NBA Draft 2019: Best draft picks from No. 1-30 since 2000
By Joey Loose
2. Kevin Durant (2007)
He wasn’t good enough for the Trailblazers with the first pick, but after a great year at Texas, Durant was taken by the Supersonics right before they became the Thunder. While with the Thunder, he led the league four times in scoring and won an MVP. He joined the Warriors in 2016 and has added two titles and a pair of Finals MVP’s to his cabinet. He’s been in ten All-Star games and he’s become one of the game’s best forwards and scorers. Durant has averaged greater than 25 ppg each of the last 11 years and his productivity has been off the charts from all over the court.
You can love or hate his decision to head to Golden State, but Durant has become the best player in that 2007 draft class. Stars like Al Horford and Mike Conley came in subsequent picks, but there’s no doubt that the Thunder don’t regret their selection. If they had been able to keep him and Harden around, then that team could’ve won themselves a title or two by now. Regardless, Durant is the best #2 pick of the century and it’s almost not close.
Honorable mentions: Victor Oladipo (ORL – 2013), LaMarcus Aldridge (CHI – 2006), Tyson Chandler (LAC – 2001)
1. LeBron James (2003)
A standout high school player from Akron, James was taken #1 by the Cavaliers in 2003 and we all know what happened next. He’s won three NBA titles, 4 MVPs, and has been selected to the last 15 All-Star games. He’s been the biggest star in the league over the last decade, racking up titles after his decision to head to Miami. He once led the league in scoring and he always has solid rebounding and assists numbers. James is the best of the best and continues to play at a high level sixteen years after being drafted.
The selection of James was obvious, both as the top pick in 2003 and as the best top pick of the last decade. No player taken in 2003 has produced the same kind of career, not even his future teammates in Wade and Bosh. He blossomed immediately into a superstar and easily became the best draft pick of the 21st century.
Player comparisons for projected 1st Round draft picks. dark. Next
Ten years later, the Cavaliers would foolishly select Anthony Bennett with the top pick, but at least they got that one right, taking the hometown kid and watching him transform into a star.