9) 2008

#1 overall pick: Derrick Rose
Players in top 200: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Rose
Notable busts: Joe Alexander, Brandon Rush, O.J. Mayo, Jason Thompson

Future MVPs in Rose and Westbrook were selected with the #1 and #4 picks respectively in this draft, with the five-time All-Star Love going fifth, immediately after his UCLA teammate. Meanwhile, the #2 and #3 picks were used on Michael Beasley and Mayo, two talented players who just never put it together. There weren’t any more real stars or huge busts in this draft, but a whole lot of valuable guys in Eric Gordon (#7 pick), Brook Lopez (#10), Roy Hibbert (#17), Serge Ibaka (#24), Nic Batum (#25), DeAndre Jordan (#35), and Goran Dragic (#45).

8) 2009

#1 overall pick: Blake Griffin
Players in top 200: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Griffin, DeMar DeRozan
Notable busts: Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, Earl Clark

Griffin was the undeniable class of this draft heading in, a singular talent that seemed destined to finally bust the ghosts of Clippers draftee failures past. After missing his entire first year due to a stress fracture in his foot, he did eventually give them seven great if ultimately unfulfilling seasons. But the true prizes in 2009 turned out to be Curry and Harden, who eventually developed into two of the greatest offensive threats in league history. You also had DeRozan, selected ninth overall by the Rockets, as well as future All-Stars in Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague. There were quite a few high pick disappointments in this draft, including Flynn, who showed promise in his rookie season but washed out of the league by his third year, but especially Thabeet, who was the #2 pick of the Grizzlies and, according to our metrics, the second worst value pick in lottery history, trailing only Anthony Bennett.

7) 1997

#1 overall pick: Tim Duncan
Players in top 200: Duncan, Tracy McGrady, Chauncey Billups
Notable busts: Chris Anstey, Adonal Foyle, Ron Mercer, Tariq Abdul-Wahad

Beyond Duncan as the surefire first pick, this was considered one of the most mysterious draft classes of the modern era as team front offices were still catching up on how to scout prep, underclassmen, and international players. It turned out to be a correct assessment, with Billups (at #3) and McGrady (a steal at #9) the only picks beyond Duncan that turned into NBA stars. But three Hall of Famers (Billups is not in yet, but presumably on his way soon), all of whom rank in our top 100 of all-time list, is enough to put this class up this high. In fact, those three players combined for 27 All-Star appearances, which bests all but two draft classes in the 20+ years since. Lottery picks Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, and Antonio Daniels went on to decent careers, as did later picks Stephen Jackson and Bobby Jackson. Although there were quite a few disappointments in the first round, most notably Foyle, there was no one who could really qualify as a complete bust, as they all had at least somewhat productive careers. This is the ultimate lower-level quantity over top-level quality class.

6) 1999

#1 overall pick: Elton Brand
Players in top 200: Manu Ginobili, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom, Brand, Jason Terry
Notable busts: Alexsandar Radojevic, Trajan Langdon, Jonathan Bender, Frederic Weis

There was only one definite Hall of Famer in this class in Ginobili (Marion and Hamilton might eventually get in), and a large part of his case is based on his international career. But there was a lot of depth here, with nine future All-Stars (Ginobili, Hamilton, Marion, Brand, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Andrei Kirilenko, Wally Szczerbiak, and Metta World Peace), three Sixth Man of the Year winners (Ginobili, Odom, and Terry), and six players who were a starter or sixth man on a championship team (Ginobili, Odom, Terry, Hamilton, Marion, and Metta World Peace). Brand was ultimately seen as a disappointment as the first pick, due in large part to his brief time on the Bulls team that selected him, but he was an All-Star twice, totaled over 16,000 points and over 9,000 rebounds in his career, and ranks a respectable 14th out of 34 #1 overall picks in our draft value rankings. Ginobili is far-and-away the greatest player ever selected #57 overall, while #15 pick Frederic Weis never played for the Knicks or any NBA team, for that matter.

5) 1992

#1 overall pick: Shaquille O’Neal
Players in top 200: O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Latrell Sprewell, Robert Horry
Notable busts: Randy Woods, Harold Miner, Todd Day, Adam Keefe

This was notable as the last draft before Chris Webber set off a wave of underclassmen lottery picks in 1993. In fact, every first round pick in 1992 was an upperclassmen, with O’Neal as one of just four players that were not seniors. There was little doubt about who the top four picks would be in 1992 and while the first two guys off the board, O’Neal and Mourning, became the most dominant centers of their generation, the next two, Christian Laettner and Jim Jackson, had decent but frustrating NBA careers. Beyond Horry going #12 to the Rockets and Sprewell #24 to the Warriors, there were no other true stars in this class but there were quite a few solid rotation guys like LaPhonso Ellis, Tom Gugliotta, Doug Christie, Clarence Weatherspoon, and P.J. Brown. Saddled by his nickname of “Baby Jordan,” Miner never lived up to his lottery pick status although he did win two Slam Dunk Contests.

“With its mix of high-level successes and one incredibly noteworthy bust, pre-draft hype, and timing in the burgeoning days of online sports punditry, 2003 might be the most memorable draft in NBA history.”

4) 1987

#1 overall pick: David Robinson
Players in top 200: Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Johnson, Reggie Miller, Horace Grant
Notable busts: Dennis Hopson, Ronnie Murphy, Joe Wolf, Jose Ortiz

Due to Naval service, it took two years for Robinson to reach the NBA after the Spurs drafted him first overall but he was well worth the wait, eventually winning Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and league MVP, as well as two championships. This class also included his Dream Team teammate and fellow first ballot Hall of Famer Pippen, who was selected fifth overall out of Central Arkansas by the Sonics, then traded to Chicago, where he teamed up with the #10 pick out of Clemson, Horace Grant, as one of the league’s best forward duos. In addition to another Hall of Famer in Miller and a perennial All-Star in Johnson, who were both selected in the lottery, this class also included the shortest player in NBA history (Muggsy Bogues, #12 to the Bullets), one of the first international stars (Lithuania’s Šarūnas Marčiulionis, #127 to the Warriors), and the talented but tragic Reggie Lewis (#22 to the Celtics).

3) 1985

#1 overall pick: Patrick Ewing
Players in top 200: Karl Malone, Ewing, Joe Dumars, Chris Mullin, Terry Porter, Detlef Schrempf
Notable busts: Kenny Green, Jon Koncak, Uwe Blab, Joe Kleine

Potential collusion aside, the 1985 NBA Draft is notable first and foremost as the original lottery, which ended with the Knicks selecting the sure thing Ewing #1 overall. Though he would compile a Hall of Fame career, Ewing would not turn out to be the greatest player in this class, as that honor is bestowed on Malone, who rivals Kobe Bryant as the greatest player ever drafted #13 overall. Ewing and Malone’s Olympics teammate Mullin was also in this draft, going seventh overall to the Warriors after a star turn at St. John’s, as was future Finals MVP Dumars, who can lay claim as the greatest 18th pick of all time. There were also several more future All-Stars in Porter, Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Xavier McDaniel, A.C. Green, and Micheal Adams, and, in addition to Ewing, Malone, Dumars, and Mullin, there was a fifth Hall of Famer drafted in 1985. That would be Arvydas Sabonis, who was selected by the Hawks in the fourth round in a pick that would eventually be voided as he was technically not yet eligible. He was drafted again a year later by the Blazers but didn’t reach the NBA until 1995.

2) 2003

#1 overall pick: LeBron James
Players in top 200: James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh
Notable busts: Darko Milicic, Reece Gaines, Mike Sweetney, Marcus Banks

With its mix of high-level successes and one incredibly noteworthy bust, pre-draft hype, and timing in the burgeoning days of online sports punditry, 2003 might be the most memorable draft in NBA history. James has already secured his place as one of the five greatest players of all time, while Wade and Bosh are in the Hall of Fame and Anthony will eventually join them. The one anomaly in the top five was, of course, Milicic, who wowed the Pistons with his pre-draft workouts but struggled to adapt to NBA life and never panned out. Other solid players in this class included defensive stalwart Kirk Hinrich, interior strongman David West, and unique international talents Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa.

1) 1996

#1 overall pick: Allen Iverson
Players in top 200: Kobe Bryant, Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojakovic, Antoine Walker
Notable busts: Samaki Walker, Todd Fuller, Lorenzen Wright, Efthimi Rentzias

It’s a hot debate whether 1996 or 2003 is the greatest draft of the lottery era, but we’re siding with 1996 in our metrics. In addition to a record seven players named to at least one All-NBA team (Bryant, Iverson, Nash, Allen, O’Neal, Stojakovic, and Stephon Marbury), 1996 also boasts three MVPs in Bryant, Iverson, and Nash, and a Defensive Player of the Year winner in Marcus Camby (and this without even taking into account another All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year honoree in Ben Wallace, who was un-drafted in this class). Even beyond the stars there was also solid careers for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kerry Kittles, and five-time champion Derek Fisher.