LA’s draft history: Ranking every #6 overall pick

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 23: Assistant coach Adrian Dantley of the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 23: Assistant coach Adrian Dantley of the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
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Chris Kaman
Chris Kaman (Photo by Francisco Estrada/LatinContent/Getty Images)

3. Chris Kaman

LA Clippers stats: 11.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg

From the moment the LA Clippers nabbed Chris Kaman with the sixth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, they immediately placed the extremely skilled big man in the starting lineup. Ultimately, the results weren’t what LA was expecting.

In Kaman’s first season, he scored just 6.1 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds. His production increased in year two, dropping 9.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a night. For the next few seasons, Kaman emerged as a solid but not dominant center. It wasn’t until the 2009-10 season that Kaman truly began standing out. On the year, Kaman dropped a career-high 18.5 points per game. He was also a great rebounder, averaging 9.3 boards a night to go along with 1.2 blocks per game. With an All-Star berth under his belt, more was expected of Kaman in the ensuing years.

However, as the expectations mounted, so did his long list of injuries. For the rest of his time in a Clippers uniform, Kaman played in no more than 32 games in a single season. Persistent foot injuries followed Kaman around the league, making him a major liability for whatever team ultimately snagged him for the final few years of his career.