NBA Draft: Monta Ellis and the Top Steal in Each Draft of the Past Decade
In every draft, there is always at least one player who seems to go unnoticed and get picked either late in the first round or sometime in the second.
Most of the time, the draft order is a good indicator of future NBA success, with many picks from the second round not even cracking rosters.
Still, there are some players who are passed over by teams who end up causing those teams' GMs nightmares, wondering why they did not pick that one player.
Let's run through some of the most notable oversights (in hindsight) over the past decade of the NBA draft...
2001 NBA Draft: Gilbert Arenas (31st Overall) and Tony Parker (29th Overall)
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This was a very hard decision, mainly because both players have turned out to be stars. Not superstars, and not role players, but players who made an impact on an opposing team.
San Antonio is probably the best team, historically, when it comes to drafting players.
They have picked players like Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola late in the draft, and both players have turned out to be great pieces for the Spurs.
Golden State was smart enough to draft Arenas, as he would later become a top PG in the league during his prime.
Parker Career Stats: 16.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 1 SPG
Arenas Career Stats: 22.5 PPG, 5.6 APG, 1.6 SPG
Notable draft steal: Gerald Wallace (25th Overall)
2002 NBA Draft: Carlos Boozer (35th Overall)
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Carlos Boozer has easily placed himself in the top 10 for PF's in the league right now. He was drafted by the Cavaliers in the second round.
This is surprising, considering that Boozer had a more than decent college stat line at Duke University, but nonetheless, teams passed on Boozer, and the Cavaliers got lucky on this one.
Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, Boozer left Cleveland just as LeBron arrived.
Imagine LeBron and Boozer together.
Boozer Career Stats: 17.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 54% FG
Notable Draft Steal: Tayshaun Prince (23rd Overall)
2003 NBA Draft: Mo Williams (47th Overall)
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Mo Williams was originally drafted by Utah, then traded to the Bucks, and eventually ended up with the Cavs, where he had the best two and a half seasons of his career.
he is currently playing for the Clippers, and with players such as Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin on the court with Mo, Williams might see his stats go back up very quickly
Mo became an All-Star after Raptors forward Chris Bosh was injured.
Williams Career Stats: 14 PPG, 5 APG, 1 SPG
Notable Draft Steal: Leandro Barbosa (28th Overall)
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2004 NBA Draft: Kevin Martin (26th Overall)
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Kevin Martin was a late first rounder by the Sacramento Kings, and what a jackpot they hit.
Martin started off his career slowly, but would improve by a lot. His scoring numbers skyrocketed from just 2 PPG up to 26 and his overall play improved.
Martin is one of the biggest draft steals, in my opinion.
Martin's Career Stats: 21.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.3 APG
Notable Draft Steal: Josh Smith (17th Overall)
2005 NBA Draft: Monta Ellis (40th Overall)
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The man in the headline.
Monta Ellis can easily be considered one of the biggest scoring threats in this league. Similar to the situation with Gilbert Arenas, the Warriors proved to fans that they know the right stuff when it comes to drafting.
Much like Kevin Martin, Ellis' career started off slowly, but has skyrocketed since.
Ellis was a snub from the All-Star game, and in my personal opinion, should have deserved the spot over Manu Ginobili.
Ellis' Career Stats: 19 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.7 SPG
Notable Draft Steal: David Lee (30th Overall)
2006 NBA Draft: Rajon Rondo (21st Overall)
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Rajon Rondo is one of the top defensive PG's in the league. Offensively, we could see better.
Rondo is one of the best on-ball defenders, and is great with his hands when it comes to getting steals. His hands are also a positive to his offensive game, as he makes crisp passes to the Big Three.
His high vertical also makes for easy to grab rebounds over taller players.
Offense needs some work, in terms of shooting, but he is a very good player and it was odd to see him go this far back in the draft.
He was expected to be a mid-round pick in the first round, but Phoenix got a gem, and traded it away to Boston.
Rondo Career Stats: 10.7 PPG, 6.8 APG, 1.9 SPG
Notable Draft Steal: Paul Millsap: (47th Overall)
2007 NBA Draft: Wilson Chandler (23rd Overall)
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This one was hard to come up with.
Looking through the name of players who were drafted, I was seeing some big names come up several times.
The end result was Wilson Chandler.
Chandler is having a breakout season so far, but his previous seasons have also shown that he is capable of bringing down good numbers.
Here is a fact that many may be surprised about:
Isiah Thomas was the one who actually picked Chandler. Despite all the bad moves, Thomas made a very smart move investing in Chandler.
He has improved every season he's played, getting the minutes he deserves.
Chandler Career Stats: 14.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG
Notable Draft Steals: Carl Landry (31st Overall), Nick Young (17th Overall), Marc Gasol (48th Overall)
Rest of the Drafts and Conclusion
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The 2008, 2009, and 2010 Drafts have not had players that have played long enough to determine whether or not they're a steal.
There will definitely be players whom many teams passed over that will become future All-Stars, and possibly Hall Of Famers.
Some players who were picked late have shown signs of brilliance, and have proved to their teams that they made a smart choice in drafting them.
Pictured is ONE of the biggest steals ever.
John Stockton, picked 16th overall in the famous Michael Jordan Draft
Thanks for reading!
If there is any player you disagree with, please feel free to comment, and try to keep the language clean.
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