Philadelphia 76ers: 5 Best No. 3 overall selections since inception of NBA Draft Lottery
By Simon Smith
5. Chauncey Billups, 1997
Chauncey Billups’ career took a long-winding road over his formative years in the league, which included being traded from the Boston Celtics just 51 games into his rookie season. From the Celtics, to the Toronto Raptors, and to the Denver Nuggets, Billups finally started to find his feet as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was with the Timberwolves that Billups got his first taste of playoff action as a starting point guard. Despite suffering a 3-0 series sweep, Billups averaged 22.0 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. In doing so, he finally proved to himself and to others around the league that he could live up to the billing of being a No. 3 overall pick.
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Billups’ play grabbed the attention of the Detroit Pistons, who duly signed him to a six-year, $35 million deal. As a result, the Pistons commenced a period of sustained excellence. The franchise would reach the Eastern Conference finals for the next six consecutive seasons, including two trips to the NBA Finals. The 2004 championship win over the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers was the crowning achievement of this period for both the franchise and Billups.
Through his continued stellar play in big moments, Billups earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” This was never truer than during the 2004 title year, when Billups earned the honors of winning NBA Finals MVP. Following six stellar seasons in the Motor City, Billups was moved to Denver, where he teamed up with another No. 3 overall pick, Carmelo Anthony.
True to form, Billups led an emerging Nuggets team to the brink of the NBA Finals, only to come up short, ironically, against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Finals. Billups’ most impressive individual performance over his 17-year career came during the 2009-10 season against the Lakers. He posted 39 points and eight assists, featuring an amazing 9-of-13 shooting from three-point range.
In all, Billups was a five-time All-Star and wound up having his No. 1 jersey retired by the Detroit Pistons (see photo above). Considering Billups’ rocky start to his career, it can stated with certainty that he met the overall expectations befitting a No. 3 overall pick.
Billups narrowly edged out Pau Gasol for fifth spot, primarily due to leading the Pistons as the 2004 NBA Finals MVP.