The 10 Best Late Picks in NBA Draft History

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

5. Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks—43rd pick out of Ohio State in 2000

Redd played exactly 35 minutes over six games as a rookie, but he has since blossomed into one of the most consistent scorers in the league, averaging 20 or more points for the past six consecutive seasons (this past season shortened to 32 games due to a knee injury).

It’s hard to believe Redd has only made one All-Star Game in his career so far considering he’s finished in the top 10 in scoring average in the league four times already. But if he can come back from his knee injury healthy and the Bucks are able to put some talent around him (debatable at this point), then Redd may go down as the highest-scoring non-first-round pick in the history of the NBA.

4. Randy Smith, Buffalo Braves—104th pick out of Buffalo State in 1971

A seventh-round pick out of an obscure D-III program, Smith was the ultimate long shot. But not only did he finish with career averages of 16.7 points and 4.6 assists per game over 12 seasons, he also had a then-record 906 consecutive-game streak from 1972 to 1982 (since broken by A. C. Green).

Playing alongside league scoring champion Bob McAdoo, Smith averaged 21.8 points per game in the 1975-76 season and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Two years later, Smith averaged 24.6 points per game (in 40.4 minutes per game) and won the 1978 All-Star Game MVP award. You look at some of the guys who played in that game—Dr. J, Bill Walton, David Thompson—and you get the sense of what kind of accomplishment that was.

3. Jerome Kersey, Portland Trail Blazers—46th pick out of Longwood College in 1984

Kersey only spent a few years as a full-time starter and never made an All-Star team, but you know you’re doing something right when you close the book on your career and it’s got 1,153 games over 17 years.

Kersey had his best statistical season in 1987-88 with 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He averaged 16 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as Portland made the 1990 finals (losing to Detroit), and 12.6/8.2 as they made it to the '91-92 finals (losing to Chicago).

More than just stats, Kersey was the ultimate team guy with the Trail Blazers. When he was transitioned from starter to bench to make way for Clifford Robinson* in the mid-'90s, he just went about being the best bench contributor he could be.

When it was all said and done, Kersey finished second in franchise history in games played, third in minutes, third in free throws, second in rebounds, eighth in assists, third in steals, fourth in blocks, and fourth in points.

Not bad for a second rounder.

(* With an 18-year career and nearly 20,000 points, Robinson certainly deserves to be on this list as the 36th pick out of Connecticut in 1989, but I’m leaving him off for Kersey. I didn’t even put him on the honorable mention list. I just never did like Clifford all that much.)

2. Bob Dandridge, Milwaukee Bucks—45th pick out of Norfolk State in 1969

A member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1970, Dandridge, playing third fiddle to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Oscar Robinson, averaged 18.4 points per game as the Bucks won the NBA championship in 1971.

Dandridge would win another title during his tenure with the Washington Bullets in 1978, averaging over 19 points per game while again playing third fiddle to a pair of future Hall of Famers, this time Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld.

In all, Dandridge played 13 years in the NBA, making four All-Star teams and finishing with career averages of 35.2 minutes, 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

1. Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia 76ers—36th pick out of West Texas A&M in 1978

Playing at various times with guys like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and Charles Barkley, Cheeks was never counted on to be the man on offense. The 76ers needed him to be an unselfish distributor and hard-nosed defender, and that’s exactly what he was.

Cheeks played 15 years, 11 with Philadelphia, leading the 76ers to the NBA finals in 1980, 1982, and 1983, when they won the NBA championship.

Cheeks was a four-time All Star and was named to four straight NBA all-defensive squads from 1983 to 1986. He currently ranks 10th all time in the NBA for assists and fourth in steals. He is one of only nine players in NBA history to average better than 2.0 steals per game.

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