Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
There Has Been No Top 3 Selected PG Who Was A Bust Since 1980
In this year’s draft, there is a possibility that the first three picks will all be point guards. As of now, it seems that Markelle Fultz will be the number one draft pick, followed by Lonzo Ball. The third pick could be small forward Josh Jackson, but Philadelphia also seems interested in De’Aaron Fox, who also is a point guard.
Reddit user Ifuckinglovebball decided to go back through drafts and found out that top three drafted point guards tend to do better than all the other positions. There isn’t a real bust on the list, that goes back to 1980.
2015:
D’Angelo Russell – too early to tell, looks pretty good so far
2011:
Kyrie Irving – 4x All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, NBA Champion
2010:
John Wall – 4x All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, All-Defense Second Team
2009:
James Harden – 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA, 6MOTY, League Assist Leader
2008:
Derrick Rose – 3x All-Star, All-NBA First Team, 2011 NBA MVP
2005:
Deron Williams – 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA
2002:
Jay Williams – career-ending near-fatal motorcycle accident immediately following a promising rookie year. Not a “bust” in the traditional sense.
1999:
Steve Francis – Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star
Baron Davis – 2x All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, 2x NBA Steals Leader
1998:
Mike Bibby – No notable accolades, but was a borderline All-Star on a very good Kings team and averaged over 20 ppg for multiple seasons
1997:
Chauncey Billups – 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, 2x All-Defense, NBA Champion
1996:
Allen Iverson – 11x All-Star, 7x All-NBA, 2001 NBA MVP, 4x Scoring Champ, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Famer
1994:
Jason Kidd – 10x All-Star, 6x All-NBA, 9x All-Defense, 5x Assists Leader, NBA Champion
1993:
Penny Hardaway – 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA
1991:
Kenny Anderson – All-Star
1990:
Gary Payton – 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA, 9x All-Defense, DPOY, NBA Champion, steals leader, Hall of Fame
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – Most Improved Player, 2x Free-Throw % Leader, put up 19/7 in his prime
1981:
Isiah Thomas – 12x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, 2x NBA Champion, Finals MVP, Assists Leader, Hall of Fame
37 years, not one real bust! That is impressive. When we think about the most recent draft busts, Kwame Brown, Darko Milicic, Anthony Bennett, Adam Morrison, Hasheem Thabeet and Michael Olowokandi are the first players to come into mind – none of them is a point guard.
