Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 5:18 pm  |  83 responses

Top 30 Post-Lottery First Round Draft Picks

Ranking the absolute steals since 1989.

by Jeremy Bauman / @JBauman13

So did you know that in 1989 there were just nine teams in the NBA Draft Lottery? That’s right, because the expansion Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves came to fruition in 1990, thus creating an 11-team lottery until 1996 when the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors came in to the League and pushed the lottery up to 13 teams. Finally, when the Charlotte Bobcats came about in 2005 we entered the modern day lottery system that we now watch on TNT every year during the Playoffs.

What’s the point? Each and every year teams draft in the lottery and miss out on players who become formidable in the League for years to come. Going back to 1989, what I have decided to do is rank the players who have been drafted outside of the lottery—whether it was outside of the top nine in 1989 or outside the top 14 in 2005.

There is no single way to accurately rank these players, so what I decided to do was take a look at statistics and combine those with the individual players’ overall career. For example, Derek Fisher might not have the best numbers on this list but the way he plays the game and the championships he has been a part of helped drive him up this list in to the top.

One other thing I’d like to mention is that it is tough to weigh the potential of current players against the lengthy careers of some of the guys on this list. With that being said, I did the best job I could of placing the younger guys where I thought they deserved to be on this list based on their production to this point and their potential for the future.

30. Rodney Stuckey | Drafted by Detroit Pistons | 2007 Draft | 15th Overall
It’s fitting that a player taken just outside the modern lottery is the guy who will start this list off. The Detroit Pistons made Stuckey their man with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 Draft. In his sophomore season at Eastern Washington, Stuckey averaged 24.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.4 steals per contest, proving that he was a capable scorer and leader in the process even though he was at a mid-major school. Since the Pistons shipped Chauncey Billups out west to Denver, the team has been his to run, where he has averaged 13 points and 4.3 assists per game while trying to help his squad return to the Playoffs. Stuckey has lots of skill and could definitely move up this list in time.

29. Andrei Kirilenko | Drafted by Utah Jazz | 1999 Draft | 24th Overall
AK-47 isn’t great in one particular area and that is exactly what makes him special. The Russian small forward was selected 24th by the Utah Jazz in the 1999 Draft and has proven his worth since, although he has been marred by inconsistency at times, especially at the offensive end where he has a career average of 12.4 points. But the reason he is valuable isn’t because of his offense but rather his defensive prowess—he has averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for his career and is very versatile. Kirilenko makes winning plays and hustles constantly and for that, he just barely makes this list.

28. Josh Howard | Drafted by Dallas Mavericks | 2003 Draft | 29th Overall
Howard attended Wake Forest for all four years of school, increased his scoring every year until he had a career high of 19.5 points per game his senior year and shot 48.3 percent from the field overall. I remember watching him a few times when he was in college (and I was young) and saying that I thought he was a very good player who coZydrunas Ilgauskasuld do a little bit of everything out there. Still, Howard went 29th overall to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2003 Draft. Off the court he has had his fair share of issues but on the court he has been pretty consistent as a role player, averaging 15.3 points, 6 rebounds a game while also guarding the other team’s most potent scorer most of the time.

27. Zydrunas Ilgauskas | Drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers | 1996 Draft | 20th Overall
Z was drafted 20th in the 1996 Draft by the Cavaliers. He has averaged double figures in 11 out of 12 seasons and all of them have come in Cleveland for the Cavaliers, so consistency is definitely the key word for Ilgauskas. A native of Lithuania, Big Z might not be as athletic as other big men but he is certainly more consistent in pick-and-pop situations than your average center. Next season will be different for Ilgauskas—he has decided to follow his former teammate LeBron James to South Beach in the hopes of winning a title. If he stays consistent for the Heat he will be a major help from the outside.

26. Hedo Turkoglu | Drafted by Sacramento Kings | 2000 Draft | 16th Overall
The product of Turkey was drafted 16th overall in 2000 by the Sacramento Kings where he played alongside fellow list mate and European import Peja Stojakovic. He played well in Sacramento given his role and playing time but really started to come on once he reached the Magic in 2004. He played an integral part in helping them to reach the Finals in 2009 abilities to perform in isolation situations and clutch shooting on display. He sought a bigger contract and took on a much tougher role in Toronto last season where he struggled but is on the verge of being traded to Phoenix, where he should thrive in their up-tempo offense.

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  • trox Posted: Jul.14 at 5:25 pm
    why is brandon roy not on this list?

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Jul.14 at 5:31 pm
    Nice work, Jeremy. @trox: because he was a lottery pick.

  • Saami Posted: Jul.14 at 5:33 pm
    LOL @ trox

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Jul.14 at 5:44 pm
    awesome list

  • Enigmatic Posted: Jul.14 at 5:50 pm
    That first comment was a straight up fail.

  • rainman10 Posted: Jul.14 at 6:20 pm
    No Sam Cassell? Tayshaun Prince?

  • Ethan Posted: Jul.14 at 6:28 pm
    What about Ginobili?

  • WdJ Posted: Jul.14 at 6:36 pm
    D Fish? You must be back on the pipe! I’m a Laker fan, and D is not in the same league as the top 15 or so players. Nice try, but no!

  • JP Posted: Jul.14 at 6:38 pm
    Shawn Kemp was a MONSTER

  • JL Posted: Jul.14 at 6:56 pm
    man why did kemp have to eat his way out of the league. he was good even tho he was overweight on the cavs too. if not he woulda had a hall of fame career. i would still vote for him though. nobody dunks like him now. no one. not after they put in the stupid charge circle.

  • K. Lee Posted: Jul.14 at 6:58 pm
    GINOOOOOOOOOOBBLLIIIIII (Barkley Voice)

  • wayno Posted: Jul.14 at 6:59 pm
    Yeah, Tayshaun Prince definitely deserves to be on this list.

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Jul.14 at 7:35 pm
    The Kings can Draft!

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Jul.14 at 7:36 pm
    No Ginobili because it’s first round only.

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Jul.14 at 7:40 pm
    Manu was second round. Ak47 is way too low, wilson chandler has no business on this list. fisher is WAY too high, rondo is too high. Tay has to be on here. Switch tony and steve and its all good. Everyone knows steves mvps are a joke, ad as great as some ppl say he is, all hes done is never make it to the finals, tony has 3 rings and a finals mvp too, how the F is he not number one?!

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Jul.14 at 7:44 pm
    Yes ryne, kings drafted very well.

  • Drew Posted: Jul.14 at 7:51 pm
    Isn’t lottery considered the first 14 draft picks? How did Jalen Rose get on this list if he was selected 13th overall?

  • LB Posted: Jul.14 at 8:16 pm
    Good list, but D-Fish over Rondo? Come on, man~ I know Fish has got all the rings and proves to be a clutch performer every year, but come on, man Fish has always been and will always be a role player. Rondo is a franchise point guard.

  • Atrain Posted: Jul.14 at 8:48 pm
    Wilson Chandler? Really?

  • NBA kid Posted: Jul.14 at 9:08 pm
    @drew, read the criteria of the list. at the time, rose wasn’t lottery cause there weren’t as many teams

  • Will Posted: Jul.14 at 9:25 pm
    D Fish over Tim Hardaway, Really?

  • Mike Posted: Jul.14 at 9:29 pm
    You left Rashard Lewis out??? He should have been in the top 10, at least.

  • Tzvi Twersky Posted: Jul.14 at 9:34 pm
    Love the idea, question some of the placements. And that’s what I love about it.

  • ron Posted: Jul.14 at 9:35 pm
    No Gilbert? No Monta?

  • Jeremy Bauman Posted: Jul.14 at 9:53 pm
    Agreed Tzvi, that’s what its all about. Tayshaun was omitted by accident, he probably should be on there and I meant to get him on there. Thank you @ NBA kid for reading the criteria and explaining that. Wilson Chandler could pan out to be a lot better player than people think. If he goes to a team that actually plays defense, that is. Rashard Lewis was in the 2nd round. Another list will be coming at some point with the best second rounders, count on it!

  • Jukai Posted: Jul.14 at 11:09 pm
    Great list, but can we do a second round list? That’s way more interesting.

  • letsmotor Posted: Jul.14 at 11:51 pm
    Great list, and I had fun reading it. My only point of disagreement (at least for the moment) is Derek Fisher’s placing. I know he’s a strong, winning role player who brings toughness, intangibles, and clutch shooting ability, and that’s all great, but he’s just not the same class of player as the top 10 or 15 guys on this list. I’m not all about stats, but let’s face it, stats mean something, and I don’t see how a PG with averages of 9, 3, and 2 comes in at number 4, even given all his attributes.

  • benny Posted: Jul.15 at 12:15 am
    GINOBILI!!!! and ARENAS!!!!!

  • letsmotor Posted: Jul.15 at 12:26 am
    Ginobili and Arenas both went in the second round, Benny. They’d definitely be up there on a list of the best players to go in the second round.

  • drob50 Posted: Jul.15 at 1:29 am
    Speaking of Doug Christie, how about a list of Top 30 basketball wives?

  • johnny c Posted: Jul.15 at 1:41 am
    arenas is my pick for best second rounder. gotta put ginobli, boozer, and redd on the list too. cant wait to see that one.

  • Sporting-Lisbon-Blazers Posted: Jul.15 at 2:16 am
    good read…wha?!?!?!?Casspi, Hakim Warrick getting love in the future references before NicBatum?!?!?!? GTFOH

  • curt Posted: Jul.15 at 2:17 am
    I thought the lottery starts at the 15th pick?

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Jul.15 at 3:06 am
    manu is the best second round player of all time, no contest, not even close.

  • CClass Posted: Jul.15 at 5:00 am
    Wow, way to fact check your Ron Artest portion of this piece…”the Indiana Pacers decided to take him after with the 17th pick”….He was drafted 16th by the Bulls. This is just terrible.

  • M5 Posted: Jul.15 at 6:15 am
    This is the only time the Grizzlies and Raptors can keep Kobe out of the top of the list.

  • hendry Posted: Jul.15 at 7:08 am
    if u list jalen rose as a 13th pick, HOW IN THE WORLD CAN U LEAVE OUT KOBE????!!!

  • Overtime Posted: Jul.15 at 7:22 am
    Would be much better if people read the article before making outrageous remarks on the list

  • spit hot fiyah Posted: Jul.15 at 7:58 am
    co-sign everyone who thought fisher is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too high on this list…

  • Yesse Posted: Jul.15 at 8:18 am
    I think Fisher was a bit too high there. Now i’m not saying he should be on the list, because he definetly should. I also think that many of the players are on the wrong spot on the list.

  • letsmotor Posted: Jul.15 at 9:00 am
    how about that claim that Kirilenko “isn’t great in one particular area”? um… defense?

  • Kap Posted: Jul.15 at 9:51 am
    Why can’t people read that it says first round and comprehend the the lottery is only 14 teams and was 13 before bobcats.

  • wayno Posted: Jul.15 at 10:14 am
    I like the concept of this list…You should do best 2nd rounders and best undrafted players next.

  • Richie Posted: Jul.15 at 10:19 am
    I like Chandler too. He’s underrated because he’s a knick. Lots of potential there, although his placement compared to those below might be a bit high considering his lack of overall success.

  • Bryan Posted: Jul.15 at 10:38 am
    Tim over d-fish? Maybe it was because of where fisher was drafted to see his career pan out the way it did but dont get it twisted, Timmy Two-Step was aa far better player then fisher who was great in his own right

  • Bryan Posted: Jul.15 at 10:39 am
    d fish over timmy was what i meant to say

  • marc Posted: Jul.15 at 10:43 am
    Is it me or does michael finley’s pic look a lil bit like kevin durant. lol

  • mgballer Posted: Jul.15 at 10:49 am
    youve got to be kidding me with DFish ahead of Rondo..Thats comedy..i don’t think Derek Fisher ever had the potential of being a franchise player.. great role player but he isnt and will never be rondo

  • Ryne Nelson Posted: Jul.15 at 11:08 am
    marc, I see it. The Suns need to bring those alternates back, too.

  • Mo Posted: Jul.15 at 12:51 pm
    What about Nick Van Exel or Ben Wallace. Those guys were steals in the 2nd round.

  • Tim W Posted: Jul.15 at 2:22 pm
    didnt anyone read the whole thing? the list is of FIRST ROUNDERS that werent lottery picks. at times there were less lottery picks thats why kobe wasnt picked and jalen was and why no arenas or ginobli….

  • Overtime Posted: Jul.15 at 2:29 pm
    Mo, please, please READ!

  • lupe Posted: Jul.15 at 2:32 pm
    SLAM, please stop letting college kids report sh*t like this. If you are under 25, maybe even 30, you have no business attempting to make up “lists” of the top anything of all time. Come on SLAM, yall have fallen waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off over the last 5 or so years, PICK IT UP. DAMN.

  • RUN'N'GUN21901 Posted: Jul.15 at 3:56 pm
    I think most of the poster here are “RATARDS” READ THE WHOLE ARTCLE BEFORE POSTING DUMB ASS QUESTION…. THIS LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE SECOND ROUND PICKS!!!!!!

  • RUN'N'GUN21901 Posted: Jul.15 at 4:02 pm
    And yes fisher should be ahead of rondo and so should alot of other players on this list. Rondo is good but he might be the most over rated player in the league. Top 5 point gaurd? yeah right. i can name 7 who are better than him. DWill,CP3,DRose,steve nash, baron davis,westbrook,billups.. Rondo misses to many lay-ups, cant shoot, and no defense(he plays passing lanes like old iverson) so yeah fisher over rondo cause he has been running championship teams since 1999

  • RUN'N'GUN21901 Posted: Jul.15 at 4:03 pm
    And yes fisher should be ahead of rondo and so should alot of other players on this list. Rondo is good but he might be the most over rated player in the league. Top 5 point gaurd? yeah right. i can name 7 who are better than him. DWill,CP3,DRose,steve nash, baron davis,westbrook,billups.. Rondo misses to many lay-ups, cant shoot, and no defense(he plays passing lanes like old iverson) so yeah fisher over rondo cause he has been running championship teams since 1999 and playing a big part in those championship teams

  • RUN'N'GUN21901 Posted: Jul.15 at 4:05 pm
    my bad for the double post

  • Javy Posted: Jul.15 at 5:44 pm
    Does Arenas get on this list?….he is a freak!!
    I don’t know in what round he got picked but I know he wears “#0″ for a reason and I think is because they passed on him.
    Don’t know!!

  • hoodsnake Posted: Jul.15 at 6:23 pm
    I only see up til number 26 on my phone for some strange reason but Mike Finley is on this list right? Right?

  • I am the walrus Posted: Jul.15 at 8:00 pm
    No Kobe???

  • WM Posted: Jul.15 at 9:11 pm
    Even with the knucklehead gun incident Gil deserves to be on this list.

  • dfrance21 Posted: Jul.15 at 10:27 pm
    Its like people read the title, then come straight to the comments. Gil was second round man. I don’t feel like if you were a top 20 pick, regardless of the number of lottery teams, you can really be considered a “steal.” Artest for example(who was drafted 16th and by the Bulls btw). He’s had a way better career than most picked before him, but he was picked 16th which was just 3 picks outside the lottery. He was a sophomore from St. Johns averaged around 15 points, not an all-American. Not great at any one thing, not that athletic. You can justify teams passing up on him.

  • jsbauman Posted: Jul.15 at 11:24 pm
    You can absolutely justify teams passing on him, you are correct. But one can still call him a steal because he was passed up on by enough teams and he turned out to be an elite defender and nba champion in the end.

  • Lazarus Posted: Jul.16 at 4:39 am
    hate the list. like the idea.

  • hoodsnake Posted: Jul.16 at 6:08 am
    Yeah most of the people who commented on this article didnt read it properly(STUPID) or didnt want to read it properly(IGNORANT AND STUPID)

  • Reflex Posted: Jul.16 at 8:33 am
    cosign lazarus

  • Larsylad Posted: Jul.16 at 8:54 am
    Kobe? KOBE?

  • Kundai Posted: Jul.16 at 1:46 pm
    Kobe is in the lottery he was 13. no gilbert im surprised

  • jamal ypungblood Posted: Jul.16 at 5:12 pm
    Gilbert, michael redd, giniboli. i like when people make lists but this one is absoutely trash. d-fish is trah too.

  • The Seed Posted: Jul.17 at 12:04 am
    As a Laker fan, Fisher is not on this list. Sorry Slam and Nash one is sad, two white media influenced MVP’s is not indicative of sorry he has been over his whole career. Tim Hardaway and Tony Parker are over Nash. Sprewell was a beast, should be higher on this list.

  • B.C. Posted: Jul.17 at 1:28 am
    Ron Artest was drafted 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls not 17th overall by the Indiana Pacers.

  • alex Posted: Jul.17 at 12:39 pm
    uh, where the f*%k is monta ellis? you have to put him in the top 15 at least

  • Conan O' Rhymin Posted: Jul.17 at 2:31 pm
    Aaron Brooks anybody??…

  • L Posted: Jul.17 at 3:33 pm
    Top 30 second round picks ONLY (no undrafted)since 1989:
    Manu Ginobili
    Carlos Boozer
    Gilbert Arenas
    Stephen Jackson
    Toni Kukoc
    Nick Van Excel
    Cliff Robinson
    Michael Redd
    Memet Okur
    Monta Ellis
    Mo Williams
    Antonio Davis
    Luis Scola
    Carl Landry
    Rafer Aslton
    Paul Millsap
    Cedric Ceballos
    Eric Snow
    Donny Marshall
    Trevor Ariza
    Louis Williams
    Roger Mason
    Steve Blake
    Jason Kapono
    Marcin Gortat
    Earl Watson
    CJ Miles
    Corey Brewer
    Anderson Verajao
    Malik Rose
    Byron Russell Let me know what you think of it. L

  • Clayton Posted: Jul.17 at 9:51 pm
    haha trox. anyways better question…why isnt aaron brooks on this list? or atleast in the honourable mentions at the end..

  • unrel Posted: Jul.18 at 2:10 am
    every time you guys see a list.. you turn it into a one-on-one tourney.. yes.. rondo is better than fisher.. but who’s had the better career so far?.. that’s why i can understand his placement being as high as it is.. you folks are crazy sometimes..

  • Jukai Posted: Jul.18 at 4:36 am
    unrel: It’s not “who had the best career” it is “who were the best steals.” Honestly, Rondo was a far better pick than Fisher, who has hit HUGE shots in his career, but has never been even the third best man on any team he has been on

  • Ronald Posted: Jul.18 at 5:27 am
    I know everyone is barking that its a Post-Lottery but limited to 1st Round article. But, is such an article really necessary? The discourse seems to be along the lines of players that were “steals” yet it seems to ignore 2nd round players or players that were undrafted. It also seems to forget that the average reader’s comprehension would have allowed them to easily miss out the fact that it’s 1st round focus.

  • Hursty Posted: Jul.18 at 10:47 am
    man, some people are just plain stupid.

  • VCsux Posted: Jul.18 at 7:14 pm
    very good list, however, i noticed a couple of errors…1) granger was drafted 17th overall in 05 – right after joey “don’t call me stephen” graham…2)ron artest was drafted 16th overall by CHI-city, not indiana….

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jul.18 at 8:35 pm
    Ronald: Yes such an article is necessary, because Post-Lottery first round is NOT THE SAME as second round! Of course there have been countless “steals” in the second round–but that has nothing to do with this article! It’s an interesting discussion to have here, which we can do in the comments section, but don’t complain about the article when it clearly tells you what its about.

  • Clement Posted: Jul.23 at 7:06 am
    whether or not this list makes sense to you is whether or not we’re going by how good/talented a player is (and thus considered a “steal”), or how their career/resume panned out. It’s kinda like the debate between better vs. greater. That being said. i agree with everyone who said fisher is way too high. also granger is not 6-7, he’s listed at 6-8 and possibly taller. could list other mistakes on this list but wth.

  • Kafele Posted: Jul.29 at 2:35 pm
    Wow, Steve Nash is def better then tony parker. 1. Put Tony parker on those Suns teams, n they dont even win 30 games. 2. If nash were on the spurs they prolly would have won 5 championships, you forget that Parker played with arguably the best Big PF in the game. 3. His MVPS were a joke? Ru on crack? This man made a complete team way better, besides Joe Johnson look at the numbers of the ppl that left the Suns…. Nuff said. Steve Nash is def better than Tony Parker.

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