NBA Draft: Ranking the best players selected 6th overall since 1995

2) Antoine Walker: 1996 NBA Draft (Boston Celtics)

The Boston Celtics primarily drafted Antoine Walker to not only be their franchise player, but to reunite him with his college coach in Rick Pitino. In retrospect, some Hall-of-Fame worthy players in Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash were drafted later, but Nash didn’t necessarily warrant being a Top -0 pick at the time. Kobe, on the other hand, did have a tremendous draft workout with the Celtics, but the team didn’t have the stomach to draft a high school prospect at the time.

Unlike where a player or two from the University of Kentucky ranks currently on their roster, Walker didn’t disappoint during his tenure with the Celtics.

While the Celtics lost a lot of games in the mid-to-late 90s, Walker shined individually, even earning an All-Star selection during his sophomore season. While he scored at an inefficient percentage, he was able to spread the floor with his perimeter shooting, grab rebounds at a good rate, and pass the ball with effectiveness.

After Pitino realized the NCAA was a better path to success than the NBA, Walker had some of his best seasons in his NBA career. He averaged a career high 23.4 points/game, 5.5 assists/game, 2.7 threes/game on 37% from behind the arc, and 1.7 steals/game during the 2000-01 season. His development mirrored his teammate Paul Pierce’s growth. By the 2001-02 season, both Pierce and Walker made the NBA All-Star teams. Additionally, the Celtics finally made the NBA Playoffs where both players helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

After Walker made another All-Star team in the 2002-03 season, the Celtics traded him to the Dallas Mavericks. He achieved moderate success there and then spent half of the 2004-05 season with the Atlanta Hawks before returning to the Celtics at the trade deadline. He helped Boston reach the NBA Playoffs again with Pierce and Gary Payton.

Walker and Payton both joined the Heat for the 2005-06 season. Walker became a pivotal bench scorer for the Heat, complementing the dynamic duo of Dwyane Wade & Shaquille O’Neal. His efforts helped lead the Heat to their first NBA Championship in 2006.