NBA Draft 2019: Best draft picks from No. 1-30 since 2000
By Joey Loose
12. Steven Adams (2013)
Six years into a solid career at center, Adams remains one of the Thunder’s best picks of the last decade. Following his college career with Pittsburgh, he went with the 12th pick and quickly became the Thunder’s most talented big man. Adams has never been an All-Star and he’ll always be overshadowed by Russell Westbrook, but he was among the league leaders in both steals and rebounds this past season.
Obviously, Antetokounmpo went three picks later and would have been a better selection, but there was a whole lot worse that the Thunder could have done than landing a solid center like Adams. In a draft with a terrible first pick (Anthony Bennett), the Thunder narrowly avoided international players like Lucas Nogueira and Sergy Karasev who never produced on the NBA stage. They got a talented big man, though there’s a surprising lack of big names taken at pick 12.
Honorable mentions: Thaddeus Young (PHI – 2007), Nick Collison (SEA – 2003)
11. Klay Thompson (2011)
He’s been in the last five All-Star games, he’s already got three rings, and he’s already one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters. Former Washington State guard Klay Thompson (who was recruited by Tony Bennett) has become an elite player since the Warriors drafted him in 2011. Thompson has averaged 20 ppg each of the last five seasons and the Splash Brother is a big reason why this team has made five straight NBA Finals. Many more things can be said about Thompson, though his shooting continues to improve as his career progresses.
Thompson was taken after Jimmer Fredette and before Alec Burks and both picks would have been tragic mistakes for the Warriors. In retrospect, Thompson should have gone much sooner in the 2011 draft though the Warriors were the lucky winners of his services. Clearly, there was no guarantee that a shooter like Thompson would excel in the NBA (again, see Jimmer Fredette), but in today’s NBA every team needs a guard like him.