Looking Back to the 2005 NBA Draft
Andrew Bogut Selected First, but Chris Paul Steals Spotlight
This June marks the two-year anniversary of the 2005 NBA Draft. Hindsight offers a better picture of which teams were most successful in that draft.
It was an impressive rookie season for New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul. He won Rookie of the Year without much competition, though there were several other rookies who did show promise.
The Milwaukee Bucks selected the Australian center, Andrew Bogut, with the number one pick of the draft. This didn't come as much surprise to experts and Bogut has had a solid career in his first two seasons. He averaged 9.4 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in his rookie season. He improved to 12.3 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game in his sophomore season, though only played in 66 games due to injury. Bogut is a hard worker with a bit of a chip on his shoulder who should only get better as he continues to develop.
In a controversial move, the Atlanta Hawks selected forward Marvin Williams with the second overall pick in the draft. The Hawks were (and still are) loaded at the forward position and desperately needed a point guard. With three highly reguarded point guards available, including eventual Rookie of the Year, Chris Paul, Marvin Williams might have been a peculiar pick for the Hawks. Still, his upside was/is considered tremendous to the point that even the Milwaukee Bucks were rumored to be considering him over Bogut. Williams has yet to show his full potential, but has improved in each of his first two seasons. He averaged 13.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game in 66 games this past season.
With the third pick of the draft, the Utah Jazz (who acquired the pick from the Portland Trail Blazers) made another surprising pick by selecting point guard Deron Williams. Most thought Chris Paul was the best point guard available, but the Jazz apparently preferred Williams' size over Paul. Williams had a so-so rookie season, averaging 10.8 points per game to go along with 4.5 assists per game in about 28 minutes a night. He followed it with a stellar sophomore season and might be considered a candidate for NBA's Most Improved Player Award. He was second in the league in assists per game (only to Steve Nash) with 9.5, and held a scoring average of 16.2 points per game on nearly 46% shooting.
The New Orleans Hornets selected point guard Chris Paul with the fourth overall pick. Paul had a sensational rookie season, averaging 16.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 7.8 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game; a stat line that earned him Rookie of the Year honors. After a solid showing at the FIBA World Games in the summer of 2006, he increased his scoring average to 17.3 points per game and his assists to 8.9 assists per game his sophomore season, but battled injury all year ultimately missed 18 games.
The Charlotte Bobcats continued the trend of point guards by selecting Raymond Felton with the fifth overall pick. Criticized for his small stature, Felton finished his rookie season strong and ended up with a respectable 11.9 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists per game. He improved upon that his sophomore season to average 14.0 points per game and 7.0 assists per game. He still needs to work on his shot selection and consistency.
This season was significant, because it marked the final season where high schoolers were eligible for the NBA Draft. The following year, the NBA implemented an age minimum of 19 years old to enter the NBA Draft. Martell Webster, who skipped college, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the sixth overall pick. Also coming straight out of high school were center Andrew Bynum (selected tenth by the Los Angeles Lakers) and Gerald Green (selected 18th by the Boston Celtics).
Other significant picks:
7. Charlie Villanueva - Toronto Raptors (currently with the Milwaukee Bucks)
8. Channing Frye - New York Knicks
17. Danny Granger - Indiana Pacers
30. David Lee - New York Knicks
Another interesting note is that forward Fran Vasquez from Spain, who was selected with the eleventh pick by the Orlando Magic, decided not to join the Magic and returned to his team in Spain. This basically resulted in the Magic not having a first-round pick and has been a controversial issue ever since. Orlando is still hoping that Vasquez one day decides to join the team that drafted him.
Also check out:
"Looking Back to the 2006 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2004 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2003 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2002 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2001 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2000 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1999 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1998 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1997 NBA Draft"
