WHAT HAPPENED To The 2011 NBA Draft?

the 2011 NBA draft was no ordinary class it featured a ton of terrible picks in the top 10 and most of the best players in the draft were actually drafted much later than that six all NBA players multiple Champions some iconic players and a whole lot of drama the 2011 NBA draft class was one of the weirdest of all time and certainly has left its mark on the league and that will never be more true than with the first overall pick Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time the Cavs were still trying to recover from losing LeBron in free agency the off-season prior and Kyrie represented an opportunity to put a true franchise player in front of their fans post LeBron despite only playing a handful of games in college at Duke due to injury he was so impressive in his limited minutes that he was still the favorite to be selected first overall in this draft but there was a debate at the top as Derek Williams a combo forward from Arizona was seen by some as the better Prospect he had a great combination of size skill and athleticism and was coming off of a fantastic College season ultimately the Cavs went with Irving who would go on to hit one of the most famous shots in NBA history in the 2016 finals and despite the headaches that he caused the Cavs after that Cleveland does not win the 2016 title without picking Kyrie first overall here and number two the Timberwolves were in a weird spot they were extremely young roster had just won 17 games the year before but had an up-and-coming star forward and Kevin Love an international Phenom Ricky Rubio was set to come over and join the team The Following Season the problem was they needed as much talent as they could get in this draft but the next handful of consensus top 10 picks were all front Court players and none were very good fits ultimately they went with Derek Williams who again in some people's eyes had a case to go first ahead of Kyrie he was seen as an athletic combo forward that could be a match-up nightmare offensively and a core of Rubio Williams and love was seen as a very exciting group at the time unfortunately Williams was always a bit of a tweener a guy without a true position and that was made much worse by the fact that his best spot to play was the four and love was an all-nba player at that spot already not to mention that his offensive game is especially his floor spacing just never really developed the way that people hoped he stuck around for Seven Seasons total but was gone from Minnesota after just 150 games a disappointing career that could have been better in a different situation next up at number three with a Utah Jazz who only had this pick because of yet another top 10 pick given away by Billy king and the net just a few months earlier the trade deadline the Jazz had abruptly moved on from Star guard Darren Williams sending him to the nets for Derek favors Devin Harris a 2013 first and this pick at number three overall the Jazz were clearly transitioning to a new era but it was an exciting one they had Gordon Hayward on the roster who they picked the year before and a ton of good front Court players like Al Jefferson Paul Millsap and he previously mentioned favors who they got in the William Street the problem with this draft was just like Minnesota they obviously didn't need yet another big but that was kind of all this draft had to offer at the top they ultimately went with enes Kanter a former five-star recruit from turkey that didn't end up playing in college at all after being declared ineligible by the NCAA he was a tenacious rebound founder and skilled offensive player although his skill set was obviously redundant amongst all the other bigs Utah had it took him a while to make his Mark but eventually in both Utah and Oklahoma City Cantor was one of the best bench bigs and offensive rebounders in the league not ideal for a top three pick but not bad considering the lack of overall talent in the top 10 of this class at number four we go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers you might be wondering how exactly the Cavs ended up with two top five picks in the same draft class and that is a great question this pick at Fourth overall was their own after winning just 19 games the year before however the first overall pick which they used to select Kyrie was actually the Clippers pick they used that 2011 first at the trade deadline to dump Baron Davis's salary on Cleveland and through some crazy Lottery luck they ended up giving away the first overall pick in this draft but back to the fourth pick and it's a really good thing that the Cavs had two top five picks in this draft because this team was terrible not surprising in their first year without LeBron but still they just needed any talent that they could get and they also went with a big Tristan Thompson now although Kyrie and Thompson would go on to become huge parts of the 2016 title team this selection specifically was met with a ton of criticism he wasn't really seen as a good offensive player but more so in energy and effort guy with a ton of athleticism which isn't exactly what you're looking for with a top five pick in many evaluators eyes Thompson wasn't even worth a top 10 pick much less top five ultimately though this was a really good choice he became a great rebounder in switchable Defender and in a draft full of bigs at the top he had one of the best careers of all of them next up at number five were the Toronto Raptors Fresh Off The 22 win season they had a young DeMar DeRozan a sort of good Andrea barnyardi and not much else they really were a team without a true identity and they selected gionis Valanciunas at number five one of the best International prospects in the world at the time JV didn't come over and play for Toronto until the start of the 2012 season and it took a while for his career to get started but he eventually became a solid starter on some really good Raptors teams before being sent to the Grizzlies mid-season in exchange from Arkansas in 2019 is the round doctors went on to win the title in their only season with Kawhi Leonard at number six is one of the biggest draft busts of all time even if it might not seem like it at first the Wizards were such a weird team at this point in time they'd added the number one pick in the draft John Wall the year before and really not much helps that they could truly count on for their future they didn't know this at the time but they were in the process of building a legitimately strong playoff team as they would add Radley be on 2012 and Otto Porter Jr in 2013 but in 2011 they missed big time they selected Ian vesseli who was one of the best young players in all of Europe at the time he was a 6 foot 11 combo forward with a ton of skill and upside that just never made an impact at all in the NBA the reason I say he's one of the biggest rap boss of all time is because he played in less than a hundred and total point for Washington as a top six pick which is about as bad as you can possibly do and have the Wizards actually hit on this selection they might have even made a Conference Finals during the wall deal era but this one ended up haunting them for a while if you thought anything else in this draft because we were just wait until you hear what happens next at number seven the Kings originally held this pick but traded it to the at the time Charlotte Bobcats and what they got back made no sense at all essentially the Kings moved back three spots in the draft to number 10 for no reason at all they took on money from other teams got nothing good in exchange and moved back in the draft this is seriously one of the strangest draft trades of all time and it makes me think that somehow they misunderstood the entire deal or something but anyway the Bobcats now had two top 10 picks and with the first of them at number seven they selected bismack biyombo this was an interesting choice to say the least because biyombo was a good athlete with a great wingspan and played extremely hard but that was pretty much it that was literally his entire package as a draft prospect he had no offensive game to speak of at all in his NBA career so far has shown that to be true despite being semi-productive at times he really has not made much of an impact at all next up at number eight is one of my favorite forgotten draft prospects of all time the Detroit Pistons were selecting here and had literally zero direction for their franchise they had a young Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva in free agency and still had some holdovers from the mid-2000s Pistons teams all of which led to a 30-win season prior to this draft what they really needed was Talent at any position and they finally ended the six pick long run on frontcourt players by selecting Brandon Knight eighth overall and I thought this guy was going to be an awesome NBA player he had solid size was crazy athletic and was in that Derrick Rose John while Russell Westbrook kind of lead guard mold that would dominate The League over the next few seasons unfortunately things just never came together for night he lasted just two seasons in Detroit and despite some flashes of high upside as an explosive scoring gourd a variety of injuries kept him from ever reaching that potential okay after a ton of average to below average players we finally get to one of the best guys in this entire draft at number nine this was as I mentioned the second of the Bobcats top 10 picks and they selected a true darling of the college basketball season Kemba Walker he was a pretty controversial Prospect at the time simply because everybody saw how great of a score he was in college but he was an older Prospect and didn't have great size and somehow he managed to make it work and is one of the best players in Charlotte franchise history he continued to work on his jump shot over the years and made four straight All-Star appearances and even made it all NBA team solidifying his status as one of the best guards in the league That season before a pretty sudden downturn to the end of his career and now finding himself out of the league completely number 10 is a crazy one this is the spot that the Kings drop back to from seven in that terrible trade with Charlotte and they selected yet another College darling Jimmer Fredette this guy was a Phenom at BYU and many people thought his incredible shooting range had knack for scoring would translate to the NBA level despite limited athleticism and they were wrong the Kings weren't exactly a great team to go to at the time coming off of a 24-win season with DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreek Evans leading the way and it was clear pretty quickly that Fredette was going to struggle in the NBA despite being an older Prospect he didn't even get 20 minutes a game on a bad kings team as a rookie and that turned out to actually be his best year in the league lasting just 170 games with Sacramento before jumping around to a few other teams on the end of the bench on his way out of League entirely unfortunately okay now this draft gets fun the theme of this entire class is depth in value we have Kyrie at the top and then from this pick on the class has an insane hit rate for not only solid starters but all NBA even MVP level guys beginning with the 11th pick that pick was held by the Golden State Warriors who were in a much different place than they have been for the last decade or so they had guys like Monta Ellis and David Lee and of course Steph Curry although Steph wasn't quite the guy that we know now he was struggling with angle injury issues and hadn't fully established himself as the future of the franchise but it was pretty clear at this point that the the Ellis Curry combo in the backcourt just wasn't going to work which worked out for them because at this point the draft there were a ton of perimeter players to pick from as a long-term solution they went with Clay Thompson the sharp shooting two guard from Washington State and completely changed the direction of their franchise with that decision the concerns at the time for Thompson were that he would just be a shooter at the NBA level but he quickly changed all of that he not only became one of the best Shooters of all time but a fantastic Defender and perfect compliment alongside Steph make no mistake about it even with the greatness of Steph and all the other guys the Warriors do not have nearly as much success without picking Klay Thompson at 11 here next at 12 13 and 14 are some solid role players and starters 12 was Alec Burks to the Jazz zoo I always thought was pretty good but just couldn't stay healthy and has been pretty productive at different points in his career and at 13 and 14 with a Morris twins who have both had solid careers and have been versatile forwards in a league for over a decade now but I really want to get to the 15th pick where we have another trade this pick was originally held by by the Indiana Pacers who were on the verge of becoming an up-and-coming Eastern Conference power they had Danny Granger and a young Paul George a fantastic combination on the Wings Plus a defensive player of the year caliber big in Roy Hibbert and what they really needed was a combo guard in the backcourt that could play on or off the ball around all three of those guys and it was a perfect fit waiting for them in San Antonio George Hill a first round pick from a few years prior was sent from the Spurs to the Pacers for the 15th pick in this draft with the Spurs selected Kawhi Leonard a trade that the Spurs have admitted they didn't really want to make but they loved Kauai as a prospect and he was a divisive Prospect at that because in theory he really should have been a top five pick physically he had everything crazy wingspan and hand size he was strong a great athlete great size for a wing and he was an awesome defensive player and rebounder the only problem was he couldn't shoot like at all and teams were concerned that they were basically drafting a taller version of Tony Allen here so many of them passed the Spurs meanwhile saw a guy that not only could give some life to their aging core but that they could develop into a future All-Star with their great Player Development staff and they were correct despite how things turned out at the end in San Antonio and the injuries that have prevented Kauai from being available way too often he was a legit MVP candidate near the end of his first tenure and one of the best postseason performers we've seen in a while in his lone season with the Raptors prior to the injury issues he had and probably still does a case is the number one overall pick in a redraft for this class next up at 16 is the Philadelphia 76ers who were in that weird phase before the process started where they were a solid but not great team and they actually selected a great player here Nicola vucevic the problem was he did absolutely nothing for the Sixers after just one season he was moved to the Magic in the Andre Iguodala Dwight Howard Andrew Bynum Mega deal and in Orlando he became a legitimate All-Star and honestly one of the most forgotten players from this very memorable draft class at 17 with the New York Knicks fresh off of a 42 win season their best year in a decade they brought in Amari Stoudemire and free agency in 2010 and Carmelo Anthony at the trade deadline just a few months before this draft and went with Amman Shumpert from Georgia Tech with this pick despite being on the ball a ton in college schumpert transitioned to an off-fall role and eventually became a really good Defender and OK shooter most notably as a critical rotation piece of the Cavs 2016 title team after getting moved there after three and a half Seasons with the Knicks the Cavs really ended up with a ton of contributions from this draft class at 18 was Chris Singleton to the Wizards another draft missed for them as he just never developed offensively and played less than 150 NBA games at 19 was Tobias Harris who was selected by the Bobcats but has moved around a ton throughout his career despite consistently getting better and being very productive Harris was immediately moved in that crazy King's Bobcat straight from earlier than involved Jimmer for dead at 10 of his Mac beyondbo at 7. the Bucks were also involved and they got this 19th pick to select Harris and for whatever reason teams never seem to hang on to him for very long he lasted just a year and a half in Milwaukee before being sent to the magic for JJ Redick and in Orlando he broke out and sign a nice new contract then after just two and a half years there he was sent to Detroit for ursan ilyasova and Brandon Jennings after a year and a half there he was sent to the Clippers as part of a trade for Blake Griffin and after just a year and a half there he was sent to the Sixers for draft compensation and the craziest part of his career is he's been really good everywhere he's gone other than as a rookie with the Bucks just such a weird player and story at 20 was donatus montayunis who started this career in Houston and I always thought he was good as a bruising big that could space the floor a bit but he played Just 251 NBA games before going back overseas at 21 was Nolan Smith to the Trailblazers who was a really successful College guard at Duke but managed just 84 games which even as a late first drop picks is a super low number at 22 was a great college player and solid NBA Guy The Manimal Kenneth Faried he was picked by the nuggets and was a really solid starter for years for them he just never really developed a great offensive game but was a fantastic rebounder crazy athlete and played with a ton of energy in his eight year career at 23 was Nicola Mirotic who's started his career in Chicago again an international guy that I always thought was good he was a really skilled offensive player in the front court and a really good shooter after a solid first few seasons he was traded to the Bucks where he didn't get much playing time at all and in the 2019 off season he made a shocking decision he had a three-year 45 million dollar offer on the table from the Utah Jazz but turned it down to go back overseas and leave the NBA entirely at just 27 years old he was clearly good enough to still play a lot in the right situation but just decided that he would rather be over there than in the states at 24 now is a big one Reggie Jackson the Thunder had just won 55 games and made the Conference Finals and would go on to make the finals in this upcoming season and hit on yet another draft pick here Reggie Jackson was a talented scoring guard in college that immediately translated to the NBA level as a bench guy for OKC and he was so good that he eventually was too good to keep on the bench so the Thunder moved him to Detroit where he had moments as a borderline All-Star caliber player just another example of the insane depth of this class at 25 is a tough one for me Marshawn Brooks he went to the Nets and he was a really talented offensive guy in that kind of J.R Smith heat check shot maker role but he just never made it in the NBA but if you saw this guy playing the beginning of his career you know who I'm talking about he made some insane plays it's a similar story at number 26 for Jordan Hamilton who had some upside as a two-way Wing but just never really made it in the league at 27 as Juwan Johnson a productive College forward with some perimeter skill that struggle with injury issues and played Just 36 total NBA games at 28 was Norris Cole to the Miami Heat who had a short but memorable career he came in it was an immediate contributor as a guard on both the 2011 and 2012 title teams for the Heat and played in 60 playoff games total in his first three years in the NBA which is a crazy number the problem was after that he played less than 100 games in a league total as he never found his footing outside of Miami at 29 is Corey Joseph A really solid backup point guard that got to start with the Spurs but would go on to play for the Pacers Raptors Kings and most recently the Pistons as well and now at number 30 is the guy that arguably is the number one overall pick in a redraft for this class right now Jimmy Butler he arrived in the NBA as an older Prospect without an elite skill he had good size and athleticism but nobody could possibly see what was coming for him after a few seasons of figuring things out by the time his fourth year old around he was a legit star in the making for the Bulls but this was an awkward time for the franchise as they were trying to navigate what was left of the Derrick Rose era post injuries and Butler just kept getting better each and every season unfortunately for him the team just wasn't that good and they wanted to go into a rebuild so on draft night in 2017 he was sent to the Timberwolves for Zach Levine Krishna and Lowry marketing and a first round pick which is a crazy haul for the Bulls now in hindsight of course though Butler didn't last long in Minnesota after helping break their crazy long playoff trial and forced his way out of there in the most hilarious way after a year and a half with the Timberwolves ending up in Philly and falling one Kawhi Leonard shot short of maybe reaching the finals and or winning the title with the Sixers in 2019 before then forcing a sign-in trade to the Miami in the 2019 off season where he is since made two improbable runs to the finals he has had an insane career and just think about all the guys that got drafted before him that were literally barely mentioned in the video guys that played less than 150 NBA games some of them even less than that and all the way at the end of the first round is a multiple time all-nba guy that has carried teams to the finals that level of variance is exactly what makes the NBA draft great but the depth of this draft does not stop theirs we now move into the second round at 31 is moyambogganovich who didn't come to the league for a few years but when he did with the Nets was a really productive player and great shooter and is still extremely productive with the Pistons right now the next notable second round guy is Chandler Parsons at 38. notorious for earning some massive contracts and not staying healthy Parsons was a really good player he could shoot was a good passer had good size but could just never stay healthy he signed a big deal with the Mavs in 2014 after a really productive three-year run in Houston and then signed a massive deal in the summer 2016 with the Grizzlies before playing Just 95 total games for them and not playing very well in those 95 games anyway without injuries Parsons easily could have had a Tobias harris-like career but unfortunately most people are just going to remember him as the big contract guy and lastly is numb number 60 the last pick in the draft Isaiah Thomas he went from a rotation guard with the Kings to a starter to being moved to the Suns on a weird guard rotation with Eric blood's Uncle androgic to a second team all-nba season with the Celtics which unfortunately for him was as good as his career got he fought through an injury and personal tragedy for the Celtics that postseason but was ultimately dealt to the Cavs as part of a package for Kyrie Irving and hasn't been a notable player since playing through that injury really did ruin his career in many ways and it's such a sad ending to an unbelievable story from this class A draft class that as you can see was simply incredible depth Stars bus this one had it all and it's one of my favorite NBA drafts of all time

Channel: More Sporting Logically

Views: 91,327

Keywords: nba, nba draft, 2011 nba draft, sporting logically, nba offseason, nba what happened, kyrie irving, klay thompson, kawhi leonard, nba history, nba draft history, jimmy butler, basketball, cleveland cavaliers, golden state warriors, san antonio spurs, chicago bulls, miami heat

Id: yZwSIx7gz0Y

Length: 19min 44sec (1184 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 07 2023