Marko Jaric
Clipper stats: 8.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 34.4 3p%
The LA Clippers almost couldn’t believe their eyes as the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft kicked off. After grabbing Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson with their first two draft picks, the franchise viewed Marko Jaric as the perfect player to add to their already impressive core.
During his time in Europe, Jaric became the first player to win consecutive Italian League titles on two separate squads. Although he wouldn’t make his way stateside until the 2002-03 season, once Jaric officially made the move, his talent spoke for itself. In his rookie season, in just 20.9 minutes a night, Jaric averaged 7.4 points per game. His numbers would only increase over the years, jumping to 8.5 ppg in year two before settling in at 9.9 in his junior season.
Although he was a solid rotational piece, Jaric was never viewed as a cornerstone player. So, due to his somewhat vagarious play at times, Jaric was eventually shipped off to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he would languish in basketball purgatory for the remainder of his time in the league.
Grabbing Jaric was a bit of a groundbreaking making move by the Clippers. European players weren’t exactly viewed flatteringly. Regardless of the outside perception, however, Jaric went on to have a solid, albeit brief, career.