Greatest 1,2,3 Draft Class

[Roy H.]

If Ben Simmons & his career had not petered out so suddenly, then the 2016 draft could have been an interesting top 3.

Ben Simmons
Brandon Ingram
Jaylen Brown

One of the very few draft classes in the past 30 years in which the top-three were all All-Stars.

[Moranis]

1959 - Boozer, Howell, Wilt (Boozer probably the best 3rd player on any of these trios)

I am not that familiar with Bob Boozer. I know of him more because of the end of his career when he played 1 season in Milwaukee as a backup PF when Milwaukee won the title. Oscar and Kareem. That team. Oscar and Kareem both talk highly of him. Say he was a big part of why their bench was so strong.

1 All-Star game. Made it putting up stats on bad Chicago teams. That was the era before they got good with Van Lier, Sloan, Bob Love, Chet Walker in the 1970s. The Boozer era was where Chicago sucked.

He was on the Knicks before that. Then 14ppg 8rpg. Also when the Knicks were struggling badly.

Boozer was on Cincinnati before that. Jack Twyman, Oscar, Wayne Embry. Solid teams. Two years of 14ppg 11rpg. Probably the 4th best player on those teams (40-45 win teams). Then CIN traded Boozer and had their strongest years of the Oscar Robertson era in the mid 60s.

Played a year on the Lakers with E Baylor and J West. 12ppg 7rpg. In his prime. Only 24mpg on the Lakers. Rudy LaRusso and Leroy Ellis ahead of him as big men.

Then lost him to Chicago in the expansion draft. Oh, LAL traded Dick Barnett to NY to get Boozer. Barnett was a very good player for the Knicks. Starter on that 1st title with W Reed and W Frazier. Man, those 60s Lakers teams had some great guards. A young Gail Goodrich who had to leave to get opportunity elsewhere. Archie Clark. Dick Barnett. 3 All-Stars. All behind Baylor and West. Maybe others too. Those Lakers teams had lots of offensive talent.

A lot of losing in Boozer's career. Played on a lot of bad teams where he could inflate his numbers. Only 1 ASG. 15ppg 8rpg career averages quality starter for 11 years. I suppose you could compare him to Laettner in the Zo / Shaq draft class.



Bailey Howell a solid 20ppg 10rpg PF. Skilled. Played on terrible DET teams where he couldn't lead the team. Worked out better in BOS as a 4th guy behind B Russell, Hondo, Sam Jones. More of an All-Star level player than an All-NBA guy (1 2nd team All-NBA selection for career).

Wilt is awesome but I don't know that the #2 (B Howell) and #3 (B Boozer) guys are that strong relative to others.

Howell was a HOFer, 6 All Star games, 30+ mpg on those C's title teams.  Basically a 20/10 player in his prime.  Granted it was the 60's, but he was still among the best players in the world. 

As for Boozer, the Royals went to game 7 against the Celtics in the ECF.  They only made the ECF 1 other time losing in 5 (it was the next year when they traded him midseason).  He added a level of toughness that the team lacked without him.  He was a very good player. 

[slightly biased bias fan]

If Ben Simmons & his career had not petered out so suddenly, then the 2016 draft could have been an interesting top 3.

Ben Simmons
Brandon Ingram
Jaylen Brown

One of the very few draft classes in the past 30 years in which the top-three were all All-Stars.

Yeah, I am curious if there is any correlation with the fact that the first three picks were all historic, big market teams (76ers, Lakers & Celtics).