The 2009 NBA Draft possessed some serious firepower, though, in hindsight, it wasn’t selected in the proper order.
The actual No. 1 pick that year, Blake Griffin, has enjoyed a very successful career, including five All-NBA selections, but injuries have prevented him from reaching an even higher level. What’s more, that year’s No. 2 and No. 4 picks, Hasheem Thabeet and Tyreke Evans, aren’t even in the NBA anymore, though for very different reasons.
Thabeet being taken over James Harden, a future league MVP, and Evans being taken over Stephen Curry, a league-changing talent and two-time MVP, are borderline indefensible decisions a decade later.
Below, we re-draft the 2009 class the way it should have gone.
No. 1 pick: Stephen Curry
Actual position: No. 7
Career earnings: $169,071,724
Career stats: 23.5 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 spg, 47.6 FG%, 43.5 3P%
No. 2 pick: James Harden
Actual position: No. 3
Career earnings: $186,474,073
Career stats: 25.2 ppg, 6.3 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 spg, 44.3 FG%, 36.3 3P%
No. 3 pick: Blake Griffin
Actual position: No. 1
Career earnings: $192,126,655
Career stats: 21.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 0.5 bpg, 49.8 FG%, 33.3 3P%
No. 4 pick: DeMar DeRozan
Actual position: No. 9
Career earnings: $148,965,795
Career stats: 20.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 45.8 FG%, 28.2 3P%
No. 5 pick: Jrue Holiday
Actual position: No. 17
Career earnings: $130,017,380
Career stats: 15.9 ppg, 6.4 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 spg, 45.3 FG%, 35.4 3P%
No. 6 pick: Jeff Teague
Actual position: No. 19
Career earnings: $95,863,716
Career stats: 12.6 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 44.5 FG%, 35.6 3P%
No. 7 pick: Danny Green
Actual position: No. 46
Career earnings: $67,327,778
Career stats: 8.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 42.4 FG%, 40.0 3P%
No. 8 pick: Ricky Rubio
Actual position: No. 5
Career earnings: $87,494,046
Career stats: 11.3 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 spg, 39.1 FG%, 32.8 3P%
No. 9 pick: Wesley Matthews
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $106,346,682
Career stats: 13.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 42.3 FG%, 38.1 3P%
No. 10 pick: Ty Lawson
Actual position: No. 18
Career earnings: $43,445,250
Career stats: 12.7 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 spg, 46.0 FG%, 35.9 3P%
No. 11 pick: Tyreke Evans
Actual position: No. 4
Career earnings: $76,584,468
Career stats: 15.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 spg, 44.0 FG%, 32.3 3P%
No. 12 pick: Patrick Beverley
Actual position: No. 42
Career earnings: $37,848,519
Career stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 41.4 FG%, 38.1 3P%
No. 13 pick: Taj Gibson
Actual position: No. 26
Career earnings: $75,508,971
Career stats: 9.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, 51.5 FG%, 22.0 3P%
No. 14 pick: Darren Collison
Actual position: No. 21
Career earnings: $43,343,141
Career stats: 12.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 spg, 47.1 FG%, 39.4 3P%
No. 15 pick: Brandon Jennings
Actual position: No. 10
Career earnings: $40,141,001
Career stats: 14.1 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 spg, 38.7 FG%, 34.5 3P%
No. 16 pick: Joe Ingles
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $42,343,701
Career stats: 8.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.2 rpg, 1.0 spg, 44.7 FG%, 40.7 3P%
No. 17 pick: Patty Mills
Actual position: No. 55
Career earnings: $48,478,139
Career stats: 8.7 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 spg, 43.1 FG%, 38.9 3P%
No. 18 pick: DeMarre Carroll
Actual position: No. 27
Career earnings: $74,153,171
Career stats: 8.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.9 spg, 43.0 FG%, 35.8 3P%
No. 19 pick: James Johnson
Actual position: No. 16
Career earnings: $60,964,315
Career stats: 8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 bpg, 47.7 FG%, 31.0 3P%
No. 20 pick: Garrett Temple
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $32,688,445
Career stats: 6.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 40.3 FG%, 34.7 3P%
No. 21 pick: Jodie Meeks
Actual position: No. 41
Career earnings: $31,090,760
Career stats: 9.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.8 spg, 42.0 FG%, 37.3 3P%
No. 22 pick: Gerald Henderson
Actual position: No. 12
Career earnings: $37,537,846
Career stats: 11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.7 spg, 44.0 FG%, 32.7 3P%
No. 23 pick: Aron Baynes
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $31,075,340
Career stats: 6.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.5 bpg, 49.5 FG%, 32.7 3P%
No. 24 pick: Dante Cunningham
Actual position: No. 33
Career earnings: $18,958,724
Career stats: 5.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 bpg, 46.9 FG%, 34.5 3P%
No. 25 pick: Jonas Jerebko
Actual position: No. 39
Career earnings: $35,385,264
Career stats: 6.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 45.7 FG%, 36.3 3P%
No. 26 pick: Omri Casspi
Actual position: No. 23
Career earnings: $18,320,477
Career stats: 7.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.6 spg, 45.4 FG%, 36.8 3P%
No. 27 pick: Marcus Thornton
Actual position: No. 43
Career earnings: $35,467,422
Career stats: 11.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 42.5 FG%, 35.8 3P%
No. 28 pick: Jordan Hill
Actual position: No. 8
Career earnings: $32,008,560
Career stats: 7.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.7 bpg, 49.7 FG%
No. 29 pick: Tyler Hansbrough
Actual position: No. 13
Career earnings: $16,746,078
Career stats: 6.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.5 spg, 43.9 FG%
No. 30 pick: DeJuan Blair
Actual position: No. 37
Career earnings: $8,749,000
Career stats: 6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 52.4 FG%
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