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Chris Paul and Paul Pierce grace ESPN’s list of best all-time NBA draft picks

By Paul Tooke

Mar 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half of the game against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Clippers won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half of the game against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Clippers won 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Recently, ESPN released a list of the all-time best players for each specific pick in the NBA draft. A couple of LA Clippers were able to make the list, so let’s look at how they did it.

This list was not opinionated, rather it used “Win Shares” to find the best player drafted at each number. Win Shares is a player statistic which attempts to divvy up credit for team success to the individuals on the team, and the pick who had the most win shares won the spot on the list.

  Best #4 Pick in the NBA Draft: Chris Paul                                                                                             Selected by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005                                                                                         154.6 Win Shares

Being an unselfish, “true” point guard, Paul is naturally largely responsible for any of his team’s success. During Paul’s rookie season, he started with the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) as the team ended the regular season with a 38-44 record. While that may not sound impressive, it sure is compared to the previous season when the team won just 18 games. Paul later on led the team to the second seed in the 2007-2008 season with 56 wins. They would go on to lose in the second round during the playoffs.

Fast forward to December 2011, when the Hornets agreed to trade Chris Paul to the Clippers. Just as the Hornets were awful before Paul’s arrival, the Clippers finished 13th in the West before Paul came, and 5th after. During Paul’s second season with the Clippers (2012-2013), the team reached a franchise record 56 wins.

As you can see, Paul is a game changer for any team that he plays for, and is still an elite point guard in today’s league. If opposing opinions want to speak up, they can observe his 154.6 win shares (3rd in the NBA for most win shares for active players) and think again.

   Best #10 Pick in the NBA Draft: Paul Pierce                                                                                                        Selected by the Boston Celtics in 1998                                                                                                                150 Win Shares 

Paul Pierce’s career officially ended this year. He had a heart-felt game when he played against his former team, the Celtics, in Boston for the last time. It would take days to list out all of Pierces accomplishments and recognitions however I will try to sum it up in a simple manner. 2008 NBA champion, Finals MVP, 15th on the NBA all-time scoring list, 4th all-time three pointers, 10x all star,  future NBA hall of famer.

Pierce’s best years were left in Boston, but he still contributed to the Wizards success, starting 73 games and averaging 13.5 points per game at the age of 37. Unfortunately he did not provide much offense or defense for the Clippers, but I am sure our players would agree that his wisdom and knowledge of the game was worth having him around for.

All-time lists are always interesting, especially when Clippers’ players make the ranks!