Dirk Nowitzki, the first person in the history of the Mavericks, led the team to help the Mavericks win the first championship in team history in 11 years, which can be described as terrifying. However, such a strong person was only ranked 9th in the 98 draft, which makes people sigh about how talented the top 8 players were that year.
Today, the author will take you to see why King Novitsky was selected in the ninth pick, who were the eight people in front of Nowitzki in 98, and what achievements they made after entering the league.
Nowitzki wasn't very expressive in that year's draft, and it is understandable that he didn't get a higher pick
Perhaps the biggest reason why Nowitzki wasn't drafted until the 9th pick is that Nowitzki played in Europe before he entered the league, and NBA teams don't know him very well. Nowitzki only started playing basketball at the age of 14, when his height skyrocketed to 190+cm, and he had to switch from his specialty of tennis to basketball, because such height was too abrupt for a tennis player, and no scouts paid attention to Nowitzki before that.
However, Nowitzki is particularly talented, and in just two years he has made a name for himself in Europe, and at the age of 16 he represented the German youth team at the European Youth Basketball Championship. But this is also what made him the attention of some small scouts, and it was not until 98, when Nowitzki, who had been honed for six years, completely became one of the brightest basketball stars in Europe, that NBA scouts paid attention to the future superstar.
Unfortunately, due to the short period of attention and the fact that European basketball was generally weak at that time, except for some teams that paid special attention to European basketball, such as the Dallas Mavericks, other teams did not know much about Nowitzki's story and were hesitant to choose Nowitzki in the lottery, so it was not until the 9th pick that Nowitzki was selected by the Mavericks in the form of a signing trade with the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick.
The top-eight picks in the '98 draft
No. 8 pick, Larry Hughes
As a player who was drafted with the Nouvitz pick, Larry Hughes is often compared to him by fans and then mocked the 75 team that missed Nowitzki. However, Larry Hughes had no problem with the eighth pick, and although he averaged only 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his career, he was dwarfed by Nowitzki, but at his peak he could reach 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals, and was named the NBA steal leader in the 04-05 season, which was very much in line with the expectations of the 75ers when they were looking for players who could contribute in multiple positions. So Larry Hughes shouldn't be ridiculed, he was selected with the eighth pick and didn't live up to the team's expectations.
No. 7 pick, Jason Williams
From the time he never entered the league, Williams was known for his brilliant passing and ball handling skills. As an entertaining point guard, Jason Williams was a perfect fit for the Kings looking to add backcourt creativity and diverse playstyles, so it was no surprise that he was drafted by the Kings with the 7th pick. It is also worth mentioning that, like Nowitzki, Jason Williams also had a glittering career in the NBA, and was once known as "white chocolate, one man with the ball and nine people panic". He averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game throughout his career.
No. 6 pick, Robert Traylor
Robert Traylor, this guy's career is too mediocre compared to the above two. Because since entering the league, he has been seriously overweight, 203cm tall and weighs as much as 129 kilograms, once called a "tractor", and because of the overweight caused some heart problems, Traylor only played 7 seasons before leaving the NBA at the end of the 2004-05 season, and only contributed 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his entire career. However, it is worth mentioning that he was drafted by the Mavericks at the beginning, and then exchanged with the Bucks' No. 9 pick to get Nowitzki, that is, he was a single exchange for the No. 1 king. As for why he was drafted by the Bucks in this way, it may be that the Bucks want to strengthen the basket through him.
No. 5 pick, Vince Carter
Like Nowitzki, Vince J. Brown, who was drafted with the 5th pick, was named at the 5th pick. Carter is also a legend in the NBA, 8 NBA All-Star team, 3 times selected to the NBA Best Team, world-renowned dunk king, averaged 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game at his peak, although he fell at the peak of his career because of injuries, so that there was no finals in his career, and he only averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1 steal per game in his career, but he played 22 seasons in the NBA with his tenacious will and love for basketball, and was the player who has played in the NBA for the longest time.
No. 4 pick, Antoine Jamison
Antoine Jamison, unlike Nowitzki, has shown a lot of dominance and instant play in the American college league, and scouts are very interested in him, so it is only natural that he will be selected by the team in the high pick. And although his entire career is not brilliant, he is at least a two-time All-Star, averaging 21.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game at his peak. And in his 15-year career, he averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, making him a good player who met the team's expectations.
No. 3 pick, Reeve Lafrenz
Throughout his career, Reeve Lafrenz is clearly not qualified as a scout, as he can only be considered a qualified role player, not a star. He has never made it to an All-Star in his NBA career, and he has no substantial honors, averaging only 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, which is extremely bland. However, when he didn't enter the league, his talent really didn't say, not only is he a big man who can shoot and defend, but also has excellent range and blocking ability, and the Nuggets who want to enhance their interior strength will naturally not miss him, so it can only be said that the draft depends on luck.
No. 2 pick, Mike Bibby
Similar to Lafrentz, Mike Bibby is also a little unqualified as this year's top pick, not to mention not making an All-Star in his career, and he has no substantive honors. However, compared to Lafrentz, his statistics are indeed better, averaging 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game at his peak, and he can also get 14.7 points, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals in his 13-year NBA career, which is not too much beyond the expectations of the Grizzlies who originally selected him.
No. 1 pick, Michael Olowokandi
As the top pick, Michael Olowocandi is not even as good as this year's list, he is completely a parallel commodity, except for being selected to the All-Rookie Team twice, and his career average is only 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. I don't know if the original Clippers were deceived by his agent and marketing, and they would think that such a guy could change the defensive posture for them, which is really a blood loss.