Every NBA draft has a player, or even more, who ends up being the main player on the team because the performance is too low, and those teams are lucky and smart enough to accept them.
From 2001 to 2010, look at the players who should not be missed in each draft in these 10 years. The list takes into account the player's overall career, not just their performance on the draft team.
2001: Tony Parker (28th overall)
Career income: $168,282,460
Career stats: 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 32.4 three-point shooting in 18 seasons
His previously selected players: Raul Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Samuel Dellembert and Jamal Tinsley
Tony Parker was drafted at the end of the first round in 2001 and eventually won four championships with the Spurs, won the Finals MVP, and was named to six All-Star teams and four NBA All-NBA Teams.
During his great performances in the 2000s and 2010s, Parker almost began a trend of steals in San Antonio late in the draft. The French pointer began playing as Spurs point guard in the fifth game of his 19-year-old rookie season, which was almost unheard of in the early 2000s and is rare to this day, especially for the point guard.
In addition to Parker, other players were missed in the 2001 draft, including Gilbert Arenas (31st overall pick) and Mohammed Oku (38th overall pick).
2002: Carlos Boozer (35th overall)
Career income: $143,475,590
Career stats: 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 52.1 shooting percentage in 13 seasons
His previously selected players: Roger Mason, Robert Archibald, Vincent Yabro and Dan Gazurik
Carlos Boozer may not have the championship honors of Parker, but he did enjoy an impressive 13-year career, witnessing him twice in the All-Star Team and one selection to the NBA All-NBA Third Team, while averaging nearly a triple-double during his game. Boozer also won the gold medal as part of the "Redemption Team" at the 2008 U.S. Olympics.
In his heyday, Boozer was an offensive leader in the big forward position, a reliable mid-range jumper for any big man of his time. Boozer eventually became Duke's best player to be selected in 2002, and considering the prestigious university had two players selected with the top three picks that year, Jay Williams and Mike Dunllivi were impressive.
If traded by the Cavaliers early in his career and remained LeBron James' partner throughout the mid-2000s. That could be a deadly duo.
Other players who can be considered missed in this draft level are Amare Stoudemire, who ended up being the best player in the draft class but dropped to the 9th pick, along with Louis Scola (56th pick) and Tythaun Springs (No. 23).
2003: Kyle Korver (51st overall)
Career income: $83,721,338
Career stats: 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 42.9 three-point shooting in 17 seasons
His previously selected players: Mo Williams, James Lang, James Jones and Pachelis Morend
His career stats may not stand out as much as the other players on this list, but Kyle Korver will be one of the greatest outside shooters in league history, and he managed to make it to the NBA despite nearly missing out. Korver currently ranks fourth all-time with 2,450 three-pointers, though he's in a time far short of the NBA's three-point friendliness today. What's more, Korver even made an All-Star selection once when he didn't average more than 14.4 points per game this season.
Korver became a huge missed player in the 2003 draft and is considered by many to be one of the greatest two or three men of all time. He may not have reached an astonishing peak, but for a long time he was a quality shooter for a competitor.
Compared to other drafts before and after him, you'll see how much value Korver has created in that position. Just to compare, 2002 51st pick rookie Frederico Camerix never played a second game in the NBA. And The 51st pick of the 2004 draft, Christian Dreyer, has also never seen an NBA play a minute.
However, Korver wasn't the only misser in 2003, let alone Mo Williams (47th overall) as the wrong pick that year.
2004: Al Jefferson (15th overall)
Career earnings: $133,787,578 career
Career statistics: 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 49.9 shooting in 14 seasons
El Jefferson was a returning big man at his peak, being drafted directly by the Celtics after graduating from high school in 2004 and spending three seasons there, including averaging 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 2006-07.
Jefferson was never unexpectedly named to the All-Star Team, but he did earn the honor of finishing third on the All-Team of the 2013-14 season, when he scored 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in 73 Games for the Hornets and led them into the playoffs.
Despite the risk of moving straight from the reserves straight into the pros, Jefferson's career has been very successful, and for the NBA, which started smaller and smaller at his peak, as his elite low-post game proved to be a fantastic counter-attack.
Another player missed out on from the 2004 draft was Trevor Ariza, who remains active and efficient as a 3D swing man, and although he was drafted a long time ago, his NBA career looks like he's still a few years away. The 43rd pick in 2004, arguably Ariza, the 2009 NBA champion for the Lakers, was a bigger miss than Jefferson, but he wasn't as close to the top as Jefferson, so we chose the big man on the ground instead.
2005: Louis Williams (45th overall)
Career income: $80,698,368
Career stats: Averaged 14.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 42.0 shooting in 16 seasons
His previously selected players: Rocco Ukic, Chris Taft and Martinas Andreus Skovicius
In a list full of draft night missed players, Lou Williams has a good case that is considered one of the biggest misses ever, at least among players who were missed in the second round. Williams will be one of the greatest sixth-men of all time, winning the award three times and even getting Drake's shouts in a song about the strength of his substitute appearances.
Williams still moves on as a member of the Hawks 16 years after being drafted, providing the team with top-notch one-on-one scoring and helping them lead them to a spot near the Finals.
In Williams and Montaellis, you have two guys who graduated from high school with a master's degree in barrel science and were selected in their 40s in 2005, and they ended up enjoying long and successful NBA careers doing what they do best/do best: putting the ball in the basket.
2006: Kyle Lowry (24th overall)
Career earnings: $190,048,698 career
Stats: Averaged 14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 42.4 shooting in 15 seasons
If Kyle Lowry is in his 20s like he was in his 30s, it's no exaggeration to say that he might become a Hall of Famer, given lowry's six-time all-Star, one all-time all-third team, and an NBA championship, all of which happened in the 2014-15 season, when a point guard's Bulldog was 28 years old.
Lowry hasn't reached Steve Nash's heights yet, but he did have a similar late-blooming career that doesn't even seem to slow down yet.
It was a close encounter with No. 47 rookie Paul Millsap, who himself had four All-Star Games, but Lowry's best lineup and championship took him over the top.
Rajon Rondo, who went with the 21st pick that year, was another good candidate who was considered the best wrong pick in the 2006 draft, but Lowry lived long enough to put him ahead of Rondo in what we see as a difference. Rondo suddenly fell when he was 30 years old, and Lowry's peak only started at the same age.
2007: Marc Gasol (48th overall)
Career income: $178,972,465
Career stats: 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 48.1 shooting percentage in 13 seasons
His previously selected players: RayShaun Terry, Jared Jordan, Stephen Rusme and Dominic McGuire
The Grizzlies traded Paul Gasol to the Lakers in 2008 in exchange for a package that included his younger brother, Mark Gasol, putting the Grizzlies under enormous pressure. Almost no one knew that the deal would ultimately produce a very good result for both sides, with Mark becoming a three-time All-Star and one-team best-team center for Memphis.
Marc Gasol will also go on to win the championship like his older brother, but he did so as a member of the Raptors rather than at the Grizzlies. Add to that his second All-In-Between, a Defensive Player of the Year once and his four gold and three silver medals for the Spanish national team, and you can attest to the fact that the young Gasol will travel to his same place: the Hall of Fame.
Not bad for the 48th overall pick in 2007.
Other players who may be seen as mis-selected include Jokinoa (9th overall), Thaddeus Young (12th overall pick) and Jared Dudley (22nd pick), but this is one of the easier players to choose from this list: Gasol Jr. is a typical missed player in 2007.
2008: DeAndre Jordan (35th overall pick)
Career income: $149,247,051
Career stats: 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.6 rebounds and 67.4 shooting percentage in 13 seasons
His previously selected players: Nikola Pekovic, Walter Sharp, Joey Dorsey and Mario Chalmers
Despite being drafted in the second round, DeAndre Jordan's career has been impressive, including All-Team First Team, NBA All-Team Three-Team and one All-Star Team, while leading the league in rebounds twice.
Any time you get so much accolade from a mid-30s player, it's a miss.
The 2008 draft actually had a lot of players who could be considered missed, with players like Sergi Ibaka, Nicholas Batum and Mario Chalmers all being selected in the 24th or higher position, and the player closest to replacing Jordan with the biggest miss in 2008, with Golan Dragic being selected with the 45th pick that year.
However, while Dragic won the European Basketball Gold medal and MVP Award, as well as being named to the All-Team for the third time, Jordan received more impressive accolades in his NBA career that made him nod here.
2009: Stephen Curry (7th overall)
Career income: $208,955,382
Career stats: Averaged 24.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 43.3 three-point shooting in 12 seasons
His previously selected players: James Harden, Terek Evans, Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn
Few people can call a player in the top 7 a miss on draft night, but whenever you get one of the greatest league-changing superstars in history, hall of famers, and MVPs outside the top six when they were in the league twice, you can safely call that choice a miss... Especially when two players who were drafted before him ended their NBA careers.
That's what the Golden State Warriors were able to get when they picked Stephen Curry with the 7th pick in 2009, thanks to their lucky star.
After all, for the Timberwolves, who were in desperate need of a star possession player at the time, it was not one but two point guards in the two drafts before Curry, Ricky Rubio and Joni Flynn, which was incredibly lucky for Golden State.
Juhoradi was another miss in 2009, ranking 17th overall, but there is no doubt that Curry missed the most that year.
2010: Paul George (10th overall)
Career income: $177,854,610
Career stats: 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 38.4 three-point shooting in 11 seasons
He is a previously selected player: Epe-Yudo, Greg Monroe, Alfararch Aminu and Gordon Hayward
The 2010 draft was a bit stronger and lacked MVP-caliber players, but it was compensated by multiple All-Star, fringe all-NBA players who were selected with the top 10 picks, including John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Gordon Hayward.
However, the best result was Paul George, who was the 10th pick that year, making him a missed player in 2010.
The decision became easier because George had been stalled by the NBA several times before george, and because players who started late in the first and second rounds didn't give us too many good options that were considered missed.
Other players include Hassan Whiteside (33rd overall pick) and Eric Bledsoe (18th overall pick), but neither of them is close to George's level nor has it made up for the difference by outpacing other players in similar draft positions in other years.