1. Elmore smith
LA Clippers stats: 17.8 ppg, 13.8 rpg
When it came to old school, knock down, drag out basketball – Elmore Smith made a name for himself. During his college years, Smith parked himself down low and demanded the ball. A few slow-footed, yet powerful moves later, and Smith was right under the basket lofting in an uncontested layup.
Outside of getting buckets on the inside, Smith was impossible to keep off the glass. By the time he wrapped up his collegiate career, Smith finished with averages of 21.3 points and 22.6 rebounds.
The LA Clippers, then known as the Buffalo Braves, took Smith off the board with the third overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. Smith was exactly as advertised, easily scoring in the paint and becoming one of the best rebounders in the game from the moment he stepped onto the hardwood.
The Clippers have a long and perplexing history of trading away really good young players and for some reason, Smith was dealt after just two seasons later. While his time donning a Clippers uniform was transient, Smith should be considered the best number three pick in franchise history.