Indiana Pacers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

4. Chuck Person (SF) – No. 4 pick in 1986 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Pacers):  479 GP, 19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 2.7 TOV, 48.1 FG%, 35.0 3P%, 73.9 FT%

Chuck Person was a wanted man in 1986 after a stellar college career at Auburn University, and in order to secure his services, the Pacers had to keep their interest in the 6-foot-8 forward a secret.

Indiana put the word out that they were going to draft a center with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, so the team with the fifth choice, the New York Knicks, felt comfortable staying put and choosing Person when their turn came.

However, the Pacers wanted Chuck Person all along, and they got him. The Knicks went with their backup plan and tabbed Kentucky’s Kenny “Sky” Walker with their choice, and that didn’t turn out so well.

While Chuck Person was known as a deadly shooter/scorer, he was actually a good all-around player. He rebounded well for a small forward, and he was underrated as a passer.

Person was not only a highly-productive player, he was a fierce competitor. Person and Larry Bird has some classic one-on-one playoff battles during the 1990s that helped raise the profile of both Person and the Indiana Pacers.

Chuck Person was expected to be an impact player in the NBA, and he delivered. He had a long and successful career in pro basketball, and as it turned out, he was worth the shenanigans that Indiana had to employ to draft him in 1986.