Every NBA team's best-ever second-round draft pick

Atlanta had two first-round draft picks in 1974, but their biggest win ended up being snagging Drew in the second round. He made an immediate and long-lasting impact, nearly winning the Rookie Of The Year trophy and scoring over 20 points per game in eight seasons with the Hawks. Drew is best remembered, though, as the first player commissioner David Stern banned for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

After some time playing pro baseball, the Celtics snagged Ainge in the second round of the 1981 draft. His career got off to a bit of a quiet start, but by his fourth season, he was the full-time starting point guard for the Celtics. By '88, he made his first All-Star team and cemented himself as a Boston sports legend (a legacy he later extended as a Celtics executive).

Claxton was a borderline first-round pick, with the Nets grabbing him with the first selection of the second round in 2019. Gradually working his way up, within a few years, he was Brooklyn's starting center and one of the league's best shot-blockers. He even earned some fringe Defensive Player Of The Year consideration in 2023.

While he was mostly unimpactful his rookie season, he had one of the biggest year-to-year leaps in NBA history. He averaged under 5 points per game in his first season, and in Year 2, that number rose to 18. His peak was ultimately short-lived, but he was nonetheless an exciting offensive player for a few seasons.

It was a delayed payoff for the Bulls when they picked Kukoč in the 1990 draft, as he didn't make it to the NBA until the 1994 season. He quickly cracked the rotation, though, and within a few seasons, he was named the Sixth Man Of The Year. Kukoč was a key contributor to three consecutive Bulls titles in the '90s.

Price was the 25th pick in the 1986 draft, which was in the second round back then, when the league had fewer teams. He definitely produced like a first-round talent, showing a drastic improvement between his rookie and sophomore seasons. In his third year, he had his first of four All-Star selections, averaging 19 points and 8 assists per game.

Brunson's improvement with the Mavericks was gradual, but by his fourth season, he posted averages of 16 points and 5 assists per game. The Mavericks watched their promising guard leave for New York after that, though. For the Knicks, Brunson flourished and became an All-NBA player and led the team to its first NBA Championship in more than half a century.

Jokić has one of the most famous draft stories ever: His selection with the 41st pick was unceremoniously announced on TV during a Taco Bell commercial. That became more of a story in retrospect, as Jokić showed tons of promise his rookie year and continued to develop from there. Over the next decade, he would come to be considered one of the greatest players ever to step on a court, earning three league MVPs.

Rodman was never much of an offensive talent, but when he was in the league, there was no better defender or rebounder. His rookie season was quiet, but by his third season, he made his first All-Defense team and approached 10 rebounds per game. He won DPOY the next two seasons, and in each of the seven seasons after that, he led the NBA in rebounds per game.

Though a second-round pick, Green quickly earned his way into the Golden State rotation, appearing in 79 games his rookie year. He was a full-time starter by his third season, when he helped the Warriors win a championship, made an All-Defense team, and finished second in DPOY voting. He earned that honor a couple of seasons later, when he led the NBA in steals while also averaging 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game.

Before injury limited his productivity and longevity, he was looking like one of the more promising young players in the NBA. Houston snagged him early in the second round, and by his third season, he averaged over 16 points per game. He remained productive after getting traded to Dallas, and despite his time in the league getting cut short, Parsons still fared far better than most second-rounders.

Stephenson bounced around the league in later years, but early on, he was one of the faces of the Pacers. It took a couple of seasons for him to really get going, but once he did, he was one of the league's most intense and versatile complementary players. In 2014, he even had a league-leading five triple-doubles.

Though a second-round pick, Jordan found a fast home with the Clippers, even starting some games for his new team. He was LA's full-time starter within a few years, during which time he established himself as a big with a ton of potential. He soon started to further capitalize on his athleticism and defensive abilities, becoming one of the league's best shot-blockers and rebounders.

The Lakers were awesome in the '80s, and while he wasn't an All-Star, Cooper was one of the team's faces. Once he started getting significant playing time in his second and third seasons, it was clear he was one of the NBA's stingiest defenders. He made the All-Defensive teams every season from 1981 to 1988 and even won the DPOY trophy in '87.

Wells was an early second-round pick for the Grizzlies in 2024, and he earned trust quickly. After just a few games, he was inserted into the starting lineup. Wells is still young, but he is already showing promise as a three-and-D asset for a young Memphis team.

Richardson began earning consistent playing time during the back half of his rookie season. Over the next few years, it was clear he was an awesome supporting 3-and-D player. In 2019, he averaged 16 points and a steal per game, while shooting over 35 percent from long range.

Not a lot of second-round picks go on to be All-Stars, but Redd was one of them. While he only managed one nod, he played All-Star-caliber ball for over half a decade. His statistical peak came in 2007 when he averaged just under 27 points a game for the Bucks.

Peković only spent six seasons in the NBA, but his star burned brightly while he was there. He regularly dealt with injuries, but over a peak four-year stretch from 2012 to 2015, he averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game for Minnesota. Pair that with prime Kevin Love, and that's a pretty imposing big-man duo.

The Pelicans knew what they had with Jones, as the team quickly made him a core part of their identity. He has some offensive value, but what he brings best is defense. He even made an All-Defense team in 2024 and earned some DPOY consideration that season, too.

Robinson didn't waste time proving he was one of the NBA's best interior defenders. In his rookie season, he averaged 2.4 blocks per game, and he did so while playing only 20 minutes per contest. Though he has frequently struggled with injuries, his impact is undeniable when he takes the court.

Lewis just barely missed out on being a first-round pick when Seattle drafted him at 32nd overall in 1998. By the time he was in his mid 20s, Lewis had become one of the NBA's best shooters, which was helped by being hard to challenge at 6'10". He was a volume three-point shooter before that became more common in the modern game, and he was rewarded for it with two All-Star appearances.

The Magic don't have a rich history of hitting on second-round picks, with Pachulia being perhaps the best example. He spent just one uneventful season in Orlando before bouncing around the league for a little while: the Bobcats took him in the expansion draft, then he was immediately traded to the Bucks, then he signed with the Hawks the next season. It was in Atlanta where he started to show out, averaging about 12 points and 8 rebounds in his first year with the team.

Williams only started about 11 percent of the 1,100-plus NBA games he played in, but off the bench, there was nobody better. It took him a couple of seasons to get going, but once he did, he put up career averages of 14 points and 3 assists per game. In a two-year peak with the Clippers, he averaged 21 points a game and won the Sixth Man Of The Year trophy both seasons.

Phoenix had the sixth pick in the 1986 draft and selected William Bedford, whose potential was limited by off-court issues. Meanwhile, in the second round, the Suns picked up Hornacek, who enjoyed a respectable 14-year career. He was an All-Star in Phoenix, and later, he was a key supporting piece on the Stockton-and-Malone Jazz.

Portland liked Robinson right away, as he appeared in all 82 games as a rookie. He continued to earn his keep from there, and in his fourth season, he was the Sixth Man Of The Year. He was an All-Star the season after that and ultimately enjoyed one of the longest careers in NBA history, playing for 18 seasons.

Thomas was famously selected with the final pick of the 2011 draft, which makes sense considering he stands at just 5'9". Quickly, though, he proved that his size didn't stop him from being an impactful scorer. His offense peaked with the Celtics, when he averaged barely under 29 points per game and was a surprise MVP candidate.

By the time Manu played his first NBA game, he was 25 years old. His international experience, though, meant he was polished and ready to contribute immediately. Ginóbili made two All-Star teams, but that total undersells his long-lasting impact as a Hall of Fame player.

Tucker has one of the more interesting career journeys in NBA history. The Raptors picked up him up early in the second round, but after his first season, Tucker went to play ball overseas. Years later, though, he returned to the league and enjoyed a long career as a key role player for several teams.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Millsap was one of the league's most underrated players, a talented rebounder and interior scorer for the Jazz. It was when he relocated to Atlanta that he started getting his flowers. For the Hawks, he made four straight All-Star teams and an All-Defense team.

Mureșan was worth taking a chance on with a low-risk second-round pick, considering he stood at 7'7". It worked out, and it didn't. He won the Most Improved Player award in his third season, averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, but he played only six seasons in the NBA due to injuries.