We continue our eDraft exclusive look at the top NBA draft choices over the past 40 years. Our continued look back through history will determine who was the best draft selection through each slot in the draft. We don’t stop with the first overalls, we will go pick by pick, year by year to to identify the very best selections of all-time.
We started with the 30th overall selection and through analysis and debate Gilbert Arenas edged out David Lee for the honors. It was slim pickings as only a handful of players who were drafted 30th overall made an impact in the Association.
Our second instalment takes us up one spot to the 29th overall pick. The 29th overall pick in the entry draft typically comes little expectation. Up until recently the first-round rookie contracts were not guaranteed so teams were a lot less concerned about how they used their pick. Despite the low draft slot, there were quite a few players to choose from. Here we go with eDraft’s greatest player ever drafted 29th overall.
In stark contrast to the group of players drafted 30th overall, the group representing the 29th slot were a very productive bunch. Nazr Mohammed has carved out a lengthy career in the league and he appears ready to return to the Chicago Bulls for yet another season. P.J. Brown is also in this class and he boasts an NBA Championship on his resume along with three All-Defensive 2nd Team nominations.
Toni Kukoc was taken 29th overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1990. Kukoc went on to win three NBA Championships in his career, along with being named NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996. Kukoc led the Jordan-less Bulls in Scoring, rebounding and assists during the 1998-99 season. Not to be left out, NBA veterans Vinny Del Negro and Johnny Newman were also taken 29th overall in their respective draft years and each played significant roles on their teams during their careers.
Even with the lofty company, one man still rises to the top. The late, great, Boston Celtic Eddie Johnson was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in the 1976 draft and he promptly led the franchise to an NBA title in 1979; to boot, Johnson was named Finals MVP. This was the first Championship for Johnson and he went on to win two more with the Boston Celtics. Johnson was a five time NBA All-Star, a five time All-Defensive team member, named to the All-NBA First Team in 1981 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1982.
The Boston Celtics have Johnson’s #3 jersey hanging from the rafters among the other Celtic legends and the Basketball Hall of Fame posthumously elected Dennis Johnson to the hall in 2010. Johnson is indisputably the greatest player to enter the league as the 29th overall pick. If the 1976 draft were to get a redo, Johnson would be a top-three pick for certain.