Best 2nd Round NBA Draft Picks in the Past 15 Years
The NBA All-Star game this year is on February 19th and if you take a close look at the players chosen this year you’ll find that many of them were actually chosen in the second round of the NBA draft. Draymond Green, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Marc Gasol, and DeAndre Jordan were all taken in the second round of their respective drafts. But where do they all rank in out of all the 2nd rounders of the past 15 years (so Manu Ginobili is automatically excluded)? Let’s take a look.
Honorable Mentions:
Mo Williams, Anderson Varejão, Louis Williams, Marcin Gortat, Amir Johnson, Carl Landry, Nikola Peković, Lance Stephenson, Chandler Parsons, Jae Crowder, Khris Middleton, Jordan Clarkson (though banging Kendall Jenner’s best friend as revenge/when he’s bored should push him up a few spots)
10. Monta Ellis (Indiana Pacers)
2005 Draft: 2nd Round, 40th Pick
18.2 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 45% FG%, 31% 3P%
Ellis is a fantastic offensive player but he has a reputation as a huge hog and can’t play defense for his life. His habit of holding the ball for extended periods of time inflates his numbers and provides him with an advantage in terms of his scoring and assist totals. He was the alpha on the Warriors until he was traded to the Bucks and the Warriors magically became a playoff team. With the Bucks he only made the playoffs once and he failed to mesh with Brandon Jennings, who was, at that point, Milwaukee’s point guard. When his contract was up he went to the Mavericks where he flourished because he took a back seat to Dirk. Once the Mavericks realized that he wasn’t as good as they had hoped they let him go to the Indiana Pacers. After having him for a season and a half, the Pacers have benched him because he can’t play without the ball. The Pacers have a stacked lineup that seems stagnant when Ellis is in the game. Don’t be surprised if he is traded. All that said he was definitely was a steal in the 2005 draft.
9. Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers)
2003 Draft: 2nd Round, 51st Pick
1-time All-Star (2015)
10 PPG, 1.8 APG, 3.1 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 44% FG%, 43% 3P%
Korver is one of the best 3 point shooters of all time! He has made 1,972 3 pointers while shooting 43%. His best season was the 2014-2015 season with the Atlanta Hawks when the Hawks finished the season 60–22 as the first seed in the East. He was one of 4 players on the team to make the All-Star game (his first). He averaged 12.1 PPG, 2.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 49% FG%, and 49% from 3! Since 2015 season he hasn’t been the same. He is now on Cavaliers and is still trying to figure out his role on the team. When he figures everything out he will be a scary player to guard. Korver is also known to be an incredible teammate, humble and generous, and when he was traded to the Cavaliers it seemed like the whole locker room entered a mourning period.
8. Hassan Whiteside (Miami Heat)
2010 Draft: 2nd Round, 33rd Pick
12.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 2.7 BPG, 59% FG%
Boy did Whiteside have a crazy ride. He was drafted by the Kings but never got a chance to play behind Demarcus Cousins. He was then on 4 different D-League teams, 2 Lebanese basketball teams (Amchit Club and Al Mouttahed Tripoli), and 2 Chinese basketball teams (Sichuan Blue Whales and Jiangsu Monkey King). In the 2014–2015 season Whitside finally got his chance. He came out of nowhere and averaged 11.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 2.6 BPG. What was his motivation you ask? Great question! All he was trying to do was get his 2k rating up. Wade’s “departure” from Miami has made him the de facto face of the franchise and if his current trajectory is any indication, the team has a lot to look forward to in the future. This season he is averaging 16.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. If he keeps up these stats he can shoot up these rankings.
7. Goran Dragić (Miami Heat)
2008 Draft: 2nd Round, 45th Pick
12.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 47% FG%, 36% 3P%
Dragić is one of those point guards everyone wants. He is a great passer and has a pretty good shot. It took a while for Dragić to breakout though. He was drafted by the Suns but didn’t get any playing time because the legend Steve Nash was in his way, but once he got his chance he never looked back. He was traded to the Houston Rockets where he averaged 11.7 PPG and 5.3 APG. After that season he signed back with the Suns and took his game to another level. In the next two seasons he averaged 14.7 PPG then 20.7 PPG, respectively. He was then traded to the Miami Heat because the Suns had 3 amazing guards (one being Isaiah Thomas) and landed a huge contract there. He signed a five-year, $90 million contract, a pretty amazing haul for a measly 45th pick.
6. DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers)
2008 Draft: 2nd Round, 35th Pick
1-time All-Star (2017)
8.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.8 BPG, 67% FG%
What would the Clippers be without Jordan? He is their defensive anchor. He even made his first all-star game this season (even though he shouldn’t have). Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all got hit by the injury bug leaving Jordan with a heavy load to pull in a stacked Western Conference. Because Jordan has been healthy the Clippers are 30–18 and have managed to hold on to the 4th seed in the West. This season he is averaging 12.4 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 1.8 RPG, but it wasn’t this easy for him early in his career. He didn’t really break out until the 2013–2014 NBA season when he averaged 10.4 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 2.5 BPG. Since then he has been an unstoppable double-double machine (that can’t shoot free throws).
5. Carlos Boozer (Guangdong Southern Tigers)
2002 Draft: 2nd Round, 35th Pick
2-time All-Star (2007, 2008)
16.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.4 BPG, 52% FG%
Boozer never averaged less than 10.0 PPG in his career. Even as a rookie he started 54 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his second season he averaged 15.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG and after that season he became a free agent. He signed a six-year, $70 million contract with the Utah Jazz. With the Jazz he became one of the top power forwards in the NBA. In his 6 years with them he averaged 18.6 PPG and 10.2 RPG, insane stats for a former any player, especially a second rounder. Throughout those years he made the All-star Game twice, in 2007 and 2008. Sadly it went downhill once he left the Utah Jazz for the Chicago Bulls. He signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. He couldn’t stay healthy throughout his years there which led to his buyout in the 2014–2015 season and he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for one season. After not finding a team in the NBA, he went overseas to play for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the CBA.
4. Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks)
2006 Draft: 2nd Round, 47th Pick
4-time All-star (2014–2017)
14.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 49% FG%, 33% 3P%
Right now Paul Millsap is the Atlanta Hawks. Since Al Horford left Atlanta for the Celtics, Millsap has become the number one option on the team and he hasn’t looked back. He is averaging 18.1 PPG (a career high), 8.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG. He started his career off with the Utah Jazz but he didn’t break out until his 5th season and he has dominated since then. In the 2013 off-season the Utah Jazz were looking to go young with Derrick Favors so they let him walk and he decided to join the Atlanta Hawks. Every year since then he has been an All-Star. He is about to turn 32, and he’s looking like a Barry-Bondsesque ageless wonder (maybe test this guy’s pee? Just a thought).
3. Isaiah Thomas (Boston Celtics)
2011 Draft: 2nd Round, 60th Pick
2-time All-Star (2016.2017)
18.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 44% FG%, 36% 3P%
Other than Russell Westbrook and James Harden, has there been a better point guard than Mr. Irrelevant? Well, it depends on your opinion but let me tell you something! THIS MAN HAS BEEN UNSTOPPABLE! In January he is averaging 32.9 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.1 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 50% FG%, and 43% 3P%! It wasn’t always this easy for Thomas. He was drafted as Mr. Irrelevant by the Sacramento Kings in 2011 and he accomplished the impossible by starting 37 games in his rookie season with the Kings. It got better for him ever season. When he became a free agent he signed a team friendly four-year, $28 million contract with the Phoenix Suns. He came off the bench for them but dominated and was averaging 15.2 PPG. He was then traded to the Celtics and changed his career trajectory forever. He came off the bench for the 21 games he played for them but averaged 19.0 PPG. The following season he started 79 games and made his first All-Star game. Now we are in his complete emergence, dominating anyone and everyone that guards him. I don’t know how long this will last but enjoy it while it does because I doubt we’ll see anyone like Thomas again for a long time.
2. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
2012 Draft: 2nd Round 35th Pick
2-time All-Star (2016, 2017)
8.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 44% FG%, 34% 3P%
The stats don’t say everything about Green’s career. He is the actual heart of the Golden State Warriors. He leads the team in assists (7.4) and rebounds (8.4). He placed 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice, and he has 20 triple-doubles in his career! What would the team be without this man? His love for basketball gets his teammates pumped up and they play off his passion. He didn’t rise to stardom until 2014–2015 when everyone learned his name. He’s a 6'7 power forward that can bring up the ball, pass, shoot, and guard EVERY position. What team wouldn’t want a player like that. Just imagine how good he would be if he were with the Spurs? Who knows, but he is a pretty damn good player. He can go down as the biggest steal of all time and he’ll never let you, or himself, forget it.
1. Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies)
2007 Draft: 2nd Round 48th Pick
3-time All-Star (2012, 2015, 2017)
14.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 BPG, 50% FG%, 35% 3P%
Gasol is easily the best second round draft pick of the past fifteen years. He is the best player in Grizzlies history (even better than his brother Pau) and one of the most underrated players in the league. Gasol won the defensive player of the year award in 2013. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007 but never played a game for them. He was part of the Pau Gasol trade that brought him the Lakers. I would say the trade has worked out for both teams and neither team regrets anything. This season, probably his best, he is averaging 20.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.0 SPG. If he keeps this up he will probably make another All-NBA team.
