The best ever players at every lottery draft pick

Pick Number 5: Charles Barkley

The number 5 pick is very hard to decide, due to how many superstars have been picked here. The likes of Scottie Pippen, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, and others have gone No 5 in the draft. However, the choice here is Charles Barkley. Sir Charles may actually be the best player to retire without a ring, considering how impressive a career he has had. Having played 1073 games, Barkley averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, and won an MVP award in the Michael Jordan era. He dragged the slightly above average Phoenix Suns to a Finals, even if they lost there to the unstoppable Bulls. Although Pippen did definitely have a case, Barkley’s ability to take a team with no other superstar to the Finals, something Pippen couldn’t do during Jordan’s short-lived first retirement, that edged it for The Round Mound Of Rebound.

Accomplishments:

11x All-Star

11x All-NBA

1x MVP

Pick Number 4: Russell Westbrook

The number 4 spot is very hard to call, although the competition is much smaller, with Chris Paul really the only other option here. However, Westbrook takes this spot thanks to his standout C.V and accomplishments. Chief among those is the quite ridiculous 2016/17 season, where he kicked off an unbelievable streak of 3 straight years averaging a triple-double. No-one comes close to that record, since Oscar Robertson is the only other player to even have one triple-double year, and that was way back in the 60s, where basketball was simpler, the league was smaller, and teams played fewer games. However, that is not the end of it. Averaging 23.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, Westbrook has been successful on a personal level for Oklahoma but has not managed to translate that into championships. However, he is undoubtedly the best player ever picked at No.4, even if he is hardly the most likable.

Accomplishments:

9x All-Star

2x League Scoring Champion

9x All-NBA

1x MVP

Pick Number Three: Michael Jordan

This was one of the easiest picks on the list. Michael Jordan has become synonymous with greatness, and for good reason. Jordan took the flagging Chicago Bulls, who struggled to not finish bottom of the conference and made them the most dominant team the NBA had seen since the great 60s Celtics. He obviously had an incredible supporting cast that made it possible, but Jordan was always the true star. Averaging career totals of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, he led the Bulls into a new era. He holds the record for highest career PER, at 27.9, and is tied for the best ever career points average, with Wilt Chamberlain. He also had an unbelievable streak of 866 games without scoring less than 10 points, a record that LeBron James has since passed. He also is tied for the record of consecutive seasons leading the league in scoring, with his 7 in a row enough to tie Wilt Chamberlain. If that wasn’t enough, he is the only player in the history of the league to go 100% in the NBA Finals, and win the Finals MVP every one of those times as well. There are other No. 3 picks who have done well for themselves, but none of them have been on Jordan’s level.

Accomplishments:

14x All-Star Games

10x League Scoring Champion

11x All-NBA

6x NBA Champion

6x Finals MVP

1x Defensive Player of The Year

5x Most Valuable Player

1984/85 Rookie of The Year