Los Angeles Clippers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks of all time

BUFFALO, NY - 1975: Bob MaAdoo #11 of the Buffalo Braves receives the 1975 NBA's Most Valuable Player Award also known as the Podoloff Award during a game played in 1975 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. Copyright 1975 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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BOSTON – 1976: Randy Smith #9 of the Buffalo Braves makes a move against Paul Silas #35 of the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1976 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 1976 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Randy Smith

Drafted: Round 7, Pick 104 (1971)
Tenure: 1971 to 1979
Position: Shooting Guard
Career Slash Line: .472/.188/.772
Career Averages: 34.1 MPG, 17.8 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.2 ORPG, 1.9 SPG
Accolades: All-NBA Second Team, 2x All-Star

Bob McAdoo was the star of the Buffalo Braves during the 1970s, but he wasn’t alone. The dominant interior force was provided with balance in the form of shooting guard Randy Smith, who evolved into a perimeter star.

If the discussion is about the greatest draft picks in franchise history, then any list without Smith would be ill-informed and, quite frankly, irrelevant.

Smith was picked at No. 104 overall in the 1971 NBA Draft, thus making him the greatest steal in franchise history. During his tenure with the Braves and Clippers, he was a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA Second Team honoree.

Exceptionally productive at his peak, Smith is one of the more underrated players in NBA history—one that gets his due here.

Between 1975 and 1979, when Smith came into his own, he proved to be one of the more well-rounded guards in the NBA. He averaged 21.1 points, 5.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on teams that made two postseason appearances during his spectacular run.

Smith isn’t quite as decorated as some of the players ahead of him, but he was instrumental in the Braves and Clippers becoming a relevant franchise.

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