In a moment of boredom before this year's NBA draft, I decided to play a game. What if you made a team by taking one player from each of the last fifteen drafts? There's one catch: each one has to be an active NBA player as of 2017. Obviously, the result is a really good team. But there were some surprises, mostly because I had to make sure my team didn't end up with too much of any one position. Here's my team:
2002--Nene Hilario. This was a pretty easy selection, because Nene is the only one of two guys from the 2002 NBA draft class that's still playing (the other is Mike Dunleavy Jr). And it's not a bad selection. I could have ended up with Dajuan Wagner or John Salmons. Nene will rebound, defend, and can finish around the basket. I'm happy with him being a veteran bench guy on my team.
If I had my pick, though, I'd choose Yao Ming. Yet another reason to be angry at freak foot injuries.
2003--LeBron James. LeBron is the obvious pick, and I don't have to explain why. Instead, I'll talk about how deep this draft ended up being. There were nine all-stars, and Jose Calderon. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Kaman, David West, Kyle Korver, Josh Howard, and Mo Williams all represented their conference in February. Also Jose Calderon played in the Olympics and has been on a lot of teams that thought he was good. That's insane. I don't know if we'll see a class like this again.
2004--Dwight Howard. I don't really love this pick, but I can't deny that Dwight Howard is a freak athlete who dominated the NBA for a few seasons back in the late aughts. He'll never be that again, but if his head is right, he can defend the rim and get put back dunks. Sure, there's a chance he'll ruin my team's chemistry and go into a diabetic coma from eating too much candy, but he's too talented to pass up.
Also of note in this draft is Al Jefferson, who somehow made All NBA third team but didn't make an All-Star game in his career. That's got to be rare.
2005--Chris Paul. I've got my point guard, a defensive hound and floor general who will run my team the way I want. He'll also scream profanities at referees and teammates, but that's just part of the ride.
Remember when Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul was a debate? That seems laughable now. Williams was drafted one spot ahead of Paul, but for the past eight years it's felt like he's the one who's one step behind. Then again, Williams has been to the Finals and Paul has never gotten out of the second round. Come to your own conclusion.
The stupidest thing from this draft? Andrew Bynum has made an All-Star appearance and an All NBA team. Meanwhile, Mike Conley is still waiting on his first All-Star game invite. Ugh.
2006--JJ Reddick. If the basketball gods had compassion, I'd have Brandon Roy's name here. Roy was amazing and would've had a huge impact on the NBA if his knees held up. But I'm not upset about Reddick running around screens and hitting three pointers all day. He'd be a defensive liability, but I've got enough defensive stoppers on my team to help him out. He's a great team defender, too, so he'll be alright.
2007--Kevin Durant. Another no-brainer. There's no one else who even comes close, and in today's NBA, he can play some center for me, which makes him especially lethal.
2008--Russell Westbrook. Why not?
2009--Steph Curry. I wanted to take Blake Griffin or James Harden, but I can't pass on Curry's shooting. He stretches defenses to their limit and can make any shot. He's a weapon I can't pass up.
2010--Paul George. There are some good options in this class, like John Wall, Gordon Hayward, and DeMarcus Cousins. But I like versatile wings, and George is better than Hayward. He can move without the ball, defend, and shoot three's.
2011--Kawhi Leonard. I could have gone with Kyrie Irving, but I already have Curry. Jimmy Butler is a good option, too, but Leonard is a better version of him. There's no way I can pass up the Spurs' Swiss Army Knife.
2012--Anthony Davis. He's the perfect center/forward for today's NBA. He can shoot, he's long, and mobile. Damian Lilliard and Draymond Green are the only other options in this draft, since Andre Drummond's skills are becoming less and less relevant in the NBA. Green is the type of player you need when your team isn't made of All-Stars. Lilliard is a point guard and I've met my limit.
2013--Giannis Antetokounmpo. He's a freak. Maybe an alien. He's like a create-a-player in NBA2K. If he ever learns how to shoot, no one in the NBA will be able to guard him. They barely can now.
2014--Andrew Wiggins. I'm not sure about his motor or his desire to win, but Wiggins is a talented shooting guard, and those are becoming rare in the NBA. I picked him over Jabari Parker because Parker can't stay on the floor.
2015--Karl-Anthony Towns. Once Towns figures out how to play defense and puts on more muscle, he'll be as unstoppable as Giannis. And he can shoot. The only other player from this draft I would consider is Myles Turner, but it's not close.
2016--Brandon Ingram. I'm not sure who to pick in this draft, so I took the guy with the highest ceiling. I love Malcolm Brogden, and Jaylen Brown might be a great player. I don't know what Ben Simmons is, because I've never seen him play in the NBA. So I went with Ingram, because he could turn into Kevin Durant lite.
Those are my picks. What do you think?
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