Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

3. Brad Daugherty (C) — No. 1 pick in 1986 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Cavaliers):  548 GP, 19.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.8 STL, 0.7 BLK, 2.8 TOV, 53.2 FG%, 14.3 3P%, 74.7 FT%

The best big man in team history, Brad Daugherty, comes in third on our list of Cleveland’s top draft picks ever.

The talented center was part of a Cavaliers resurgence in the late ’80s and early ’90s, which was jumpstarted at the 1986 NBA Draft. That night, the Midwestern franchise picked up Daugherty, Ron Harper and Mark Price, three men who eventually accounted for a lot of Cleveland victories.

Over the next 10 years, the organization won an average of 45.3 games, and made the playoffs eight times.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Specifically, Daugherty had a big part in the good times, as he made five All-Star teams in that span, as well as one All-NBA Third Team in 1992.

The former UNC Tar Heel’s career peaked, unfortunately, right before it ended. From 1991-93, a three-season span, Daugherty averaged 21.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest on 55.3 percent shooting. His mix of skill, underrated distribution abilities and athleticism made him a force offensively for Cleveland.

Sadly, he began to have back problems in the 1994 season. He wouldn’t play a single game after that year.

Nonetheless, Daugherty stands tall in various statistics with the franchise, including placing No. 3 in points (10,389), No. 3 in boards (5,227), No. 7 in blocks (397) and No. 3 in career win shares (65.2).

The seven-footer was a beast in every sense of the word; it’s a shame injuries cut him down in the middle of his prime.