Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 best No. 5 picks in NBA Draft history

1. Charles Barkley

By falling short of the No. 1 overall pick, Cleveland will miss out on drafting franchise-altering player Zion Williamson. If there is a player that Williamson might compare to, it’s the greatest No. 5 pick of all time, Charles Barkley.

The Philadelphia 76ers nabbed Barkley fifth overall in the famed 1984 NBA Draft. Potentially, he is most remembered for being the second most entertaining/best player at the 1992 Summer Olympics, “stealing” Michael Jordan’s MVP in 1993, and never winning a championship.

Barkley should be most remembered for the eye-popping, superhuman play he displayed for most of his 16 years in the association. He averaged 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Even in his twilight years, Barkley never averaged less than 15 points per contest. He shot better than 45 percent from the field every season. He finished with a 54.1 field goal percentage and he is 6-foot-flippin-6.

The guard-sized Charles Barkley shot 54.1 percent during his career. That’s 29th all-time, but the best for a player 6’7″ or shorter. His 12,546 career rebounds rank 20th all-time, but the best for a player 6’8″ or shorter. People say Allen Iverson was the best pound-for-pound basketball player ever. Maybe Barkley as the best inch-for-inch basketball player of all time.

Either way, he tops our list as the best player ever selected with the fifth overall pick.