Guides / Decade guides

The 1980s: Showtime, the Garden and the golden age of the midrange

By the 99OVR editorial team at Sameer Studios

The 1980s are where 99OVR stops being hard mode. The positional pool is twice the size of the decades before it, the Best Player wheel carries five franchises, and the danger is no longer scarcity but famous scorers whose reputations point at the wrong skill.

Four champions, one rivalry

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird arrived together in the fall of 1979, and the decade organized itself around them. Only four franchises won titles in the 1980s: the Lakers five times, the Celtics three times, the 76ers in 1983 behind Moses Malone, and the Pistons in 1989. The Lakers and Celtics met in the Finals three times, and the distance between those two teams and everyone else was the decade’s main storyline.

Underneath it, the next era was arriving. Michael Jordan was drafted third in 1984 and spent the decade running into Boston and Detroit; the Pistons built a physical scheme, the “Jordan Rules,” around stopping him. Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson took Houston to the 1986 Finals, and Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Patrick Ewing all debuted. That is why so many 1980s cards belong to players who also hold 1990s cards.

Midrange, contact and a line nobody used

The three-point line arrived in 1979–80, and for most of the decade teams treated it as a novelty. The signature shots were the pull-up from fifteen to eighteen feet, the post-up and the fast-break layup. In this pool that means jump-shooting runs high across guards and wings, while only a handful of players — Bird, Dale Ellis, Michael Adams — treated the arc as a weapon.

Defense was physical and strictly man-to-man. Hand-checking was legal and zone defense was not, which suited Detroit’s Bad Boys perfectly. The league also started rewarding defenders: the Defensive Player of the Year award began in 1982–83, and Sidney Moncrief won the first two. The Sixth Man award started the same season, so 1980s cards can point to defensive and bench hardware that older cards never could.

Pace and flight did the rest. Showtime made the fast break fashionable, Larry Nance won the first Slam Dunk Contest in 1984, Bird won the first three-point shootout two years later, and wings like Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler and Jordan made athleticism the decade’s most visible skill.

Famous scorers, quiet specialists

The 1980s pool was rated with a clear pattern in mind: the traps are famous scorers with nothing on defense, and the connoisseur picks are role players hiding one elite skill. Round by round, it plays out like this.

Jumpshot is deep at shooting guard and small forward, with Bird the best shooter in the pool and Dale Ellis, Jeff Malone, Walter Davis and Kiki Vandeweghe close behind. The trap is Jordan: the 1980s card is the slasher, and more than a dozen shooting guards out-shoot him.

Handles belong to the point guards — Isiah Thomas, Magic, Kevin Johnson, Rod Strickland, Muggsy Bogues — with Jordan the lone wing who matches them.

Finishing is the decade’s most plentiful elite skill: Kareem, Kevin McHale, Jordan, Adrian Dantley, Bernard King, Moses Malone and plenty more. Dantley is the lesson. He never jumped over anybody and still sits near the top.

Playmaking has Magic at the very top, Stockton and Isiah just behind, and a long list of quiet point guards like Johnny Moore and Mark Jackson. Outside the guards, Bird and Bill Walton, it vanishes.

Defense has a split personality. Specialists such as Mark Eaton, Michael Cooper, Moncrief and Dennis Johnson are elite, while scorers like World B. Free, Kiki and Kelly Tripucka barely guard anyone. On average, the 1980s small forwards are the weakest defensive small forward group in the game.

Athleticism runs through the wings — Jordan, Dominique, Drexler — and Hakeem. Centers are the exception: Eaton, Manute Bol, Bill Laimbeer and Mike Gminski make the 1980s center pool the least athletic in the game on average.

Position by position

Point guards

The deepest point guard pool of the older decades: elite handles, an embarrassment of passers, and real defenders in Maurice Cheeks, Dennis Johnson, Fat Lever and Micheal Ray Richardson. The gap is Finishing. No 1980s point guard is an elite finisher, so take the best of the dozen and move on.

Shooting guards

Shooters everywhere, Jordan in the middle of it, and elite stoppers in Moncrief, Cooper and Dennis Johnson. For Playmaking, look to the combo guards: Lever and Richardson are better passers than Jordan himself.

Small forwards

Bird for Jumpshot and Playmaking, Dominique and James Worthy for Athleticism, Dantley and King for Finishing. Defense is the hole, and the best answers are dual-listed players like Cooper, Rodney McCray and Dan Majerle.

Power forwards

Barkley, Karl Malone, Larry Nance and Jerome Kersey make Finishing and Athleticism easy, and Dan Roundfield, Buck Williams and Charles Oakley cover Defense. Jumpshot means Jack Sikma or Tom Chambers; Playmaking means McCray, narrowly ahead of Barkley.

Centers

Eaton for Defense with Hakeem right behind; Kareem, McHale and Moses for Finishing; Sikma and Laimbeer for Jumpshot; Walton for Playmaking. Handles is the grim round, and Sampson and Hakeem are the only real answers.

Deep pool, five franchises

On the positional reel the 1980s carry the same weight as every decade after them, roughly one landing in six, so this is the first decade that is not hard mode. It is also the first deep one: 112 players, twice the size of the 1960s or 1970s, with 28 to 31 at each position. A dozen shows you less than half the pool, so the memorizing that works in the older decades stops working here. You will rarely know who is coming; you have to read the dozen in front of you.

On the Best Player wheel, five franchises carry a 1980s slot: the 76ers, Celtics, Lakers, Hawks and Pistons. Each is an all-decade roster rather than a single season, so the Sixers include Barkley alongside Moses and Erving. A team re-spin keeps the decade, so from a 1980s landing it can only move you to another of those five franchises; a decade re-spin keeps the franchise and leaves the 80s behind.

The decade also overlaps heavily with its neighbors. Eight players have 1970s cards, and more than thirty — Jordan, Hakeem, Barkley, Malone, Stockton and Ewing among them — have 1990s cards too. A player can only be stolen once per run, so using the 1980s Jordan spends the 1990s Jordan as well.

Drafting from the 1980s

Read the dozen, not the pool

With less than half of each position pool dealt, assume nothing about who is there. Scan the dozen for the round’s skill before you look for the names you love. In Budget, the price tag helps: it follows the player’s rating at this round’s skill, so a cheap tag on a famous scorer in the Defense round is the warning the box score will not give you. More on prices in the Budget strategy guide.

Don’t steal Jordan’s jumper

The 1980s Jordan is one of the best cards in the decade for Handles, Finishing, Defense and Athleticism, and only good at Jumpshot, where Dale Ellis or Jeff Malone is the better steal. Spend him in one of his elite rounds. Using him anywhere also spends his 1990s card, so make the round count.

Hunt specialists in the Defense round

1980s cards carry blocks, steals and Defensive Player of the Year awards, so the clues are finally on the card: the 6.5 PPG center with a blocks figure, the 8.5 PPG wing with the award. Eaton, Cooper, Tree Rollins and Manute Bol are worth more in round five than most All-Star scorers.

Know each franchise’s calling card

On the Best Player wheel the five 1980s rosters lean different ways. The Lakers are Magic’s playmaking and Cooper’s defense. The Celtics are Bird’s jumper and McHale’s post game, with no elite athlete anywhere on the roster. The Sixers bring Erving, Moses and Barkley at the rim, the Hawks are Dominique and Spud Webb in the air, and the Pistons are Isiah’s handle plus Dennis Rodman’s and Joe Dumars’s defense. If a 1980s team lands on the wrong round, a team re-spin keeps you in the decade and may find the right one.

Players worth knowing

Michael Jordan: The most complete card in the decade, which makes the jumpshot round his trap: the 1980s version is the slasher, and a long list of shooting guards out-shoot him. Spend him on Handles, Finishing, Defense or Athleticism.
Mark Eaton: A 6.5 PPG line on the best defender in the 1980s pool. He is no use in any other round, so there is never a reason to have spent him before round five.
Rodney McCray: Houston’s glue forward is the best passer in the 1980s power forward pool and a strong defender. In a power forward Playmaking round, he narrowly beats Barkley.
Jack Sikma: The best-shooting big of the decade, listed in both the power forward and center pools. When a frontcourt run lands here for Jumpshot, he is the first name to find.
Ralph Sampson: Seven-four with a guard’s coordination, and one of only two 1980s centers with a real handle. The rare good answer to a center run’s Handles round.
Fat Lever: A box score full of rebounds, assists and steals from a 6-foot-3 guard. A genuine two-round card, strong in Playmaking and Defense from either guard pool.
Bill Laimbeer: Led the league in rebounds without ever leaving the floor, so ignore that line in the Athleticism round. His real skill is a center’s jump shot, second only to Sikma among 1980s centers.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Still the skyhook and still near the top in Finishing, but the 1980s card has lost a step on Defense and Athleticism compared with his 1970s version.

On the Best Player wheel

When the franchise reel lands on one of these teams in the 1980s, the roster you read is the whole franchise across the decade, not a single season. The team that earned the slot is listed first; the rest of the roster is everyone else who played for the franchise in those ten years.

1980s 76ers · All-time · 74 players

1983 76ers: Fo, fi, fo. Moses called it and then delivered it. Headliners: Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones.

1980s Celtics · All-time · 49 players

1986 Celtics: The best Celtics team ever assembled. It is not close. Headliners: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge.

1980s Lakers · All-time · 57 players

1987 Lakers: Showtime at full volume. Magic finally took the MVP. Headliners: Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, A.C. Green.

1980s Hawks · Solid · 66 players

1988 Hawks: Fifty wins, one human highlight film, no Finals. Headliners: Dominique Wilkins, Doc Rivers, Kevin Willis, Randy Wittman, Cliff Levingston.

1980s Pistons · All-time · 77 players

1989 Pistons: Bad Boys. They swept the Lakers and enjoyed it too much. Headliners: Isiah Thomas, Adrian Dantley, Joe Dumars, Mark Aguirre, Bill Laimbeer.

See every franchise on the wheel →

The 1980s positional pool

Positional runs deal twelve players at random from the chosen position’s pool when the decade reel lands on the 1980s. These are all 112 players who can appear, with the box-score clue from their roster card and the note shown beside it on wider screens. Players listed at two positions can be dealt in either pool. Skill ratings stay hidden until your verdict.

Point guards

Magic JohnsonPG: 19.5 PPG · 11.2 APG · 7.3 RPG6'9" and running the break like a man with an extra pair of eyes.
Isiah ThomasPG: 20.6 PPG · 9.8 APGSmiled at you the whole time he was taking your season.
John StocktonPG: 14.7 PPG · 13.8 APGTook the starting job in '88 and never gave anyone a look at it again.
Maurice CheeksPG: 12.2 PPG · 7.3 APG · 2.3 SPGNever needed the ball and never lost it. Philadelphia's quiet spine.
Norm NixonPG: 15.7 PPG · 8.2 APGRan Showtime before Magic did, and got traded for the privilege.
Terry PorterPG: 15.5 PPG · 8.0 APGPortland's grown-up. Never rushed a possession in his life.
Rickey GreenPG: 12.8 PPG · 8.4 APG · led the league in stealsFastest man in the gym, and he only used it going forward.
Doc RiversPG: 12.8 PPG · 6.9 APGGuarded the other team's best guard and coached him at the same time.
Johnny MoorePG: 9.4 PPG · 9.6 APG · 2.4 SPGLed the league in assists in San Antonio and nobody outside Texas noticed.
John LucasPG: 10.7 PPG · 7.0 APGFirst pick in the draft, and the comeback stories outnumbered the box scores.
Michael AdamsPG: 18.5 PPG · 6.1 APG · 5'10"Shot threes by the hundred a decade early with a push-shot that shouldn't work.
Mark JacksonPG: 13.6 PPG · 10.6 APG · ROYRookie of the Year in New York on 868 assists and zero hurry.
Kevin JohnsonPG: 20.4 PPG · 12.2 APGTraded for Larry Nance, then averaged 20 and 12 out of spite.
Rod StricklandPG: 8.9 PPG off the benchStuck behind Mark Jackson with the best handle in the building.
Muggsy BoguesPG: 5.0 PPG · 5.1 APG · 5'3"Washington drafted a rumor. The rumor could really pass.
Nate McMillanPG: 6.4 PPG · 8.6 APGMr. Sonic. Twenty-five assists in a rookie game and no interest in shooting.
Darrell WalkerPG: 8.4 PPG · 2.0 SPGPicked up full court for 48 minutes because nobody told him to stop.
Phil FordPG: 11.6 PPG · 6.3 APGRookie of the Year running the four corners into the pros.
Derek HarperPG: 13.4 PPG · 5.8 APG · 1.9 SPGDallas's iron in the backcourt. Picked pockets and kept a straight face.
Spud WebbPG: 7.8 PPG · dunk champion5'7", beat Nique in his own building, and the tape still doesn't look real.
Dennis JohnsonPG / SG: 15.0 PPG · 5.0 APG · nine All-Defense teamsBird called him the best teammate he ever had. The steal-and-feed says why.
Fat LeverPG / SG: 18.9 PPG · 9.3 RPG · 7.9 APG · 2.7 SPGA 6'3" guard pulling down nine a night. Nobody has explained it since.
Micheal Ray RichardsonPG / SG: 16.0 PPG · 7.0 APG · 2.9 SPGLed the league in assists and steals. The ceiling was never the problem.
Gus WilliamsPG / SG: 20.0 PPG · 6.9 APGThe Wizard. Seattle's title came out of his first step.
Sleepy FloydPG / SG: 18.8 PPG · 8.8 APGDropped 29 in a quarter on the Lakers in a playoff game. Still the record.
Reggie TheusPG / SG: 18.5 PPG · 6.3 APGBig, smooth, All-Star twice, and traded every time a coach wanted a grinder.
Danny AingePG / SG: 12.9 PPG · Boston irritantTwo sports, one temper. The jumper was better than the reputation.
John PaxsonPG / SG: 11.3 PPG · 52% FGStood in the corner and made everything. That was the whole job.
Craig HodgesPG / SG: 10.0 PPG · three-point specialistShot 19 in a row at All-Star Weekend. Guarding people was optional.

Shooting guards

Michael JordanSG: 32.6 PPG · 8.0 RPG · 8.0 APG63 in the Garden. Bird said it was God disguised as Michael Jordan.
Sidney MoncriefSG: 20.8 PPG · back-to-back DPOYThe first Defensive Player of the Year, and he scored 21 doing it.
World B. FreeSG: 22.3 PPG · Prince of Mid-AirChanged his name to World and then defended like the world didn't exist.
Rolando BlackmanSG: 19.2 PPG · four-time All-StarThe most reliable eighteen-footer in Texas, and honest work on the other end.
Jeff MaloneSG: 20.0 PPG · 88% FTTwenty a night off a foot fake. Do not ask about the defensive rotations.
Ricky PierceSG: 23.0 PPG · Sixth Man of the YearCame off the bench and immediately drew a foul. Every single night.
Vinnie JohnsonSG: 12.9 PPG · The MicrowaveDetroit's oven timer. Two dribbles and the game was different.
Byron ScottSG: 17.0 PPG · Showtime wingRan the floor with Magic and got rewarded with wide-open jumpers forever.
Dale EllisSG: 27.5 PPG · 47% from threeOne of maybe three men in the decade who treated the arc as a weapon.
Andrew ToneySG: 17.8 PPG · The Boston StranglerBoston had no answer for him. His feet had no answer for Boston.
Eddie JohnsonSG: 21.5 PPG · Sixth Man of the YearInstant offense off the bench for four different teams that all needed it.
Ron HarperSG: 22.9 PPG · 2.6 SPG · rookieBefore the knees and the rings, he was a 22-point athlete in Cleveland.
Mitch RichmondSG: 22.0 PPG · Rookie of the YearThe third head of Run TMC, built like a safety.
Dell CurrySG: 10.0 PPG off the benchCharlotte's expansion consolation prize with a release from a textbook.
Clyde DrexlerSG / SF: 27.2 PPG · 6.6 RPG · 5.8 APGThe Glide. Portland took him with the pick after they took the other guy.
Michael CooperSG / SF: 8.5 PPG · Defensive Player of the YearCoop-a-loop guarded Bird for a living. Voluntarily.
Walter DavisSG / SF: 24.2 PPG · Sweet DSweetest release in the desert. The other end was a rumor.
Xavier McDanielSG / SF: 21.4 PPG · 8.6 RPGThe X-Man scowled at you, then dunked on you, then scowled again.
Dan MajerleSG / SF: 8.6 PPG · rookiePhoenix booed the pick on draft night. Thunder Dan outlived the boos.
Reggie LewisSG / SF: 18.5 PPG · Boston's next oneBoston had the succession planned. It's still the saddest what-if there is.
Jeff HornacekSG / SF: 11.5 PPG · 5.0 APGSecond-round guard who never took a bad shot or a wasted step.
Kiki VandewegheSG / SF: 26.9 PPG · 52% FGDenver arithmetic: he scored 27, they gave up 130, everybody had fun.

Small forwards

Larry BirdSF: 26.0 PPG · 10.0 RPG · 6.4 APGTold the locker room who was finishing second, then went and did it.
Dominique WilkinsSF: 30.3 PPG · Human Highlight FilmScored 30 a night in the most violent way available.
Alex EnglishSF: 27.0 PPG · eight straight 2,000-point seasonsThe decade's leading scorer, and you'd forgotten. That's the whole bit.
Bernard KingSF: 32.9 PPG · 60 in a Christmas gameTurnaround from the left block, in traffic, with a knee that was already gone.
Adrian DantleySF: 30.7 PPG · led the league in free throws6'5" and unguardable in the post. Never jumped over anybody, ever.
James WorthySF: 19.4 PPG · Big Game JamesFinals MVP on a 36-point triple-double. The one-hand jam had no brakes.
Marques JohnsonSF: 20.5 PPG · 7.0 RPGMilwaukee's point forward before the phrase was invented for him.
Chuck PersonSF: 18.8 PPG · Rookie of the YearThe Rifleman talked all game and occasionally backed it up.
Orlando WoolridgeSF: 20.7 PPG · 55% FGAll rim, all the time. Nothing outside twelve feet and no apologies.
Purvis ShortSF: 28.0 PPG · the rainbowHighest-arcing jumper of the decade. It came down eventually.
Danny ManningSF: 16.7 PPG · No. 1 pickThe best footwork in the draft, and 26 games before the knee took it.
Mike MitchellSF: 22.2 PPG · San Antonio scorerTwo decades of buckets in a decade. Rebounding was somebody else's job.
Mark AguirreSF / PF: 25.7 PPG · No. 1 pickScored on everybody, argued with everybody, then won two in Detroit.
Terry CummingsSF / PF: 23.6 PPG · 10.5 RPG · Rookie of the YearPreacher on Sunday, load-bearing wall the other six days.
Tom ChambersSF / PF: 25.7 PPG · the dunk over Mark JacksonTook off from the free-throw line over a man's head. In a real game.
Detlef SchrempfSF / PF: 8.5 PPG · rookieGerman import buried on the Dallas bench with a decade of nights coming.
Thurl BaileySF / PF: 19.6 PPG · Sixth Man runner-upBig Tee: a seven-footer's jumper on a forward's body, coming off the bench.
Cliff LevingstonSF / PF: 9.0 PPG · Good NewsPlayed 20 minutes and made every one of them somebody else's problem.
Rodney McCraySF / PF: 13.0 PPG · 7.0 RPG · 3.5 APGHouston's glue. Guarded the best forward and passed like a point guard.
Kelly TripuckaSF / PF: 21.6 PPG · All-Star rookieScored in bunches with a headband and a defensive stance made of paper.

Power forwards

Charles BarkleyPF: 25.8 PPG · 12.5 RPG · led the league in reboundsThe Round Mound outrebounded seven-footers from five inches below them.
Karl MalonePF: 27.7 PPG · 10.4 RPGStockton pointed, the Mailman arrived, and the referee reached for a whistle.
Buck WilliamsPF: 15.5 PPG · 12.3 RPGRookie of the Year who then rebounded in silence for fifteen years.
Dan RoundfieldPF: 17.0 PPG · 10.0 RPG · five All-Defense teamsAtlanta's enforcer. Blocked shots at 6'8" and never got a poster of his own.
Larry NancePF: 17.0 PPG · first Slam Dunk championWon the first dunk contest, then quietly became one of the best shot-blocking fours alive.
Wayman TisdalePF: 16.0 PPG · left-handedSweetest lefty hook in the league and a bass guitar waiting in the locker.
Roy TarpleyPF: 13.5 PPG · 11.8 RPG · Sixth Man of the YearTwenty rebounds off the bench. The talent was never what stopped him.
A.C. GreenPF: 10.0 PPG · 8.0 RPG · never missed a gameIron Man in goggles, boxing out while Showtime got the cameras.
Kurt RambisPF: 5.6 PPG · 5.8 RPGBlack-rim glasses, elbows, and the loudest ovation on a 60-win team.
Charles OakleyPF: 12.4 PPG · led the league in reboundsChicago drafted him to keep Jordan upright. It worked as advertised.
Otis ThorpePF: 16.0 PPG · 8.0 RPG · 55% FGTook dunks and layups exclusively. Shot a great percentage, oddly enough.
Larry SmithPF: 8.0 PPG · 11.0 RPGMr. Mean lived on the offensive glass and never scored on purpose.
Jerome KerseyPF: 17.5 PPG · 8.0 RPGSecond-round forward who dunked on centers all decade in Portland.
Kevin McHalePF / C: 22.0 PPG · 60% FG · two-time Sixth ManThe torture chamber: seven post moves, all of them already started.
Ralph SampsonPF / C: 20.7 PPG · 10.9 RPG · Rookie of the Year7'4" with a guard's coordination. The knees never let us see the end of it.
Sam PerkinsPF / C: 14.0 PPG · 8.0 RPGBig Smooth. A jumper on a power forward, which nobody knew what to do with.
Herb WilliamsPF / C: 15.0 PPG · 2.0 BPGIndiana's quiet twenty-year man with a real turnaround and real timing.
Bill LaimbeerPF / C: 13.5 PPG · 12.5 RPGNever jumped, never ran, led the league in rebounds. Most hated man alive.
Rick MahornPF / C: 8.0 PPG · Bad BoyHalf of the McFilthy and McNasty operation. Fines were a business expense.
Jack SikmaPF / C: 17.5 PPG · 10.5 RPG · seven straight All-Star nodsThe reverse pivot and the blond perm. Shot 92% from the line as a center.
Mychal ThompsonPF / C: 14.0 PPG · Laker insuranceAcquired for one reason: McHale. Guarded him better than anyone else could.

Centers

Kareem Abdul-JabbarC: 23.0 PPG · the skyhookOne shot, unblockable for twenty years, and the all-time scoring record.
Moses MaloneC: 27.8 PPG · 15.3 RPG · Fo' Fi' Fo'Rebounded his own misses until the rim gave in. Led the league six times.
Hakeem OlajuwonC: 23.5 PPG · 11.9 RPG · 3.4 BPGTwin Towers, Phi Slama Jama, and footwork the league hadn't seen before.
Patrick EwingC: 22.7 PPG · 9.2 RPG · Rookie of the YearNew York got the first lottery and never once regretted it.
Robert ParishC: 18.0 PPG · 10.5 RPG · The ChiefRan the floor at 7'1" for a decade and never changed his expression.
Artis GilmoreC: 17.5 PPG · best FG% in NBA historyThe A-Train. Nothing he attempted was ever a bad shot.
Bill WaltonC: 7.6 PPG · Sixth Man of the YearEighty games in '86 was a miracle. The outlet passes were the point.
Brad DaughertyC: 18.9 PPG · 9.2 RPG · 4.0 APGNo. 1 pick who passed out of the post better than most guards passed into it.
Mark EatonC: 6.5 PPG · 5.6 BPG · Defensive Player of the YearBlocked 456 shots in one season. Nobody will ever be near that again.
Manute BolC: 3.9 PPG · 5.0 BPG · 7'7"Blocked more shots than he scored points in a season. Actually did that.
Bill CartwrightC: 17.0 PPG · Mr. BillElbows at chin height, an ugly release, and three rings he was never given credit for.
Jeff RulandC: 22.2 PPG · 12.3 RPGTwo All-Star years, then the feet quit at 26. Ask a Bullets fan about it.
Rik SmitsC: 11.7 PPG · rookieThe Dunking Dutchman arrived at 7'4" already knowing how to shoot.
James DonaldsonC: 9.0 PPG · 60% FGMade the All-Star team at 32 by standing in exactly the right place.
Benoit BenjaminC: 13.0 PPG · 2.5 BPGClippers lottery pick who showed up out of shape and still blocked everything.
Joe Barry CarrollC: 20.4 PPG · Joe Barely CaresNumber one pick, twenty a night, and a nickname that followed him home.
Mike GminskiC: 15.0 PPG · 84% FTG-Man shot free throws like a guard and moved like a filing cabinet.
Darryl DawkinsC: 14.0 PPG · Chocolate ThunderBroke two backboards in three weeks and named every dunk he threw down.
Tree RollinsC: 6.0 PPG · 2.5 BPGBlocked 2,500 shots and bit Danny Ainge. Both are on the record.
Kevin DuckworthC: 15.8 PPG · All-Star · Most ImprovedThree hundred pounds of turnaround jumper on a running team.