Preface
1987 was a not-so-famous draft year, and many stars such as David Robinson, Pippen, Reggie Miller and many other stars entered the league from this draft, among which Pippen, as the hero of the Bulls' two consecutive championships, did not even enter the top three picks at that time, and he was not selected by the SuperSonics until the fifth pick, and then was traded to the Bulls. Let's take a look back at what Pippen has accomplished throughout his career, and then take a look at who the four players who were drafted in front of him are, and how they have developed since they entered the league.
Fifth pick: Scottie Pippen
Career averages: 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2 steals
Pippen's first season with the Bulls, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, his performance on the court was very comprehensive, and he could help the team at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. Pippen also got better and better, and he sat firmly in the starting position from the second year, and slowly he became the most reliable helper by Jordan's side.
In 1991, the Bulls won the championship for the first time, and in the finals against the Lakers, Pippen played well, he averaged 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.4 steals and 1 block per game, and since then the Bulls have won the championship for three consecutive years, officially building their own dynasty. Then Jordan announced his retirement for the first time, but under Pippen's leadership, the Bulls still retained the playoff team competitiveness. In the 1993-1994 season, Pippen averaged 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and the Bulls ranked third in the East with a 55-27 record in the regular season.
In the 1994-1995 season, Pippen continued his hot form, still averaging 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, and he was also selected for the second consecutive season in the double team. Later, Jordan came back, and the two teamed up again to win three consecutive championships, but unfortunately because Pippen was getting older, the Bulls wanted to trade him away instead, so the contradictions between the two sides were becoming more and more obvious.
After the three consecutive championships in 1998, the Bulls still disintegrated, Pippen later played for the Rockets and the Trail Blazers, but failed to get the seventh championship ring of his career, and finally chose to return to the Bulls in 2003 to retire here.
In Pippen's 17-year career, he helped the team win championships six times, was named to the All-Star team seven times, was named to the All-Defensive Team 10 times, and was selected to the All-Star team seven times. Looking at so many excellent small forwards in NBA history, Pippen can also be among the best, and there may only be those supergiants who are better than him.
Fourth pick: Reggie Williams
Career averages: 12.5 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals
After Reggie Williams entered the league in 1987, his first stop was the Clippers, where he averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his rookie season, but his offensive efficiency was very low, shooting only 35.6% from the field. Williams was traded away before his rookie contract ended, and he didn't get much of a chance with the Cavaliers or Spurs until he moved to the Nuggets in the 1990-1991 season, and his career finally improved.
In the 1991-1992 season, because the Nuggets did not have a record requirement, Williams got a lot of playing time and possession, so his statistics also increased to 18.2 points, 5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and the shooting rate was close to 50%, which can also be called the highlight of his NBA career. However, after that, as the team slowly began to pursue victory, Williams had less and less possession, and soon his performance fell to the bottom, and he finally left the NBA at the age of 32.
Third pick: Denis Hopson
Career 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1 steal
As this year's scout, Hopson is a complete parallel commodity, he has played a total of 5 seasons in the NBA, and his best year has averaged only 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, and it is also because he played for the Nets, the league's most rookie at the time, so he got a lot of ball possession and playing time.
Luckily for Hopson, he was traded to the Bulls in 1990 and averaged 1.6 points per game as Jordan's bench playoff game, but still won a championship ring with the team.
Second pick: Almon Gilliam
Career averages: 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists
If Gilliam's career is viewed by the standards of a roster show, then he is clearly not qualified, because he has won the most prestigious individual accolade and has only been selected for the best rookie team. However, if you look at Gilliam by the standards of ordinary role players, then his career is quite decent, once he averaged double-doubles per game for 10 consecutive seasons, and at his peak, he also averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1 block per game.
First pick: David Robinson
Career averages: 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 3 blocks per game
Even when David Robinson entered the draft, everyone knew that he was going to serve in the army, but the Spurs still selected him with the top pick in their hands, and David Robinson's later performance did not disappoint them. In 1989, David Robinson officially landed in the NBA, and in his rookie season, he averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.
David Robinson played a total of 14 seasons in the NBA, during which he was undoubtedly one of the best players in the league at his peak, in 1995 at the age of 29, he was able to average 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.76 steals and 3.2 blocks per game, although this was not his most spectacular season, but this year the Spurs achieved the league's first record with his help, so in the end he was also successfully elected the MVP of his career.
Later, after Duncan joined the Spurs, David Robinson and the two joined forces, and finally in 1999 they helped the Spurs win the first championship in team history. After winning the second championship with the team in 2003, David Robinson chose to retire, and his career was indeed very successful, with MVP, DPOY, championship and other honors won over and over again, so he definitely deserves this first pick position, even if he does it again, he will definitely be the undoubted champion.