NBA Draft History: Top 30 Steals of the Lottery Era

Jun 6, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) and shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) react during the fourth quarter of game one of the 2013 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. San Antonio Spurs won 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 31

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

30. Isaiah Thomas, 2011 NBA Draft, No. 60 overall, Sacramento Kings

Standing just 5’9, it was easy for NBA teams to overlook him assuming that his size wouldn’t lead to success for their team, but Thomas proved them wrong while making the Kings look really smart.

After his first year, Thomas was named to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd team. During the 2013-14 season, he averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists as he was the go-to scorer for Sacramento. After signing with the Phoenix Suns last off season, Thomas was traded halfway through the season to the Boston Celtics. The trade didn’t hurt Thomas’ production as he continued to be a lethal weapon off the bench.

The Sixth Man of the Year award was highly debated between Thomas and Lou Williams. Thomas had a strong argument if you look at statistics, but Williams ended up winning it. For his career thus far, Thomas is averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.4 rebounds. He will probably go down as the most productive last pick of the draft in NBA history.

Next: 29. K-Mart