Connect with us

Centenunlimited News

Centenunlimited News

Re-Drafting the 2004 NBA Draft Class


Sports

Re-Drafting the 2004 NBA Draft Class

0 of 13Fernando Medina/Getty ImagesWe’re up to 2004 in our NBA re-draft series, and this one features a standout top two, followed by some memorable specialists and tantalizing prospects—some of whom even developed into borderline stars.Fourteen of the 29 first-round picks in 2004 did not attend college in the United States, either coming straight out…

Re-Drafting the 2004 NBA Draft Class

0 of 13

    Fernando Medina/Getty Images

    We're up to 2004 in our NBA re-draft series, and this one features a standout top two, followed by some memorable specialists and tantalizing prospects—some of whom even developed into borderline stars.

    Fourteen of the 29 first-round picks in 2004 did not attend college in the United States, either coming straight out of high school or from professional programs overseas. That marks a slight increase from the 12 high schoolers and internationals in the 2003 first round, but it might undersell a more meaningful change up at the top of the draft, where the real talent supposedly lies.

    Of the first 20 players off the board in 2003, five were non-collegians. In 2004, nine of the top 20 real-life draftees came from high school or overseas. However, most of them won't go in the top 20 of this do-over. Those picks have always been risky.

    A reminder: Positional fit doesn't matter for our re-draft. It's almost always a mistake to prioritize a specific roster need over talent, especially high in the lottery. So we'll grab the best player available at each pick.

    For our purposes, a player's draft value is based on his entire career. Longevity and prime seasons are both considerations even though trades and free agency mean teams rarely keep their draftees forever. Pretending each player will stick with the team that picks him is the best way to organize our re-ordering. 

1 of 13

    Gary Dineen/Getty Images

    No need to change anything here, as the Orlando Magic nailed their No. 1 selection, snagging Dwight Howard out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.

    Though the 6'10” center would go on to make eight All-Star appearances and eight All-NBA teams, including five first-team nods, Howard didn't win Rookie of the Year in the 2004-05 season.

    Not to worry, as Howard's various other honors—three Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive nods, five years leading the league in rebounds and two in blocks—make him the no-brainer pick at No. 1. He leads all 2004 draftees in career win shares, points and rebounds.

    Though he's bounced around in recent years, that shouldn't distract from the fact that prime Howard was one of the most dominant defenders in league history. Full stop.

    Before a herniated disk required surgery in 2012, Howard was an iron man, playing all 82 games in five of his first six seasons and missing only seven contests from 2004-05 through 2010-11. Exceptionally quick, broad-shouldered and physically overpowering underneath, a young, healthy Howard was a true superstar. There's even a case to be made that he should have won MVP in 2010-11 after averaging 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks with a 61.6 true shooting percentage.

    Derrick Rose took the award, and Howard had to settle for his third straight DPOY trophy.

    There are several All-Stars in this class, but none can touch Howard's overall value. He's also the only guy in his class who provided meaningful production for a team in 2019-20.

    Actual Pick: Dwight Howard

    Howard's Actual Draft Slot: 1st, Orlando Magic

2 of 13

    Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

    With a point guard's playmaking mind, a coach's savvy and the rangy, quick-twitch body you'd engineer in a lab to guard high-scoring wings, Andre Iguodala is this draft's most complete player.

    Like Howard, he played all 82 games in five of his first six seasons, starting all of them. And while Howard's dominance was conspicuous, Iguodala's was often more subtle. He never averaged 20 points per game (19.9 in 2007-08 was his career high), but the 6'6″ swingman averaged at least 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists six different times between 2006-07 and 2012-13. LeBron James was the only player with more such seasons in that span.

    From the time he entered the league until he transitioned into a bench role with the Golden State Warriors late in his career (2004-05 to 2013-14), Iguodala's 1,310 steals trailed only Chris Paul‘s 1,485 and James' 1,314. 

    And those mid-30s campaigns with Golden State shouldn't diminish Iguodala's career value. If anything, his role on those historically dominant teams (and his willingness to come off the bench when he was clearly one of the Warriors' five best players) adds to his legacy.

    He was an integral on-court weapon and vital locker room voice for three championship teams, winning Finals MVP in 2014-15.

    Howard is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but it isn't out of the question for Iguodala.

    Actual Pick: Emeka Okafor

    Iguodala's Actual Draft Slot: 9th, Philadelphia 76ers

3 of 13

    Rocky Widner/Getty Images

    Luol Deng might seem like too steady (and not spectacular enough) of a pick to come off the board this high, but what team wouldn't want a decade of reliable scoring, maximum-effort defense and a total willingness to sacrifice himself for the team…plus a few more decent seasons after the toll of those first several broke his body down?

    Deng scored in double figures in each of his nine-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls, posting 11.7 points as a rookie and turning his best overall year in 2006-07 when he played all 82 games and averaged 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals. Deng posted those averages without having a trustworthy three-point shot, something he'd develop later in his career.

    He sank 40.0 percent of his treys in 2008-09 and nailed 38.6 percent the following year. Though he finished at 33.2 percent for his career, his ability to scare defenses from deep as he gradually played more 4 than 3 added major value.

    Most know Deng best for the way he toiled under head coach Tom Thibodeau's brutal playing-time demands in the early 2010s. He led the league in minutes per game in 2011-12 and 2012-13, earning his only two All-Star trips in the process. His physical breakdown started shortly thereafter, but Deng was still a useful rotation player as late as 2016-17 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

    He ranks fourth in career minutes and points among 2004 draftees, and Deng is No. 3 among that group in total win shares.

    Flashier talents and more prolific scorers are still on the board, but Deng's long, productive, no-fuss career justifies his spot at No. 3.

    Actual Pick: Ben Gordon

    Deng's Actual Draft Slot: 7th, Phoenix Suns (traded to Chicago Bulls)

4 of 13

    Glenn James/Getty Images

    It's a bit reductive but not entirely inaccurate to say Josh Smith‘s career was a three-point shot away from superstardom.

    Exceptionally quick off his feet, speedy in the open floor and not afraid to initiate contact at the rim, Smith was a toolsy 6'9″ forward who averaged 14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals in 13 seasons. He's the only player in NBA history to post those five-category averages for his career. If you exclude steals, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar join him in the points, rebounds, assists and blocks categories.

    Yet Smith, who shot only 28.5 percent from deep for his career, never was an All-Star and peaked awards-wise with a 2004-05 All-Rookie nod and a spot on the 2009-10 All-Defensive second team.

    Inefficient scoring and too many turnovers (2.5 per game) prevented J-Smoove from becoming a franchise-level talent. But he was still highly productive and one of his class' most underrated defensive weapons. His four seasons with at least 2.0 blocks per game are tied for the fourth-most in NBA history by a player 6'9″ or shorter.

    He's third among 2004 picks in career box plus-minus and VORP.

    Actual Pick: Shaun Livingston

    Smith's Actual Draft Slot: 17th, Atlanta Hawks

5 of 13

    D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images

    Though he came into the league as a teenager, Al Jefferson punished defenders inside with what can only be described as a Grade-A old-man post game.

    A below-the-rim scorer, Jefferson was deadly spinning to either shoulder. He could up-fake even the most disciplined opponents and made great use of his large hands, often palming the ball and holding it at arm's length, out of reach of his defender.

    He averaged at least 21 points per game in three different seasons, and his trio of 20-10 campaigns are second only to Howard's four among 2004 picks. Howard is also the only player in this class with more career points and rebounds than Jefferson. And though Big Al's limited athleticism made dunks an irregularity, he still blocked at least 1.5 shots per game five different times.

    Jefferson was a bucket, but he didn't tend to find himself contributing to winning teams, and for all his trickery, he never developed a knack for working his way to the foul line. That kept Jefferson's efficiency low enough to preclude him from landing in the top four.

    Actual Pick: Devin Harris

    Jefferson's Actual Draft Slot: 15th, Boston Celtics

6 of 13

    Kent Smith/Getty Images

    The 2004-05 Rookie of the Year over Howard, Emeka Okafor averaged a double-double and at least 1.7 blocks per game in each of his first five seasons. Though he wasn't a high-volume scorer (he averaged a career-best 15.1 points per game as a rookie), the burly center from UConn was a reliable anchor inside.

    Okafor's block rate of 4.1 percent trails only Howard and Smith among 2004 picks who appeared in at least 500 games, and Howard is the only player in this class to top Okafor's career average of 9.7 boards per game.

    Though you wouldn't get far dumping the ball into Okafor on the block and hoping for consistent offense, hard work on the offensive glass made him a somewhat self-sufficient source of points. Howard narrowly edges Okafor out for the top offensive rebound rate in the 2004 class.

    A neck injury put Okafor on the shelf following a solid 2012-13 season with the Washington Wizards, all but ending his career outside of a short 26-game cameo with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017-18. Had he stuck around another few seasons and produced anything close to his career averages, Okafor would have given Jefferson a run for the No. 5 selection.

    Actual Pick: Josh Childress

    Okafor's Actual Draft Slot: 2nd, Charlotte Bobcats

7 of 13

    Noah Graham/Getty Images

    There are two All-Stars left on the board, but this feels like the right time to snag the most plug-and-play talent available.

    It might seem like an indictment of Trevor Ariza's game that he's played for nine teams since he started out with the New York Knicks as a 19-year-old, but there's a more complimentary angle to his nomadic career. His wing defense and reliable three-point shot (which arrived around age 24 or so) made Ariza useful everywhere, regardless of a team's playing style or specific roster deficiencies.

    There's no such thing as a squad with too many capable defenders who opponents have to honor beyond the arc. That's part of the reason he's lasted so long. Still active, Ariza trails only Howard and Iguodala in career games played among 2004 selections.

    Ariza's most meaningful season came in 2008-09, when he played all 82 games for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at age 23. He was a better volume scorer with the Houston Rockets, and his most accurate three-point shooting season came in 2013-14 with the Washington Wizards (40.7 percent). But Ariza's 24.4 minutes per game with those ring-winning Lakers solidified his rep as someone who could be trusted in any situation.

    Even if Ariza's defense may have reached overrated status as he entered his 30s, he posted positive defensive box plus-minus figures every year until 2018-19. That's a lot more than can be said for the three players coming up next.

    Actual Pick: Luol Deng (traded to Chicago Bulls)

    Ariza's Actual Draft Slot: 43rd, New York Knicks

8 of 13

    Fernando Medina/Getty Images

    Jameer Nelson made the All-Star team in 2008-09 and started at the point for some excellent Orlando Magic teams, helping lead them to the Finals against Ariza's Lakers in 2009.

    The game-manager label undersells Nelson's value as a three-point shooter (career 36.8 percent on 3.6 attempts per game), but he was essentially a fourth option on those late-aughts Magic teams behind Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

    Though he was a sound scheme defender with good competitiveness, Nelson's size, generously listed at 6'0″, made it difficult for him to play disruptively on that end. It also rendered him a limited threat in the lane. He attempted 24.4 percent of his shots inside three feet during his 14 seasons, making 59.3 percent of them. Neither figure is particularly bad, but with Howard looming as a lob threat, a rangier guard could have feasted on defenders unwilling to leave the big man open for a catch above the rim.

    Nelson's 5.1 assists per game are the most in this class, and he's ninth in win shares. He also started more total games than any other point guard picked in 2004.

    Actual Pick: Rafael Araujo

    Nelson's Actual Draft Slot: 20th, Denver Nuggets

9 of 13

    D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images

    The Sixers are getting a player in Kevin Martin who could hardly be more different from Andre Iguodala, the Swiss army knife they grabbed here in real life.

    Martin was a pure scorer who did little else. He was deadly from deep and gifted with foul-drawing craft that toed the line between savvy and infuriating.

    Despite “out in front” chest-pass shooting form that included a gather from his left hip, Martin could stripe it from deep. He hit 38.4 percent of his threes over a dozen seasons, and his career 87.0 percent mark from the foul line demonstrates aesthetics don't matter when the ball goes in.

    He's the top per-game scorer in this class, sitting at 17.4 points per contest, and Martin also leads all 2004 picks with five seasons scoring at least 20 points per game.

    Nobody picked in 2004 has a 50-point game but Martin, who went off against the Warriors on April 1, 2009. His pair of 48-point outings give him three of the four highest-scoring individual games recorded by his class.

    He didn't defend, rebound or pass, but Martin is this draft's best high-volume, high-efficiency scorer by a hefty margin.

    Actual Pick: Andre Iguodala

    Martin's Actual Draft Slot: 26th, Sacramento Kings

10 of 13

    Ron Turenne/Getty Images

    It doesn't necessarily affect his draft position, but Devin Harris had an awfully interesting career.

    He was dealt on draft day in a package for Antawn Jamison, backed up Jason Terry on the Mavs team that reached the 2006 Finals and was then traded for Jason Kidd two seasons later. In his first full year replacing the future Hall of Famer in New Jersey, Harris exploded, making the 2008-09 All-Star team while averaging 21.3 points and 6.9 assists per game.

    A variety of injuries rendered that Harris' lone season with at least 20 points per game, and he later settled back in with Dallas as a reserve in 2013-14. It was clear the Mavs prized his low-mistake style and professionalism. They ultimately brought him back for a third and final tour in the 2018-19 campaign.

    Gifted with supreme end-to-end speed, a young Harris was a major transition threat who also leveraged his quickness by getting in passing lanes. Of the 26 players in the 2004 draft who logged at least 200 games, he's fourth in steals per 36 minutes.

    Later in his career, he fashioned himself into a decent three-point shooter and intelligent defender. Players who survive on athleticism early on rarely manage to stick around so long after they lose it, but Harris deserves credit for pulling it off.

    Zooming out, he's 10th in total points and third in assists for this class. The Cavs would probably take that over the 46 games they got from two years of Luke Jackson.

    Actual Pick: Luke Jackson

    Harris' Actual Draft Slot: 5th, Washington Wizards (traded to Dallas Mavericks)

11 of 13

    Chris Elise/Getty Images

    11. Golden State Warriors: JR Smith

    JR Smith never met a shot he didn't like, and his spacey decision-making sometimes cost his team dearly, but he made enough shots during a high-scoring career to earn a lottery spot.

    Primarily a heat-check reserve until he joined the Cavaliers in 2014-15, Smith shot 37.3 percent from deep for his career and averaged double figures in 11 different seasons. His 1,929 career treys are easily the 2004 class' highest total, and let's also remember Smith had serious bounce in his younger days.

    This reverse, wrong-footed finish on a tough lob illustrates the kind of “get into the air and figure the rest out later” athleticism that defined Smith's early career.

    12. Seattle SuperSonics: Tony Allen

    Smith's polar opposite, Tony Allen was among his era's greatest perimeter defenders. He earned six All-Defensive nods in his 14-year career (three first-team and three second-team) and was basically the first guy you'd pick to lock down an elite scoring guard or wing for the better part of a decade.

    Unfortunately, Allen was a complete offensive zero. He shot 28.2 percent from long range and could be schemed into irrelevance in playoff series. Down 2-1 in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals, the Golden State Warriors had 7'0″ center Andrew Bogut “guard” Allen in Game 4. Bogut basically ignored his matchup and roved, knowing Allen couldn't beat the scheme by shooting threes.

    Though flawed on offense, Allen was an absolute terror on the other end. That's good enough to come off the board at No. 12.

    13. Portland Trail Blazers: Ben Gordon

    A brilliant shooter who would have been a much bigger star had he come into the league 10 years later than he did, Ben Gordon is this class' most accurate marksman from deep. At 40.1 percent, he's 12th all-time in three-point percentage among players who attempted at least 2,900 career triples.

    You might think he and Kevin Martin should rank closer together, but Gordon was a dreadful finisher inside who rarely got to the rim and couldn't touch Martin as a foul-drawer. At 6'3″, Gordon was also a non-impact defender who often seemed disinterested in doing anything on that end of the floor.

    Still, Gordon could score, and he proved that with historic immediacy. He's the only rookie ever to win Sixth Man of the Year.

    14. Utah Jazz: Shaun Livingston

    It's easy to get caught up thinking about what Livingston—a 6'7″ point guard with supreme length, terrific instincts and an indefensible close-range pull-up jumper—could have been if not for a devastating knee injury in 2007. But what he became in spite of that misfortune might be more impressive.

    Essentially out of the league for three full years, Livingston then bounced around for nearly a half-decade before reviving his career with the Brooklyn Nets in 2013-14, averaging 8.3 points and playing 76 games. He then signed with the Warriors and played a critical role on a team that reached five straight Finals.

    Livingston's career stats—6.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.4 rebounds—don't leap off the page. But he was a vital locker room leader for a three-time champ, could guard four positions and contributed critical second-unit buckets with a devastating backdown game against smaller guards.

12 of 13

    Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

    15. Boston Celtics: Dorell Wright

    Fun trivia: When Dorell Wright led the NBA with 194 made treys in 2010-11, he also set the Golden State Warriors' single-season record for three-pointers. Better shooters have since come along to smash that mark, but it's still impressive that Wright held a franchise record (albeit briefly).

    A 6'9″ wing who jumped to the NBA straight from high school, Wright unsurprisingly needed a few seasons to get his bearings as a professional. Once established, he carved out a role as a three-and-D small forward who couldn't be left alone in the corners. In the best of his 11 seasons, Wright averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals for the 2010-11 Warriors.

    16. Utah Jazz: Anderson Varejao

    Injuries prevented Varejao from delivering on his full promise as a high-energy center, limiting him to an average of 48 games per season. But when healthy, he was a force, as his All-Defensive honor in 2009-10 illustrates.

    Though it's tough to trust in such small samples, Varejao also averaged 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds in the 25 games he logged in 2011-12, followed by 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds in another 25-game season in 2012-13.

    Several per-minute metrics love his contributions. For example, he ranks second in his class (behind Howard) with .148 win shares per 48 minutes. Availability matters, though, which is why Varejao can't go any higher than the middle of the round.

    17. Atlanta Hawks: Beno Udrih

    Udrih spent the majority of his 831 career games as a reserve who could run the offense, hit threes with just enough consistency (34.9 percent) to keep defenses honest and, most importantly of all, nail pull-up jumpers in transition.

    It was kind of his thing, which makes sense considering Udrih shot 50.0 percent from 10-16 feet for his career.

    18. New Orleans Hornets: Delonte West

    West's best seasons came early in his career with the Celtics, where he got the majority of his time as a starting combo guard. He shot 38.5 percent from three in 2005-06 and averaged 12.2 points and 4.4 assists the following year.

    The slick lefty had one last stellar season as a starter with the Cavs in 2008-09, shooting 39.9 percent from deep and averaging 11.7 points for a squad that reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

    He's the only player in this class to average at least 3.0 assists and shoot over 37.0 percent from three for his career.

    19. Miami Heat: Kris Humphries

    It's worth remembering Kris Humphries was a useful power forward for 13 seasons, even if he may now be better known for his brief marriage to Kim Kardashian.

    He did his best work with the New Jersey Nets, averaging 10.0 points and 10.4 rebounds in 2010-11 and following up with 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in 2011-12. Those were his only seasons with double-digit scoring or rebounding averages, but they weren't out of step with his per-minute marks for most of his career: 13.5 points and 10.9 boards per 36 minutes.

    Humphries even dabbled with the three ball as he aged, shooting 35.2 percent from distance during his final NBA season in 2016-17.

    20. Denver Nuggets: Andris Biedrins

    Andris Biedrins caught a case of the yips from the foul line in his sixth NBA season, and that changed everything about the promising center's career. The left-handed big man from Latvia was one of only 12 players to average at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in the three-season span from 2006-07 to 2008-09, and he led the league in field-goal percentage in 2007-08 at 62.6 percent.

    Quick off the floor, capable of catching tough passes on the roll and skilled enough to punish defenders who didn't crowd him on the perimeter, Biedrins was on track to be a quality two-way center for a decade. But his foul shooting made him hesitant on offense starting in 2009 and quickly rendered him unplayable thereafter. In his final five seasons, his best free-throw percentage was 32.3 percent in 2020-11.

    To their credit, Warriors fans stuck with him through the worst.

13 of 13

    Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

    21. Utah Jazz: Josh Childress

    Childress joined Josh Smith to form an intriguing rookie tandem with the real-life Hawks, scoring 10.1 points and averaging 6.0 rebounds while starting 44 games in his first season. Funky shooting form rendered Childress a wildly inconsistent outside shooter (23.2 percent from deep as a rookie, 49.2 percent as a sophomore and 33.8 percent in his third year), but his length and athleticism made him an efficient scorer at closer range.

    He and Yao Ming once traded posters on back-to-back possessions.

    After four straight double-figure scoring seasons to start his career, Childress made the unusual decision to sign overseas, playing his next two years in Greece. He returned to the NBA for four more seasons starting in 2010-11 but never played a meaningful role again.

    22. New Jersey Nets: Chris Duhon

    Duhon might not have made this list if it wasn't for Mike D'Antoni. The innovative head coach put the ball in Duhon's hands and turned him loose in 2008-09, producing the point guard's best season. In 36.8 minutes per game that year, Duhon averaged 11.2 points and 7.2 assists with a 56.9 true shooting percentage, all of which were comfortably career highs.

    In nine seasons split between the Bulls, Knicks, Magic and Lakers, Duhon totaled 2,690 assists and only 925 turnovers. Among picks who played significant minutes, he has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the class.

    23. Portland Trail Blazers: Sasha Vujacic

    A 6'7″ guard from Slovenia best remembered as a bench fixture on a pair of Lakers title teams, Vujacic never started more than 25 games in a season. Though it wasn't his highest-scoring year, 2007-08 was Vujacic's best. He averaged 8.8 points in 72 games off the pine, hitting 43.7 percent of his threes. The Lakers didn't win a championship that season (they'd get the next two in order), but Vujacic sustained his performance into the postseason, putting up 8.1 points per contest and knocking down 39.2 percent of his shots from deep.

    Though he scored only 3,094 points across 10 seasons, Vujacic gets credit for producing on a winner. He's also quietly sixth in this class in career three-point percentage among players who logged at least one season in the league.

    24. Boston Celtics: Damien Wilkins

    Let's hear it for Wilkins, the first undrafted player to crack our new order.

    Wilkins worked his way into a gig with the Sonics as a rookie, then played all but six games for the team over the next three seasons, topping out with averages of 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 2007-08. A 6'6″ small forward who didn't quite have his uncle Dominique's lift, Wilkins had a 41-point game in that standout 2007-08 season and played as recently as 2017-18 after a five-year stint overseas and in the D League.

    Don't make the mistake of thinking Wilkins traded on his recognizable name. He scrapped for every second of his 10-year career.

    25. Boston Celtics: Sebastian Telfair

    A nationally renowned high school prospect, Telfair was one of precious few point guards to make the preps-to-pros jump (joining Livingston in this class).

    Undersized at just 6'0″ and understandably lacking experience, Telfair struggled to survive early on despite getting ample opportunity to play. He started at least 26 games in each of his first five seasons.

    Ball-handling and decent vision couldn't compensate for an unreliable shot (31.9 percent from deep) and mostly ineffectual defense, which is why Telfair never stuck with any one team for more than two years in a row. Traded six times, Telfair still managed to do enough to keep winding up on a roster in his 10 seasons.

    This far down the order, that staying power is a noteworthy achievement.

    26. Sacramento Kings: Royal Ivey

    Ivey is our last player off the board whose career lasted at least a decade. Ideally, you'd like more than 3.3 points and 40.6 percent shooting from the field at this spot, but everyone left unpicked either fizzled out quickly or made even less of an impact than the guard out of Texas.

    He scored a career-best 19 points in a Jan. 29, 2008 loss to the Nets.

    27. Los Angeles Lakers: Kirk Snyder

    Snyder had an NBA frame in college, and he might have wound up going 16th overall in the actual draft because of his role in a surprising NCAA tournament run. His Nevada Wolf Pack beat No. 7 Michigan State and No. 2 Gonzaga, advancing to the 2004 Sweet 16, and Snyder had plenty to do with it. He scored 19 points to beat the Spartans and had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Bulldogs.

    The 6'6″, 225-pounder showed flashes of promise as a pro (he scored a career-high 28 points with the 2005-06 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets), but he ultimately played only 211 games and was out of the league at age 24.

    28. San Antonio Spurs: David Harrison

    Harrison's block rate of 5.2 percent is the highest in the 2004 class among players who logged at least 2,000 career minutes. That's a small sample, but it's all we have from a center who hung around for only four seasons with the Pacers. 

    Some trivia: Harrison was involved but not suspended for his role in the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl less than a month into his rookie year.

    29. Indiana Pacers: Robert Swift

    Swift's career is best viewed as a cautionary tale, as the 7'0″ teenager entered the NBA completely unprepared for the money and lifestyle that came with being a lottery pick out of high school. With that said, nobody left unselected played more than his four seasons (five if you count 2006-07, which he lost entirely to injury). It's also remarkable that a player at such an obvious strength and experience disadvantage averaged 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his second year.

    There was always potential in Swift's developing frame. Early immaturity and subsequent injury never gave him a chance to develop it.

    Free Traffic Real Traffic At Your Finger Tips

    Get Traffic With Zero Money Down

    Join with bonus

    All statistics via Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.



Subscribe to Centenunlimited news

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

Top Stories

To Top