Which player from the 2011 NBA draft would you pick to lead your new franchise?
Back in 2011, a lot of basketball fans forecasted that that year’s NBA draft class was going to be weak. But boy, were they wrong. This draft class had Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Jonas Valanciunas, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Isaiah Thomas, to name a few.
Four of these players are NBA champions and were important pieces to their title run. Most of these players are All-Stars. But if you had to pluck one of them out of their current situation to lead your new franchise, who would you pick? You can pick any player from the 2011 draft class, but I am only going to give information on the players that I listed.
1) Kyrie Irving, PG
1-time NBA Champion, 3-time NBA All-Star, and 2013 NBA Three-Point Shootout champion.
Career Averages: 20.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. Makes 37.8 percent of shots beyond the arc.
2) Tristan Thompson, F/C
1-time NBA Champion.
Career Averages: 9.6 points and 8.6 rebounds.
3) Jonas Valanciunas, C
2013 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Career Averages: 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. Makes 55.5 percent of shots from the field.
4) Kemba Walker, PG
Career Averages: 17.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. In the first 10 games of the 2016-17 season, Walker is averaging 25.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals.
5) Klay Thompson, SG
1-time NBA Champion, 2-time NBA All-Star, and 2016 NBA Three-Point Contest champion.
Career Averages: 18.4 points and 3.3 rebounds. 41.7 percent three point shooter.
6) Kawhi Leonard, SF
1-time NBA Champion, 1-time NBA Finals MVP, 1-time All-Star, and 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Career Averages: 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. 39.2 percent three point shooter.
7) Jimmy Butler, SG/SF
2-time NBA All-Star, 3-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and 2015 NBA Most Improved Player.
Career Averages: 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals.
8) Isaiah Thomas, PG
1-time All-Star and NBA All-Rookie Second Team
Career Averages: 17.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.0 steal.
So, who will it be?
