All Stars: 5 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap)

All NBA: 3 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 7

Worst Flop: Adam Morrison (# 3 - Charlotte Bobcats)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

When this class was good, it was great.  Aldridge is one of the better players in the league right now, and Paul Millsap might be the best 2nd round selection in the last 10 years.  However, this is by far the worst top 10 of any draft class on the list.  I counted 7 flops in the top 10, but let's look at it a little closer.  Outside of Aldridge, the other two "successes" are Rudy Gay, who has played for three teams in his nine year career, and Brandon Roy, who after being the Rookie of the Year was forced into early retirement due to bad knees.  So Aldridge is the only top 10 pick still making an impact on his original team (well, after the draft day trade for Tyrus Thomas).

21.  2011 Class

# 22 last year

Score: 8.75

1st Pick: Kyrie Irving (8th)

Best Player: Kyrie Irving (20th)

All Stars: 3 (Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler)

All NBA: 2 (Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 7

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Flop: Derrick Williams (2nd - Minnesota Timberwolves)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

The two best players from this draft class just faced off in the NBA Finals.  With Klay and Kyrie leading the class, and the emergence of Jimmy Butler and Isaiah Thomas, this class ended up having a solid core.  However, when it missed, it was bad.  From Derrick Williams to Jonas Valanciunas to Bismack Biyombo to the great Jimmer Fredette, this class had more duds than studs.

20.  2004 Class

# 12 last year

Score: 9

1st Pick: Dwight Howard (9th)

Best Player: Dwight Howard (17th)

All Stars: 5 (Dwight Howard, Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Jameer Nelson)

All NBA: 2 (Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 13

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Luke Jackson (10th - Cleveland Cavaliers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This draft class tumbled down the rankings this year for one primary reason: Dwight Howard.  We have gotten used to looking at Dwight Howard as a possible all-time great big man, but this season started to make everyone wonder if Dwight Howard will ever become what we hoped he could be.  Sadly, it looks like his best is behind him, which means he will never reach the lofty heights he once had the potential of attaining.

19.  1989 Class

# 20 last year

Score: 9.75

1st Pick: Pervis Ellison (22nd)

Best Player: Shawn Kemp (16th)

All Stars: 9 (Sean Elliott, Glen Rice, Mookie Blaylock, Tim Hardaway, Dana Barros, Shawn Kemp, B.J. Armstrong, Vlade Divac, Cliff Robinson)

All NBA: 3 (Glen Rice, Tim Hardaway, Shawn Kemp)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 6

Top 10 Flops: 6

Worst Flop: Pervis Ellison (1st - Sacramento Kings)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This is a draft class full of good players with very few great players.  Add to that a major bust out of your first overall pick, and you take what could have been one of the better all-around draft classes and put it in the back third of this list.

18.  2007 Class

# 16 last year

Score: 9.75

1st Pick: Greg Oden (24th)

Best Player: Kevin Durant (10th)

All Stars: 4 (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marc Gasol)

All NBA: 4 (Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Marc Gasol)

MVP's: 1 (Kevin Durant - 2014)

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Greg Oden (1st - Portland TrailBlazers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 5

This draft class produced possibly the biggest disparity between the first and second picks.  The Blazers went with Oden, who barely saw the court due to injuries.  The Sonics (damn you, Clay Bennett) went with Durant, who looks like he could be an all-time great.  However, recent injuries force you to question just how long Durant will be able to be as great as he has been.  If things go poorly and Durant ends up never recovering from his current injuries, this may go down as the draft of greatness that never was.

17.  2001 Class

# 10 last year

Score: 11

1st Pick: Kwame Brown (25th)

Best Player: Tony Parker (19th)

All Stars: 8 (Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur)

All NBA: 6 (Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Flop: Kwame Brown (1st - Washington Wizards)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

This draft class is just below average out of the 26 classes.  There were a lot of really good players that came out of this class, however all that is overshadowed by the big bust at the top in Kwame Brown.  Not even Michael Jordan coming out of retirement could make Kwame work in the NBA.  This pick I think single-handedly started the conversation of disallowing high schoolers from entering the Draft.

16.  1991 Class

# 17 last year

Score: 11.25

1st Pick: Larry Johnson (15th)

Best Player: Dikembe Mutombo (8th)

All Stars: 7 (Larry Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Smith, Terrell Brandon, Dale Davis, Chris Gatling)

All NBA: 2 (Larry Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo)

MVP's: 0

HOF: 1 (Dikembe Mutombo)

Never Played: 10

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Billy Owens (3rd - Golden State Warriors)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

This is another draft class with a lot of good players but few great ones.  Even Billy Owens, the Draft's biggest flop, was a solid pro, but when he is the only player out of the top five not to be an All Star, it makes him a flop.  This draft does have one of the few Hall of Famers from these draft classes so far, but also had a lackluster 2nd round with very little value.  All this adds up to an average class.

15.  1995 Class

# 18 last year

Score: 11.5

1st Pick: Joe Smith (21st)

Best Player: Kevin Garnett (5th)

All Stars: 6 (Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Theo Ratliff, Michael Finley)

All NBA: 2 (Antonio McDyess, Kevin Garnett)

MVP's: 1 (Kevin Garnett - 2004)

Never Played: 8

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Bryant Reeves (6th - Vancouver Grizzlies)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This draft class was helped by the scoring change of adding in points for MVP awards.  Kevin Garnett you could say led to the phenomenon of picking high schoolers that led to terrible picks like Kwame Brown going first.  He also remains one of the few players still on a roster that was drafted in the '90s.

14.  1993 Class

# 6 last year

Score: 13

1st Pick: Chris Webber (11th)

Best Player: Chris Webber (21st)

All Stars: 7 (Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Allan Houston, Sam Cassell, Nick Van Exel)

All NBA: 5 (Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker, Sam Cassell)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 11

Top 10 Flops: 5

Worst Flop: Shawn Bradley (2nd - Philadelphia 76ers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

The first draft class to be above the average line, the 1993 class got a lot of stuff right at the top of the draft as five of the top 11 became All Stars.  Chris Webber became one of the best personalities in the NBA for more than a decade, and Penny Hardaway became the first of Shaq's many mini sidekicks.  I think the most important lesson learned from this draft class came from Shawn Bradley.  Just because you are taller than everyone doesn't mean you will be better than everyone.

13.  2005 Class

# 5 last year

Score: 13

1st Pick: Andrew Bogut (19th)

Best Player: Chris Paul (13th)

All Stars: 5 (Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, David Lee)

All NBA: 5 (Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, David Lee)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 5

Top 10 Flops: 4

Worst Flop: Ike Diogu (9th - Golden State Warriors)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

This draft class dropped greatly in the rankings this year.  What was a top five class last year is now out of the top ten.  There are a few things that play into this.  First, the MVP's won by players in other draft classes have allowed them to hop over the class of 2005.  Also, I may have been a little more critical of Chris Paul's place among the all-time greats than I was last year.  Ranking these players is so hard!

12.  1994 Class

# 13 last year

Score: 13.25

1st Pick: Glenn Robinson (18th)

Best Player: Jason Kidd (6th)

All Stars: 5 (Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones)

All NBA: 4 (Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones)

MVP's: 0

Never Played: 9

Top 10 Flops: 2

Worst Flop: Sharone Wright (6th - Philadelphia 76ers)

Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This is an interesting draft class to be this high.  There is not much that separates this class from some of the so-so classes near the bottom of this class.  The difference with the 1994 class comes from a couple different things.  First, Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards to be drafted in the last 26 years.  Second, there were very few mistakes made in the top 10 of this draft.  With only two flops in the top ten, this is one of the best top tens of any class.  It turned out to be not very deep though, as all of this class's All Stars came from the top ten.

11.  1990 Class
# 9 last year
Score: 13.5

1st Pick: Derrick Coleman (17th)
Best Player: Gary Payton (7th)
All Stars: 6 (Derrick Coleman, Gary Payton, Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos)
All NBA: 2 (Derrick Coleman, Gary Payton)
MVP's: 0
HOF: 1 (Gary Payton)
Never Played: 2
Top 10 Flops: 6
Worst Flop: Chris Jackson (3rd - Denver Nuggets)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

This is an interesting class, headlined by Gary Payton, one of the more versatile point guards of his generation.  It is forgotten just how good Derrick Coleman was for awhile in the early '90s.  Injuries derailed what could have been a great career.  Could we be looking at Dwight Howard following a similar career path to Derrick Coleman?

10.  2002 Class

# 14 last year

Score: 13.75

1st Pick: Yao Ming (6th)
Best Player: Yao Ming (18th)
All Stars: 4 (Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer)
All NBA: 3 (Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer)
MVP's: 0
Never Played: 9
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Flop: Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th - Denver Nuggets)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

It is amazing to think about how good Yao could have been if he hadn't gotten hurt.  Thinking about his foot problems that ended his career makes me nervous looking at the future of a player like Kevin Durant.  Seeing a player like Carlos Boozer come out of the second round adds to the overall depth and strength of the draft class.

9.  1998 Class

# 15 last year

Score: 15

1st Pick: Michael Olowokandi (23rd)
Best Player: Dirk Nowitzki (9th)
All Stars: 5 (Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Rashard Lewis)
All NBA: 3 (Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce)
MVP's: 1 (Dirk Nowitzki, 2007)
Never Played: 2
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Flop: Michael Olowokandi (1st - LA Clippers)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

This draft class hopped into the top 10 this year, which is strange when you consider that Michael Olowokandi is one of the worst top picks in draft history.  However, he was one of the few misses in this draft which produced three of the best players of the last 15 years in Carter, Pierce, and former MVP Dirk.  Also, it helps that only two players drafted that year never saw the court in the NBA, which is tied for the lowest number of any draft class.

8.  2012 Class

# 19 last year

Score: 16

1st Pick: Anthony Davis (5th)
Best Player: Anthony Davis (11th)
All Stars: 2 (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard)
All NBA: 2 (Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard)
MVP's: 0
Never Played: 5
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Flop: Thomas Robinson (5th - Sacramento Kings)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

Before it is all said and done, this could be competing with some of the best draft classes on this list.  This class took a big leap this year with the emergence of Anthony Davis as the next great superstar.  Damian Lillard has also shown the ability to be a perennial All Star as well.  Part of what makes this draft class strong is we simply don't know enough about some of the top picks to determine whether they are busts or not.  As it stands now though, there is only one bust, Thomas Robinson, and even he has shown signs of being a solid NBA pro.  He has just been hurt by playing on 4 teams in his first 3 seasons.  Add to that only 5 players not playing yet from this class, and recent NBA Finals hero Draymond Green coming from this class's 2nd round, and you have a class that will be fun to track over the next 10 years.

7.  1999 Class

# 4 last year

Score: 17.75

1st Pick: Elton Brand (12th)
Best Player: Manu Ginobili (22nd)
All Stars: 9 (Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Wally Szczerbiak, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, Manu Ginobili)
All NBA: 5 (Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Manu Ginobili)
MVP's: 0
Never Played: 12
Top 10 Flops: 1
Worst Flop: Jonathan Bender (5th - Indiana Pacers)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This draft class does not have any all-time greats in it, but it produced about as many good players as any other draft class.  With six of the top 10 ending up All Stars, and the best player from the class being the second to last pick of the draft, you have a strong draft class and a deep class.  Its drop in the rankings this year is due to the fact that it didn't have an all-time great, and therefore did not have an MVP in this class.

6.  1997 Class

# 8 last year

Score: 18

1st Pick: Tim Duncan (2nd)
Best Player: Tim Duncan (3rd)
All Stars: 3 (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracey McGrady)
All NBA: 3 (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracey McGrady)
MVP's: 2 (Tim Duncan - 2002, 2003)
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 5
Worst Flop: Adonal Foyle (8th - Golden State Warriors)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 1

This is a great example of how one transcendent player can save a draft class from infamy.  If it wasn't for Tim Duncan being one of the best players of all time, there would be very little in this class to talk about.  However, Duncan is one of only three multiple MVP winners drafted in this era and has single-handedly placed this class in the top ten.

5.  2009 Class

# 11 last year

Score: 18.25

1st Pick: Blake Griffin (7th)
Best Player: Stephen Curry (12th)
All Stars: 6 (Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague)
All NBA: 3 (Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry)
MVP's: 1 (Stephen Curry - 2015)
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Flop: Hasheem Thabeet (2nd - Memphis Grizzlies)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 3

This draft class is on the rise and should continue to improve year after year.  There are truly four players (Griffin, Harden, Curry, DeRozen) that have the potential of being some of the league's best players for the next decade.  This year saw the emergence especially of Harden and reigning league MVP and NBA champion Curry, who many are saying could go down as one of the greatest shooters the league has ever seen.

4.  2008 Class

# 7 last year

Score: 19.5

1st Pick: Derrick Rose (10th)
Best Player: Russell Westbrook (15th)
All Stars: 5 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert)
All NBA: 5 (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Goran Dragic)
MVP's: 1 (Derrick Rose - 2011)
Never Played: 10
Top 10 Flops: 2
Worst Flop: Michael Beasley (2nd - Miami Heat)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 4

It is strange to have a class of players still in the prime of their career where the one player to win a league MVP is not the current best player from the class.  However, thanks to Derrick Rose's constant knee injuries over the last few years, he is constantly trying to work his way back to the lofty heights he once knew.  In the mean time, players like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love have taken the torch as the best the class has to offer, and they ain't bad either.  This is also the first class to boast two All NBA players from its 2nd round.  There are also other players like Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, and George Hill that could potentially make an All Star Team or All NBA team before all is said and done.  This draft class, although already up to 4th, can still move higher if all works out well.

3.  1992 Class

# 3 last year

Score: 21.75

1st Pick: Shaquille O'Neal (3rd)
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal (4th)
All Stars: 5 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Tom Gugliotta, Latrell Sprewell)
All NBA: 3 (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Latrell Sprewell)
MVP's: 1 (Shaquille O'Neal - 2000)
HOF: 1 (Alonzo Mourning)
Never Played: 6
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Flop: Todd Day (8th - Milwaukee Bucks)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

This draft class was special, as it produced two of the greatest centers the league has ever seen.  Shaq and Zo may be the best top two picks of any draft class discussed here.  This class also has one of the most decorated collegiate players of all time in Christian Laettner who many people view as a bust, but he did make an All Star team in a career that lasted more than a decade.  With time, this class will probably lose a little ground to some of the younger classes that could potentially pass it up.  It won't be easy though as they are over two points passed 4th place right now though, and their score isn't done either as Shaq will definitely end up in the Hall of Fame before all is said and done.

2.  2003 Class

# 2 last year

Score: 32

1st Pick: LeBron James (1st)
Best Player: LeBron James (1st)
All Stars: 9 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Chris Kaman, David West, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, Kyle Korver)
All NBA: 4 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade)
MVP's: 4 (LeBron James - 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 4
Worst Flop: Darko Milicic (2nd - Detroit Pistons)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 6

Having the best player of a generation would be one way to have a top draft class, which this class has.  However, this class has four of the best players of the last decade in James, Anthony, Bosh, and Wade.  It is also tied for the second most All Stars of any draft class on the list, with that list expanding this last season with Kyle Korver making his first All Star Game in his 12th season.  It is very possible for this score to keep growing as LeBron could still win more MVP awards and will eventually be a Hall of Famer.  This may not be the best draft class on this list, but it is definitely the best draft class of this generation.

1.  1996 Class

# 1 last year

Score: 34.25

1st Pick: Allen Iverson (4th)
Best Player: Kobe Bryant (2nd)
All Stars: 10 (Allen Iverson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas)
All NBA: 7 (Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal)
MVP's: 4 (Allen Iverson - 2001; Steve Nash - 2005, 2006; Kobe Bryant - 2008)
Never Played: 11
Top 10 Flops: 3
Worst Flop: Lorenzen Wright (7th - LA Clippers)
Notable 2nd Rounders: 2

When I added the new category of MVP awards in the scoring system this year, I thought it might change our top draft class on the list in what was a very close competition last year.  However, it just made this draft class look even more impressive.  It still has more All Stars than any other class and more All NBA players than any other class.  It is tied with 2003 for most MVP awards, but where LeBron has won all the trophies for the 2nd place class, this is the first class to have multiple players win an MVP, and it has three.  Steve Nash is only the 3rd player in this era to have multiple MVP awards.  Marcus Camby was the second overall pick, and although he never made an All Star Game or All NBA Team, he did win a Defensive Player of the Year Award.  Forget this era, this may be the greatest draft class the NBA has ever seen.