Preface
The class of 2011 is a big year for the draft, and there are still many players in the league who came from this year's draft, and although 13 years have passed, some of them are still at the top of the league. And through these 13 years of competition, some players were eliminated by the NBA halfway through, and some players proved that they deserved a higher pick, so let's re-rank the top 10 picks in the 11-year draft to see how it is different from that year.
10. Thompson
The original third pick in the first round
He averaged 8.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1 assist per game in his career
Thompson is just physically fit, mobile, and has an advantage in the small-ball era compared to the average interior lineman. Thompson's role in the 2016 Cavaliers championship was also quite significant, averaging 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in seven games, including 3.9 frontcourt rebounds per game.
However, since winning the championship, Thompson has gradually begun to let himself go, and the situation off the court has greatly affected his daily training and competitions. As a result, Thompson's decline period came earlier than others, and he also moved to many teams in order to stay in the NBA, and he returned to the Cavaliers this season, but his playing time was only about 10 minutes per game.
9. Valanciunas
The 4th pick in the original first round
He averaged 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 block per game in his career
Wallan, as a meat shield insider, was a little "born at the wrong time", and it didn't take long for him to enter the NBA The league became a small-ball style of play, which also greatly reduced his advantage on the court. Fortunately, Varland can score, so he was not eliminated, and he can still average 17.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in the 2021-2022 season. However, as he gets older, the 31-year-old has slipped this season, especially as he becomes more and more ineffective on the defensive end.
8. Bojan
The first pick in the original second round
He averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his career
After being drafted in 2011, Bojan didn't officially enter the NBA until 2014, and at the age of 25, he is also a proper older rookie. Bojan went from team to team, and finally ushered in his peak in the Jazz, where he averaged 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the 2019-2020 season. After that, he also performed well in the Pistons Bojan, averaging 21.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in the 2022-2023 season.
7. Harris
The 19th pick in the original first round
He averaged 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his career
Although Harris is playing poorly right now, averaging only 8.8 points per game in the playoffs this season, he is still okay at his peak. As a forward with a somewhat retro style of play, Harris has averaged double-doubles per game for 12 consecutive seasons, and he also averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the 2019-2020 season.
If Harris's performance was average, the 76ers would not have given him this 5-year 180 million contract, but Harris's decline is also a little inexplicable, and it stands to reason that he is only 31 years old, which should be in his playing year.
6. Vucevich
The 16th pick in the original first round
He averaged 18 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in his career
When Vucevic entered the league, he barely shot threes, but as the league's style of play has changed, his style of play has changed a bit, and in recent years he has become a decent interior lineman. Vucevic is basically a double-double every season, and he has been selected as an All-Star twice during this period, but unfortunately the three teams he has played for in his career are not championship-level teams, so the 33-year-old estimates that it will be difficult for him to retire to win the championship.
5. Walker
The 9th pick in the original first round
He averaged 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his career
Although before being drafted, Walker was not very favored by the outside world, some said that he was not physically fit and his three-point shooting was average. However, after entering the league, Walker quickly proved himself, and he became an All-Star step by step in the Hornets, including his personal highlight in the 2018-2019 season, when he averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and was not only selected as an All-Star, but also selected to the All-Star team.
But after Walker's transfer to the Celtics, his performance began to decline slowly, and then fell to the bottom in the Knicks. Walker left the NBA soon after that, and he played in other overseas leagues after that, but even there he couldn't get back to the top.
4. Thompson
The 11th pick in the original first round
He averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his career
As the strongest 3-and-D player in the past, the Warriors' rise is inextricably linked to Thompson, who was arguably one of the league's best shooters at his peak, and his defense also made up for the shortcomings of teammate Curry. At his peak, Thompson averaged 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, and he helped the Warriors build a dynasty.
If it weren't for a series of injuries, Thompson's career should have gained more honors and achievements, and after he returned from a major injury, he couldn't return to his former role on both offensive and defensive ends. However, that doesn't stop Thompson from still being one of the best players in the draft and deserving of a higher pick.
3. Owen
The original first round 1st pick
He averaged 23.6 points, 4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his career
As the original champion of the class of 2011, Irving not only has a gorgeous style of play, but his true strength has also proven himself in many big scenes. In the 2016 Finals, Irving scored 41 points in a single game and sealed his throat at the critical moment of stealing seven, and with his help, the Cavaliers won the first championship in team history.
It's a pity that since leaving the Cavaliers, Irving's luck has always been a little worse, either because of injuries or because the team is not strong enough. Although Irving is now 31 years old, he is still the top 10 scorer in the league, but unfortunately the quality of this year's draft is really too high, so his ranking can only decline, and Irving's disadvantage is that his personal honors are too few, and he has been selected for the best second team once so far.
2. Butler
The 30th pick in the original first round
He averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his career
Many people may question Butler's high ranking, but in fact, he has proven over the years that he is not only one of the best players in the league, but also the toughest. In 2020, Butler led the team all the way to the finals, and even cut a triple-double of 40+10+10 in the finals.
In the first round last year, Butler was like Jordan possessed, scoring 56 points in a single game and beating the league's No. 1 Bucks with a performance of 42+8+4. It's a pity that Butler is injured this year, otherwise we would even have a chance to see him help the Heat eliminate the league-leading Celtics again.
1. Leonard
The 15th pick in the original first round
He averaged 20 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his career
As the biggest counterattack of this draft, when Leonard participated in the draft, he was completely a "blank", especially on the offensive end, he basically only played without the ball. However, the Spurs were discerning at the time, and after trading Leonard, the latter slowly became a main force under the team's development, and was elected FMVP in 2014, at which time the gap between him and his rookies in the same class has widened.
Later, Leonard developed all the way to the top five supergiants in the league, he was elected DPOY twice at his peak, and he also had a resume of helping the Raptors win the first championship in team history in the playoffs, when he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Although Leonard is now 32 years old, he is still one of the league's most balanced offensive and defensive superstars, and whether he can recover from injury in this year's playoffs will mean whether the Clippers can win a championship.