Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 best No. 5 picks in NBA Draft history
By Ryan Piers
3. Dwyane Wade
The 2003 NBA Draft is remembered as one of the best of all time. Maybe, the player who most out-performed his draft slot was Dwyane Wade.
Everyone knew LeBron James was going first. Most, including Wade himself, figured the Detroit Pistons favored Darko Milicic second. No way the Denver Nuggets would pass up on NCAA champion Carmelo Anthony at No. 3.
Maybe there is a little 2003 in the 2019 NBA Draft with the top three picks pretty much locked in. Possibly, the Cavs recreate the luck at No. 5 this season with the selection of another dynamic shooting guard in Jarrett Culver.
A player of Wade’s caliber is extremely rare; talented, athletic, smart and ultra-competitive. He averaged 22.0 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game for his career, with his 23.48 Player Efficiency Rating (22nd all time) being his most notable advanced statistic.
He’ll forever symbolize Miami basketball. Even before LeBron, Wade filled arenas. His farewell tour brought more fanfare than that of almost any rock band.
Still, he spent much of his prime playing second fiddle to James. You could say the same about the No. 2 player on this list as well.