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

1. Adrian Dantley

LA Clippers stats: 20.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 52.0 fg%

Sometimes, you simply don’t know what you have until it’s too late. In this case, the Clippers knew exactly what they had but gave up on it anyways.

During the 1976 NBA Draft, the LA Clippers selected an explosive young guard by the name of Adrian Dantley. While young, Dantley was practically impossible to stop, even as a rookie. In his first year in the association, Dantley cruised his way to the Rookie of the Year award by averaging 20.3 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Although most first-year players struggle with efficiency, Dantley proved that even the best defenders in the world were no match for him. Dantley scored over 20 points per game while shooting 52% from the field and over 81% from the free throw line.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, the Clippers didn’t just do something good in the draft, they did something great. Dantley was a cornerstone-level player and appeared to be on his way to achieving greatness. But, despite the superlatives were heaping onto his shoulders, LA viewed Dantley as a trade chip as opposed to a foundational piece.

After an outrageous first year, the Clippers told Dantley to pack his bags as they shoved him out the back door for Billy Knight. The decision by LA’s front office personnel was reasonable but ultimately an erroneous one. Just a few years prior to his arrival, Knight led the league in scoring, dropping 28.1 points per game during the 1975-76 season. Once Knight officially became a Clipper, his skills eroded.

In his first season in LA, Knight was terrific. He averaged 22.9 points and 7.2 rebounds. However, that would be the crescendo of his time as a Clipper. The following season, Knight averaged just 13.9 points per game before he was eventually traded. As for Dantley, he became one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen. In addition to being a two-time scoring champ, Dantley was also a six-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.

Dantley’s resume may have been devoid of an NBA championship but he was an effortless scorer with an array of offensive moves that most players could only dream of. Without question, Dantley was the greatest number six overall pick in Clippers’ history. It’s too bad they didn’t protract their time together before sending him out the door.