Coach K with more lottery picks than any other coach
- Thread starter Quavarius
- Start date
He probably does. He needs to have at least one thing to counteract the "nanner puddin." OFC
Produced is definitely a brutal word to use, I agree. Programs can say they helped mold these kids but produced is way over the top.
Old timers remember when produced was the word to use. He could take an average player and make them think they were giant killers, get drafted in the 1st round and disappear. He had a way to instill confidence in players and make them play well above there means. Now a days he just recruits the best High School talent and lets them do their thing.
From an outsider's perspective, I don't even think it's being down on Coach K. It's just being realistic. We're landing some of the top talent in the nation year in and year out. They're guys who were going to be under first round consideration regardless of where they decided to go to school. It's the same reason we down play Coach Cal's ability to develop the premier big men in the league today. Guys like AD and Boogie were going to be at this level regardless of where they went to college for a single season.
I think this is all of them ...
1. 2017 - Kennard - 12th
2. 2017 - Tatum - 3rd
3. 2016 - Ingram - 2nd
4. 2015 - Okafor - 3rd
5. 2015 - Winslow - 10th
6. 2014 - Parker - 2nd
7. 2012 - Rivers - 10th
8. 2011 - Irving - 1st
9. 2009 - Henderson - 12th
10. 2006 - Williams - 5th
11. 2006 - Redick - 11th
12. 2004 - Deng - 7th
13. 2002 - Dunleavy - 3rd
14. 2002 - Williams - 2nd
15. 2001 - Battier - 6th
16. 1999 - Brand - 1st
17. 1999 - Langdon - 11th
18. 1999 - Maggette - 13th
19. 1995 - Parks - 12th *
20. 1994 - Hill - 3rd
21. 1993 - Hurley - 7th
22. 1992 - Laettner - 3rd
23. 1989 - Ferry - 2nd
*This may be a hard one to categorize since there were only 11 teams that didn't make the playoffs in 1995 and 27 teams in the league. But there were 29 first round picks since toronto and vancouver were going to start playing in the 1995-96 season and they were included in the lottery - so were there 11 lottery picks or 13? Feels like 13 to me ...
For every guy you could argue the time here at Duke really didn't alter their trajectory (Ingram, Irving, Jah) there are guys you could argue improved a ton (Tyus, Luke, Grayson). And this just during the time that he's supposedly no longer doing anything except rolling the ball out. One could argue we aren't developing the 7th, 8th, 9th,... guys on the roster, but the top guys are not just doing their thing. Jayson Tatum improved tremendously last season as a basketball player.
Completely agree. My comments are geared towards to the one and dones of the recruiting classes and the overall theme of the lottery selections in this thread. Since 2010, almost all the lottery selections would have still gone in the lottery regardless of where they went to school: Tatum, Ingram, Okafor, Jabari, etc. Within that time span I think the only arguments could be made for Justise and obviously Luke. I'm not doubting the work Coach is doing at all, he's the best coach in the country. Just specifically talking about the lottery guys.
We were also landing top flight recruiting classes year in and year out well before OAD. We were always getting the top talent- the only thing that has changed is the culture. Johnny Dawkins, Danny ferry, Grant hill, Elton brand, jason williams would never in a million years stay more than one year in today's culture.
Thank you. Just a note. Johnny Dawkins was 10th overall in the 1986 draft which was before the lottery of course. OFC
Last edited:
According to a link in another thread started by KellenPatrick about the draft lottery here on DI, the first draft lottery was held in 1985, so shouldn't that mean that 1986 also had a draft lottery?
That's what I was thinking too, so shouldn't that mean that Coach K has 24 lottery picks instead of 23 because langdon for 3 listed 23 players but Johnny Dawkins wasn't on his list.
There were only 23 teams in the league then and 16 still made the playoffs. I think only the worst 7 would or did qualify for the lottery. Lottery picks are an easy category but top 10 picks might be more straightforward.
That makes sense. I didn't factor in that only the teams that don't make the playoffs are in the lottery
Not downing on Coach K or being sarcastic. He used to work his hind end off instilling confidence in players and putting players into the NBA. Now he enjoys the fruits of his work. The best want to play for Coach so Coach just focuses on X and O's of the game. Not downing him at all. The best Coaches have had that luxury. Coach Dean Smith was the exact same way near the end of his career. Smith didn't recruit, he selected players.
Similar threads
