It was easy to grab LeBron James with the top pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. He was anointed "The Chosen One" before he took his first pro shot.
But how about the 14 teams that passed up on Kawhi Leonard in the 2011 Draft before the Spurs snatched the future Hall of Famer?
While we will never have wholesale agreements on how to build a basketball team, we know the draft is essential for any foundation. And the later you find them, the less you have to pay them, leaving room to spend inside the NBA's suffocating salary cap.
In the spirit of team building, let's look at the best NBA Draft picks ever, who were drafted outside the top-ten picks of their respective NBA Drafts.
10. Joe Dumars - 18th overall pick in 1985 by the Detroit Pistons
Dumars was not a no-brainer for this list because he wasn't a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame. But just like the fine folks at the Hall, Dumars gets the nod here because of his intangibles. As the sports world becomes increasingly tethered to stats, Dumars was known for things that don't beam from the box score - defense, rebounding, leadership, etc. Still he had just enough statistical bona fides to nudge him into the archives. He was a six-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA on defense, and was Isaiah Thomas's wingman on those Pistons teams that bagged two titles in the late-'80s (also with Dennis Rodman). Dumars was painfully private, and let his play speak entirely for himself. The clutch two-guard entered the Hall of Fame in 2006.
9. Nate Archibald - Second round, 19th pick in 1970 by the Cincinnati Royals
Perhaps the lone great player to bridge the gap between the Bill Russell Dynasty of the '60s and the Larry Bird behemoth of the '80s. Also known as "Tiny" because, well, he was by NBA standards, at barely over six feet tall. Though small in size, Archibald was big-time on the NBA hardwood, named an All-Star six times, was the scoring champ in 1973, and helped Bird bag his first NBA title in 1981. Tiny remained a big deal after he retired, entering the Hall of Fame in 1991.
8. George Gervin - 3rd round, 40th pick in 1974 by the Phoenix Suns
Known as the "Iceman" for his cool mien and smooth moves around the hoop, George Gervin is considered one of the most versatile and prolific scorers in NBA history. He was a 12-time All-Star, four time scoring champ, and, like Dr. J, is a legend in both the ABA and NBA. First he played for the Virginia Squires in 1972 then spent the rest of his sprawling career with the San Antonio Spurs, the latter merging with the NBA in 1976. Gerving retired in 1987, and then the Iceman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
7. Reggie Miller - 11th overall pick in 1987 by the Indiana Pacers
Before Stephen Curry, James Harden, and other long-range bombers utilized the three-point shot, Reggie Miller was the first to truly weaponize those long shots beyond the arc. Before Miller, the three-point line looked like it came from the next county. With his late-game heroics and courtside antics, Miller became something of a hardwood villain outside Indiana and his beloved Pacers, who drafted Miller out of UCLA back in the short-shorts era of the NBA. Maybe Miller didn't win an NBA crown, but he was the all-time leader from downtown and perhaps the most clutch shooter of his generation. Miller entered the Hall of Fame in 2012.
6. Dennis Rodman - Second round, 27th pick in 1986 by the Detroit Pistons
Long before he became a rainbow-haired, cross-dressing cultural sensation, Dennis Rodman was a muted young man from a microscopic school in Oklahoma with a maniacal defensive and rebounding style. Despite his limited offensive skills, Rodman was an essential member of two dynasties - the 1989-1990 Detroit Pistons that won consecutive NBA crowns thanks in large part to Rodman's defensive fury. Though Isaiah Thomas was the face of those clubs, Rodman was the backbone. Then Rodman made his way slightly west, to a team in Chicago led by some fella named Michael Jordan. Though Jordan was on his way to securing three more NBA titles in 1996-1998, and cementing his place as the game's greatest player of all-time, Jordan knew Rodman was a crucial cog who did the dirty work essential to winning titles. Rodman - who won the rebounding crown an astounding seven times - may be the last non-scorer to reach the Naismith Hall of Fame purely on sweat, not stats, in 2011.
5. Clyde Drexler - 14th overall pick in 1983 by the Portland Trail Blazers
Part of the famous "Phi Slamma Jamma" basketball fraternity, it's quite hard to believe that Drexler was the second-best player on his college team (Houston Cougars), then wound up being the best player in the history of an NBA franchise (Portland Trail Blazers). But so it was with Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, who teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon in college, was then drafted by Portland, where he spent 12 fabulous seasons. After he accomplished everything but an NBA title, he migrated to Houston, coincidentally, to play 3-plus years with his old college colleague, Olajuwon, who helped Drexler bag his only world championship. The Glide retired a ten-time All-Star and entered the Hall of Fame in 2004.
4. Julius Erving - 12th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972
The first to truly make the street game famous and fabulous in the NBA. Nicknamed "Dr. J" for all his high-flying, surgical strikes that seemed to defy gravity more by each move. When Erving dunked on some poor soul, it was often said that "The Doctor just made a housecall." Before Michael Jordan's scissor-kick visage was splashed across walls, posters, and sneakers, Dr. J was perfecting his game at Harlem's famous Rucker Park, his outsized Afro soaring over rims wherever he played.. Erving used his blacktop brilliance to help the New York Nets of the ABA win three titles in the 1970s, and then won an NBA championship with a loaded Philadelphia 76ers squad - featuring Moses Malone, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones - in 1983. The first to dunk from the foul line in a league sanctioned slam dunk contest. Entered the Hall of Fame in 1993.
3. John Stockton - 16th overall pick in 1984 by the Utah Jazz
Karl Malone may be the mailman, but someone had to hand him the mail. Stockton was a scrappy point guard who got under the skin of almost every guard he guarded. Most folks (understandably) think Magic Johnson, the greatest point guard of all-time, is the all-time leader in assists. But it's Stockton, playing Robin to Malone's Batman, who racked up more dimes (15,806) than any in history. Stockton, along with Malone, reached the NBA Finals twice, only to be thwarted by Jordan and his Bulls in the '90s. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
2. Karl Malone - 13th overall pick in 1985 by the Utah Jazz
What's so impressive about Karl Malone scoring 36,928 points during his NBA career? Only one man - an immortal named Kareem Abdul-Jabaar - has scored more. Malone averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds per game, and was named to 13 All-Star teams. Nicknamed "The Mailman" for his monolithic consistency at getting the ball in the basket. One might call Malone the Dan Marino of the NBA - arguably the greatest player of his sport not to win a world title, one of those conflicting compliments.
1. Kobe Bryant - 13th overall pick in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornet
The "Black Mamba" - so named for his snake-like ability to strike and deliver late-game poison upon the other team - is the closest thing we've ever seen to Michael Jordan. Bryant was built like Jordan, he scored like Jordan, played defense like Jordan, and even carried himself like Jordan. Indeed, Bryant even has five NBA titles to Jordan's six. Bryant's life and expanding legacy ended at 43 when he died during a tragic helicopter accident. Still, no one can dispute his 13 All-Star selections or his place as one of the ten greatest players in NBA history.
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