nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Comparing rookie seasons Trae to Chris Paul, Doncic to Larry Bird....

WCDawg

Both are really close.

Comparative rookie seasons.

Bird's Effective FG% - .494 Doncic effective FG% - .497

Bird's PPG - 21.3 Doncic's PPG 21.3

Bird's rebounds per game - 10.4 Doncic's rebounds per game - 7.7

Bird's assists per game - 4.5 Doncic's assists per game - 5.9

Birds FT% - .836 Doncic's FT% - .711

Paul's effective FG% - .456 Trae's effective FG% .482

Paul's PPG - 16.1 Trae's PPG - 19.0

Paul's rebounds per game - 5.1 Trae's rebounds per game - 3.7

Paul's assists per game - 7.8 Trae's assists per game 8.1

Paul's FT% - .847 Trae's FT% .828

I'd say the comparisons are close in both cases.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Kasey

Hawks could've had Paul too...still crazy they took Marvin Williams in that spot

TNDawg71

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230614#Comment_230614

That was their golden era of mediocre small forwards.

WCDawg

You know with all of his shortcomings Marvin Williams has managed to carve out a long career to date. The guy has been very successful in the earnings department.

Marvin is in his 13th season, his career earnings on player contracts through this season, right at 108 million.

Kasey

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230624#Comment_230624

That's great if the Hawks picked him at 22, at 2 he needs to be a perennial all-star/or at least a starter

donm

The Hawks were all about amassing “long” players with that GM. Never forget old what’s his name.

TNDawg71

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230627#Comment_230627

True, and the scouting reports were there at the time on Williams. People felt like his athleticism just wasn't there. They definitely needed a PG at that time and Paul of Derron Williams would have been excellent picks.

WCDawg

Here is The Draft Express opinion of Marvin Williams before the 2005 draft. ''Marvin Williams is going to be a promising forward in The NBA, most likely top 5 and possibly even the 1st pick taken. He was national freshman of the year at UNC. Chris Paul was 1st team AA at Wake though, both were highly regarded.

WCDawg

The #2 pick in each of the past 10 drafts.

Marvin Bagley

Lonzo Ball

Brandon Ingram

D'Angelo Russell

Jabari Parker

Victor Oladipo

Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Derrick Williams

Evan Turner

Hashem Thabeat

A few who were passed over.

Steph Curry

James Harden

Paul George

Embiid

Giannis

It's like a stock you wish you'd bought, everybody has a story.

AnotherDawg

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230673#Comment_230673

And going further back...

Akeem Olujawan
Sam Bowie
Michael Jordan

https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1984.html

WCDawg

True, not all #2 picks are bad, but many have left better players on the board, including some all time greats.

AnotherDawg

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230678#Comment_230678

On the contrary WC, I was confirming your point that there is a history of dubious #2 picks in the NBA.

Kasey

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/230663#Comment_230663

I get it. He had promise. But I had seen it with Chris Paul (and Deron Williams) and Marvin didn't even start for that UNC team. The Hawks needed a PG and they passed on 2. One an all-timer and the other very good.

WCDawg

If you didn't like the pick at the time, ok. It's not like there was a consensus Williams was over-drafted though, that is revisionist history.

WCDawg

AnotherDawg, my wording was probably not very good, I wasn't suggesting you disagreed with my prior post.

WCDawg

TND. Most prospects, maybe every prospect has things evaluators don't like. Doncic might not be quick enough, Trae might be too small and frail to hold up night in night out and forget driving to the basket like he did at Oklahoma.