#2 Pick: Kyrie Irving (MIN) (Originally: Derrick Williams)
There’s a huge contrast in terms of career status from the original pick and redrafted pick, Kyrie Irving. It’s safe to say that Derrick Williams was a bust. Never becoming the player that many fans expected, and rather ending up as a mediocre role player. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving has soared as one of the most talented point guards in recent NBA history.
Originally, Irving was selected with the first pick to the Cavaliers, where he’d spent most of his career, winning a championship alongside Lebron James. He’d then make his way to the Boston Celtics, where he would play two seasons. He’s currently in his stint with Brooklyn, which is yet to reach its full potential as a superteam.
Irving has become the greatest dribbler in NBA history, as well as one of their best scorers and playmakers in the current NBA today. His clutch ability is also widely appreciated with fans and was a huge factor in overcoming the dominant Golden State Warriors team in the 2016 finals.
Over his career, Kyrie Irving has averaged:
22.4 PPG, 5.7 AST, 3.7 RPG
Irving has always been a constant threat in the NBA and is typically considered as a top-three Point Guard in the current NBA. It makes sense to give Irving such high acclaim, especially since his constantly proved his critics wrong, especially since some fans have always regarded Irving as the ‘sidekick’ to Lebron in their Cleveland days.
Irving has strived to prove those haters who say that he can’t win a championship without Lebron James, because it’s very possible that he can, especially with his status in Brooklyn alongside Kevin Durant. Still, Irving is one of the best players to come out of the 2011 NBA Draft.