Opinion
It’s been 35 years since the draft of 1986 brought arguably some of the greatest basketball talent ever seen in the history of the NBA.
Now that we know more of each of the players taken in this draft, the question is: who will make the top five of the 1986 redraft?
No.1: Dennis Rodman – Cleveland Cavaliers (originally Brad Dougherty)
Rodman was a rebounding beast across his career, playing for the Pistons, Spurs, Bulls, Lakers, and Mavericks over a 14-year NBA career. Rodman played a crucial part in the Piston championships in 1989 and 1990 before helping the much-argued greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, and the Bulls achieve a three-peat of championships between 1996 and 1998.
He was an incredibly strong defensive player, having won the defensive player of the year twice, leading the league rebounding for seven consecutive seasons, and making the All-NBA defensive first team seven times. His defensive capabilities have him at the first pick in the redraft.
No.2: Brad Dougherty – Boston Celtics (originally Len Bias)
The big Cleveland centre finished his career as of the greatest Cavaliers to have played the game, having averaged close to a double-double over his 11-year career. He finished his career with an average of 19 PPG and 9.5 RPG.
He featured as an All-Star in five games over his time and had his jersey number retired by the Cleveland association. Dougherty would be a massive improvement on the Celtics original pick of Len Bias, who sadly passed away from a drug overdose two days after he was drafted.
No.3: Mark Price – Golden State Warriors (originally Chris Washburn)
Price is another second-round steal in this draft, having originally been drafted by the Mavericks with pick No. 25 in the second round and going on to forge a solid NBA career. Price featured in four All-Star games while also being selected in the All-NBA first team once and the All-NBA third team three times.
He spent most of his career at the Cavaliers before spending time with the Bullets, Warriors, and Magic late in his career before retiring in 1998.
No.4: Jeff Hornacek – Indiana Pacers (originally Chuck Person)
Hornacek, yet another second-round gem in the draft made for late gems, forged a strong career between 1986 and 2000, spending time with the Suns, 76ers, and the Jazz. He was a brilliant shooter, winning the three-point contest in 1998 and 2000, and finished his time in the NBA with his jersey retired by Utah.
He finished his career with averages of 14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG, and did better than any team expected of him.
No.5: Nate McMillan – New York Knicks (originally Kenny Walker)
The current Atlanta Hawks coach maintained a decent career and is a rare one-club player, playing his entire 12 years with the Seattle SuperSonics. He wasn’t a massive scorer, however, his defensive capabilities were incredible, making the All-NBA defensive second team twice and leading the competition in steals in 1994.
McMillan averaged a whopping 1.9 SPG and had his jersey retired.
Honourable mentions
Arvydas Sabonis – originally No. 24 to Portland Trailblazers
Ron Harper – originally No. 8 to Cleveland Cavaliers
Roy Tarpley – originally No. 7 to Dallas Mavericks
Dell Curry – originally No. 15 to Utah Jazz
What do you think, Roarers? Do you agree with the top five redraft, or would you have a different order?
Stay tuned for the 1987 redraft.
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