Preface
As one of the former four quarterbacks, Maddie was also the best in the league at his peak, he was not only selected as an All-Star many times, but also twice as the scoring champion and twice as the best team, which fully shows that Maddy was in the best years of his state, he was completely a star at the same level as Kobe Bryant, Iverson and other supergiants. And in addition to scoring, Maddy's style of play is actually very well-rounded, and in the 2002-2003 season he not only averaged 32.1 points per game, but also had 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals.
But when Maddy participated in the draft, he was only selected with the 9th pick in the first round, so where are the 8 players in front of him?
Eighth pick: Adonalfoyer (Warriors)
Career averages: 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game
Looking at the statistics, you can see that Foyer has been a role player in his entire career, he has played a total of 12 seasons in the NBA, and his highest scoring average is only 5.9 points per game, but with a decent defense, Foyer has been able to play in the league for so many years. But not to mention compared to Maddy, his type of player is simply a big hit in the NBA, so considering that he is also a lottery pick, the team that selected him can be said to be a big loss.
7th Pick: Tim Thomas (Nets)
Career averages: 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game
Compared to Foyer, Thomas is obviously much stronger, he averaged 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in his rookie season that year, and he was also selected to the All-Rookie Second Team. In Thomas's 13-year career, he also received a big contract of 66 million, and he finally retired because of his declining form and more time to take care of his sick wife.
He also contributed some famous scenes during Thomas's career, once against the Trail Blazers, where he made eight three-pointers in just two quarters, and later his Bucks teammate Ray Allen even praised him: "If he wants to, Thomas can be the best player in the league." In 2006, Thomas helped the Suns defeat the Lakers in four consecutive games after falling behind 1-3 in the first round, of which G1 and G6 he cut 22+15 and 21+10 respectively, and in G6 Thomas hit key three-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the team drag the series into a tiebreaker.
Sixth Pick: Ron Moser (Celtics)
Career averages: 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game
Mercer's performance when he first entered the league was quite impressive, he averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his rookie season, and was also selected for the best rookie team. In the 2000-2001 season, Mercer's scoring average rose to 19.7 points per game, but since he was traded to the Pacers, he has fallen off a cliff, and his average points per game have dropped to 4.8 points, and he was only 28 years old when he left the NBA.
5th Pick: Tony Barty (Nuggets)
Career averages: 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game
Barty's career development is also lower than people expected of him, as the No. 5 pick that year, he can only hover around 20 minutes of playing time after entering the league, which is not because the teams do not trust him, but mainly because his ability is limited, only half a volley on the offensive end, and the pace on the defensive end is relatively slow. However, if you look at Barty by the standards of a role player, then he can play in the league for 15 seasons is still very outstanding, and many players will be eliminated soon if they don't.
Fourth Pick: Antonio Daniels (Grizzlies)
Career averages: 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game
Daniels' path in the NBA was also a tortuous one, and the team initially developed him as a future core, but he proved unable to take on such a heavy responsibility, so he was traded to the Spurs the following season. However, in his first season with the Spurs, Daniels won the championship with the team, and he slowly found his own position, focusing more on defense and organization on the court, and finally he also handed out 2,934 assists in the NBA when he retired.
3rd Pick: Chauncey Billups (Celtics)
Career averages: 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1 steal
When Billups first entered the league, he didn't perform as well as he could, failing to even make the All-Rookie Second Team in his rookie season, and he was involved in a number of trades since then, which led to four teams in his first five seasons. Billups chose to join the Pistons in 2002, which became the right decision of his career, and here he also played the same up as people expected him.
In 2004, with the help of Billups, the Pistons won the championship in the finals against the Lakers, and he was also elected FMVP with an average of 21 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Billups went from strength to strength, not only being selected as an All-Star multiple times, but also as a three-time All-Star selection. After a dip in form, Billups also became a trade chip, and later in his career he played for the Nuggets, Knicks, and Clippers respectively, and finally returned to the Pistons in the 2013-2014 season, where he retired with honor.
Second Pick: Keith Van Horn (76ers)
Career averages: 16 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game
As a 2.09-meter-tall white athlete, when Van Horn participated in the draft, the outside world even thought that he would be the next "Larry Bird", and his ultra-high expectations also made him gain a lot of attention from the beginning of his entry into the league. In his rookie season, Van Horn averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1 steal per game with the Nets.
However, Van Horn did not escape the invasion of injury, knee injury, ankle injury seriously affected his subsequent state, slowly he also got tired of continuing to play in the NBA, in the 2005-2006 season has dropped to an average of 8.9 points per game, the Mavericks also chose to cut him, this result made Van Horn a little happy, he hopes to have more time with his family.
1st Pick: Tim Duncan (Spurs)
Career averages: 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.2 blocks
Duncan's career is better known to everyone, as the greatest power forward in history, he has shown his difference from the moment he entered the league, he averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game in his rookie season, and led the Spurs to win the first championship in team history in the second season, and he is destined to become the greatest superstar in Spurs history since then.
Later, in order to help the Spurs stay competitive, Duncan not only gave more of the ball to the outside ball carrier when it was time to give way, but was also willing to take a pay cut to help the team strengthen. Combined with Duncan's competitive spirit and discipline, he retained his excellent defensive ability until he was nearing retirement, which allowed him to help the Spurs win five championships, and until the year he retired, the Spurs did not miss the playoffs. Duncan's career is still among the best in history, not to mention that compared to his rookies in the same class, so the Spurs' ability to draft him with the top pick is simply the most critical decision in team history.