Looking Back at Past No. 10 Picks in the NBA Draft: Dallas Mavericks have the 10th Pick in 2023

It is not yet certain that Dallas will really choose a youngster with the tenth pick. There are numerous rumors that the Mavs may trade the pick to get help for Luka Doncic (and possibly Kyrie Irving) immediately.

But how valuable is that tenth pick anyway? Let’s look back at who has been selected for this position over the past ten years. There are also the best No.10 picks of all time.

2022: Washington Wizards – JOHNNY DAVIS

The guard is yet to gain a foothold in Washington, making just 28 games in his rookie season. Even when Washington made this pick, many observers had doubts – and their assumptions have so far been confirmed.

2021: New Orleans Pelicans – ZIAIRE WILLIAMS (nach Memphis getradet)

At the time, this was a classic upside pick. The Grizzilies were looking for a forward, rumor had it they were targeting Franz Wagner, who went off the board on 8.

So the Grizzlies chose Williams, who made good progress in his rookie season but subsequently struggled with injuries. It is not yet possible to judge him, there is probably a solid NBA player in the forward who once played alongside Bronny James at Sierra Canyon in high school.

2020: Phoenix Suns – JALEN SMITH

This pick caused a lot of question marks, most draft experts put Smith somewhere between 20 and 30, but Phoenix grabbed the Big Man with the solid throw much earlier. Smith flopped so the Suns didn’t even pull the team’s third-year option. You rarely see that in the NBA.

Instead, Smith was traded to Indiana after just 1.5 years and 56 games, where he sees at least 20 minutes on average on the record. By the way: Devin Vassell and Tyrese Haliburton were drafted behind Smith. And anyone who has seen the past two playoffs will ask themselves: how good would the Suns actually be with a Haliburton? What a missed opportunity.

2019: Atlanta Hawks – CAM REDDISH

Reddish became the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle from the Doncic-Young trade the year before, but never managed to prove himself or prevail in Atlanta. The same was true in New York, before he was given a chance for a fresh start in Portland and was able to convince at least the beginnings. Could become a solid rotation player in the long run.

2018: Philadelphia 76ers – MIKAL BRIDGES (nach Phoenix getradet)

That was a steal for the Suns, who engineered a very one-sided deal on Draft Day. For Bridges, whose mother was even working for the 76ers at the time (!!), Phoenix gave up the 16th pick and a first-round pick in 2021 (OKC drew Tre Mann here).

Bridges is now an all-defense player and recently showed in Brooklyn that he can at least be the second or third option in attack. And Smith? He only made 13 games for Philly. First he broke his foot, then a sesame allergy delayed his healing. On February 7, 2020, he made his last game in the NBA.

2017: Sacramento Kings – ZACH Collins (nach Portland getradet)

For Collins, the Blazers traded up, and the Big Man immediately established himself as a solid backup on a playoff team. He was then slowed down by an ankle injury that cost him a full season.

He is now trying to make a fresh start at Spurs. He definitely has talent, but the health question marks will probably always accompany him.

2016: Milwaukee Bucks – THON MAKER

Nobody here had him on the slip, but the Bucks were hoping to land a steal with Maker like they did with Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013. The opposite was the case. In theory, Maker was a shot blocker who could widen the field on the other side, but the native of South Sudan could not show more than approaches.

He has been out of the NBA since early 2021, and today he is earning his living in the Chinese CBA after a stopover at Hapoel Jerusalem.

2015: Miami Heat – JUSTISE WINSLOW

Winslow was considered a steal for the Heat after the forward duke led to the varsity championship with top 3 pick Jahlil Okafor. Winslow was also immediately a rotation player on a playoff team, but injuries repeatedly threw him back.

The missing throw was always a problem for the forward, which he couldn’t solve in Memphis, with the Clippers and in Portland. Over the course of his career, he hits just 31.5 percent of downtown. In addition, 344 games in eight NBA years are very meager.

2014: Philadelphia 76ers – Elfrid PAYTON (traded to Orlando)

A feat by the Sixers, who knew Orlando wanted Payton badly. GM Sam Hinkie squeezed another 2018 first-round pick (it became Landry Shamet) out of the Magic to trade pick 10 for pick 12, which Philly then used for Dario Saric.

Payton was a Magic one for a long time and had a triple-double here and there, but never developed into a valid starter and has been looking for a new team since 2022 after the Suns didn’t make him a new offer.

2013: Portland Trail Blazers – C.J. MCCOLLUM

Hardly any draft was as wild as this one (keyword: Anthony Bennett), but the Blazers made a good choice here with McCollum. The shooting guard is considered one of the best players who was never voted into an all-star team and, together with Damian Lillard, formed one of the best backcourts in the NBA for years.

McCollum played over 550 games for Portland before falling victim to the Blazers’ “retooling” and now co-starring with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram in New Orleans.

NBA Draft: All-Time Best #10 Picks

The last ten years have shown it, even at 10 you can tap solid players. Not only that, but sometimes there are upcoming All-Stars on the board as well, as evidenced by the top three No.10 picks of all time.

1998: PAUL PIERCE (Boston Celtics)

That The Truth fell so low remains completely incomprehensible to this day. The forward was considered one of the best players in the country and was guessed between 2 and 5. Instead, Pierce fell and fell and even the Celtics didn’t really want their future franchise legend. They had Dirk Nowitzki in their sights, but the Dallas Mavericks grabbed him beforehand with the pick.

So Pierce became a consolation prize after rumors were spread in the run-up to the draft that he would have character weaknesses. Supposedly bad workouts didn’t help matters much. Today, Pierce is a Champion, Hall of Famer and one of LeBron James’ greatest rivals in his early NBA years.

2010: PAUL GEORGE (Indiana Pacers)

Small note: The Pacers drafted a player named Magnum Rolle at position 51 in the same year, no kidding! He should never play for the Pacers.

But now to George, who was one of the best forwards in the league for many years. Back then, PG-13 was primarily raw and lived off its athleticism. It was only over time that he developed a jumper, and after the draft George grew a few centimeters to 2.03 meters, so that he could be used very flexibly on the wing.

2008: BROOK LOPEZ (New Jersey Nets)

Lopez’s career is unique. At first, the center was one of the best post players in the league, but was considered a soft and defensive weakness. That all changed in 2018 when Lopez turned 30 and joined the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2013 All-Star was now an anchor on defense who suddenly began throwing three-pointers after three-pointers (okay, there were already approaches in Brooklyn).

“Splash Mountain” was born and Lopez was an important part of the team that became the 2021 champion. That Lopez would be on two different all-defense teams was unthinkable in the early 10s.