Top 5 draft picks by the Indiana Pacers in history
There are new articles written and posted on the internet everyday relating to the franchises in the National Basketball Association, but only the top teams such as Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are being mentioned; with the lower ranked teams being neglected.
Here is a list of the top 5 best players that Indiana Pacers had the privilege to pick.
Reggie Miller was unquestionably the best player ever to land in Indiana Pacers roster; he remained with the team for his entire 18 year career. Miller might not have won a NBA Championship title but he made it to the NBA-All Star team five times. First time in 1990 then 1996, 1998 and 2000. He ended his career with a record of Three-Point Field Goals made during 1986-1987 season, also by winning 94 FIBA world Championship followed by an Olympic Goal medal in 2006.
Keeping an average of 25 points per game making eight points under only ten seconds against the New York Knick, also making an impossible 39-foot bank shot against the New Jersey Nets in 2002 will not be forgotten. Mike Miller will definitely be remembered as one of the heroes who kept the Indiana Pacers striving for more.
Rik Smits is one of the tallest people ever to play in the NBA, standing at 7feet 4inches. He was often criticized due to his mellow personality for his size. Despite what critics might have said about the big player he still made it as the No.2 pick in the NBA 1988 draft season.
Rik proved the critics wrong due to the time as he started averaging 14.8 points with 6.1 rebounds per game, he also made his career high in the 1995-1996 playoff season by scoring 18 points per game. Rik made it to the All-Rookie Team in 1989 and made his first appearance in the All-Star team by 1998. Smits will not only be remembered as the highest pick ever made by the Indiana Pacers, but in fact he will not be forgotten for the time when he pumped an amazing fake in the 1995 NBA playoffs against Orlando Magic making the winning shot.
Herb Williams was drafted in 1981 as the 14th pick overall. Herb took no time in becoming the Knight in shining armour for the Pacers, he stayed with the team for eight long years in which he also made his career high 20.1 points and 9.2 rebounds during the 1985-86 playoff season. William in his later years played for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and the Dallas Mavericks but did not give them his best, meaning his best times no doubt were with the Indiana Pacers. He currently works as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.
Chuck Person aka The Rifleman was selected as the 4th pick in the 1986 NBA draft season. By 1987 Chuck obtained the Rookie of the year award. Chuck was known for his bad attitude towards opposition, talking trash and playing ruthlessly was his thing, but he was also acknowledged by his rivals for his deadly shooting skills. He was the star player for Indiana pacers throughout the six seasons he played for them. Although he moved to Minnesota Timberwolves by 1992 he had a stellar career with the Pacers, he never scored under 17 points per game. His ability to keep his team motivated and taking them to the playoffs each year will always be remembered by the Indian Pacer and his fans.
In 2005 Indiana Pacers got a hold of a star, Danny Granger. Danny was the 17th pick in the draft season; nobody thought he could reach the level that he has today. Granger was labelled as one of those players who come to league hoping they’d be remembered some day as legends but end up being nothing more than an average player, Danny made sure he wasn’t one of them proving the critics wrong. He is one of the very few players in the NBA history who have managed to raise their points per game average from a low score of 7.5 points to 25.8 points. If Granger remains consistent for a few more years, it won’t be long when he’ll be considered amongst the current best players.
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