best players ever based on "potential" pre nba

[Texas Chuck]

Lew Alcindor and Lebron James feel like the right answers here. Maybe Shaq too.

Luka maybe the most split high level prospect ever? We had multiple media types stating this guy was going to be an MVP level player and some like Pelton had been saying this since he was 16 btw. We also had multiple media members saying he was overhyped and his game wouldn't translate. I get European prospects always have to deal with some of this, but I don't recall a player with such a wide projection.

[Im Your Father]

Shaq is an interesting case of being both (a) pretty close to a consensus top 10 GOAT and (b) a guy who’s widely seen as not living up to his potential.

So based on that I assume people must have seen his potential as being pretty extraordinary at that time (I’m too young to remember). Albeit it could be the case that some of that hype could have started after he was already in the league as opposed to while he wa still a prospect.

[DQuinn1575]

Sabonis at the age of 17 played 3x NCAA POY & projected superstar Ralph Sampson pretty evenly.

[Doctor MJ]

who were the most impressive prospects of all time ?

Let's see:

First, a mention of George Mikan & Bob Kurland.

Mega prospects after that along with their drafting information:

Bill Russell (1956) - to be clear here, I don't think Russell was perceived as a mega prospect at the time...but it seems clear he should have been. He had just led back-to-back NCAA championships, and if team's had understood that player length mattered way more than player height, there would have been talk about him as being possibly the the longest basketball player in history.

(Fun fact: In 1956, the 7'3" Swede Holbrook was drafted as well. Given that he was listed a 6 inches taller than Russell it's understandable why Russell wasn't perceived as a physical outlier...but Russell's standing reach higher than Holbrook's, to say nothing of his leaping ability and quickness. This will foreshadow why another future prospect will turn out to be overrated down the road.)

I also think it has to be mentioned that there really had been no Black mega prospects in the White basketball world at this time, and that this was probably a situation where there couldn't be one, until a Black NBA superstar existed. Russell provided the exemplar.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959) - the quest for the ultimate big man prospect after Mikan ends here.

Oscar Robertson (1960) - POY in all college years (ahead of Wilt), was likely the best offensive player on the planet while still in college, and likely was suspected to be so by NBA teams.

Jerry Lucas (1962) - first on the list that you can argue should not have been seen as a tippy top tear prospect, but this was certainly how he was perceived. The next dominant college player after Robertson.

Connie Hawkins (ruled ineligible in 1964 draft) - would have been the next great NBA prospect, in actuality by this point was already a mythic tragedy with an MVP in the ABL and a gig on the Globetrotters. Interestingly, while Hawkins should never have been banned, and it caused massive damage to his competitive accomplishments over all, if Hawkins had gone a more traditional route, he's have become a more traditional player. Part of what I love about Hawkins is how unique his game became. People sometimes say he's one in a line after-Baylor-before-Erving-then-Jordan, but I'd argue the other 3 are considerably more similar to each other.

Lew Alcindor (1969) - the surest thing as a prospect ever. Strong argument as the GOAT prospect.

Bill Walton (1974) - many saw him as better than Alcindor, and it's easy to see why. What might have been...

David Thompson (1975) - feel weird about including Thompson but not including Artis Gilmore & Julius Erving, but I do think that Thompson achieved a general awareness in the basketball world as a clear cut "next big thing" in college more so than the other two. People still didn't realize that a Jordan was possible, but they knew that this sort of player was proving to be a bigger and bigger deal.

Larry Bird (1978) - utterly singular as a player and prospect.

Magic Johnson (1979) - utterly singular at the time as a player and prospect. Since then, one might argue that NBA offense has been remade in his image.

Ralph Sampson (1983) - listed at 7'4", some saw him as a super-sized Bill Russell. Injury issues aside, it turns out that Sampson wasn't actually that long. At one point (I believe in Sacramento), Russell & Sampson compared standing reach and both were surprised to realize that Russell has the higher reach. All the more amazing given that it's not just that Sampson was listed as 7 inches taller, but that Russell would have been in his 50s at this point, and quite possibly not quite as tall, and not quite as stretchy, as he would have been as an athlete.

Hakeem Olajuwon (1984) - I'll refrain from mentioning Jordan, as his underrating has already been discussed, but I do think Olajuwon was correctly seen as something close to a mega prospect at the time. In truth I don't think he was as highly rated at 1983's Sampson or 1985's Ewing, so if we were going to chop people based on perception, we'd chop the Dream, but I don't think there was any doubt that Olajuwon might have a uniquely high ceiling coming out of college. He's someone who just moves differently than everyone else.

Patrick Ewing (1985) - ultra-hyped prospect from his time on the scary-as-hell Georgetown Hoyas.

Shaquille O'Neal (1992) - big gap in time before we got such hype again. Coming of age during this gap, it was a time where I kept getting disappointed...but I think the scouts at the time knew what was missing. The one guy I could have mentioned in the gap was David Robinson, but he was something of an oddball prospect - Navy doesn't have a serious basketball team, so you get this guy out of nowhere growing a bunch and putting up big stats on a minor team with the knowledge that he was going to disappear into the military. Yeah he got picked #1, but had their been stronger prospects in that draft he wouldn't have been.

In Shaq, we were getting someone who seemed like the new Wilt, and it would have been a disappointment frankly if he didn't lead a team to NBA championships.

Glenn Robinson (1994) - bizarre to look back on now, but if we're talking about the most hyped non-big of the '90s, it's probably Big Dog Robinson who was seen an absolutely top tier volume scoring prospect.

Kevin Garnett (1995) - a generational prospect who used that hype to get himself drafted at a time when that just wasn't done.

Tim Duncan (1997) - would have been drafted first had he come out as a sophomore in 1995. We will likely never see a prospect that's as much of a sure thing as Duncan was ever again.

LeBron James (2003) - greatest modern prospect, and the only high-school-to-pro prospect that ranked above Garnett.

Greg Oden & Kevin Durant (2007) - since I started being aware of draft prospects in 1985, I don't think there was ever a time where two prospects were as highly rated as Oden & Durant. Both were seen as potentially generational stars, and while that term gets overused, this was stated in a way to emphasize how amazing it was to have two such talents in one draft. Sports Illustrated called it "The Year of the Freshman" for a reason.

Anthony Davis (2012) - best prospect in 5 years. I personally was higher on Davis than Oden or KD, but I'd say most weren't.

Luka Doncic (2018) - For the most part I've refrained from naming guys who were drafted after non-all-time prospects from this list, but I do believe Luka deserves a special shoutout because he was being championed loudly as one of the all-time great prospects at the time.

Zion Williamson (2019) - the most electrifying one & done campaign in history, and probably the most hyped prospect since LeBron even if he was seen as less of a sure thing due to how unique his body was.

[LukaTheGOAT]

who were the most impressive prospects of all time ?

Let's see:

First, a mention of George Mikan & Bob Kurland.

Mega prospects after that along with their drafting information:

Bill Russell (1956) - to be clear here, I don't think Russell was perceived as a mega prospect at the time...but it seems clear he should have been. He had just led back-to-back NCAA championships, and if team's had understood that player length mattered way more than player height, there would have been talk about him as being possibly the the longest basketball player in history.

(Fun fact: In 1956, the 7'3" Swede Holbrook was drafted as well. Given that he was listed a 6 inches taller than Russell it's understandable why Russell wasn't perceived as a physical outlier...but Russell's standing reach higher than Holbrook's, to say nothing of his leaping ability and quickness. This will foreshadow why another future prospect will turn out to be overrated down the road.)

I also think it has to be mentioned that there really had been no Black mega prospects in the White basketball world at this time, and that this was probably a situation where there couldn't be one, until a Black NBA superstar existed. Russell provided the exemplar.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959) - the quest for the ultimate big man prospect after Mikan ends here.

Oscar Robertson (1960) - POY in all college years (ahead of Wilt), was likely the best offensive player on the planet while still in college, and likely was suspected to be so by NBA teams.

Jerry Lucas (1962) - first on the list that you can argue should not have been seen as a tippy top tear prospect, but this was certainly how he was perceived. The next dominant college player after Robertson.

Connie Hawkins (ruled ineligible in 1964 draft) - would have been the next great NBA prospect, in actuality by this point was already a mythic tragedy with an MVP in the ABL and a gig on the Globetrotters. Interestingly, while Hawkins should never have been banned, and it caused massive damage to his competitive accomplishments over all, if Hawkins had gone a more traditional route, he's have become a more traditional player. Part of what I love about Hawkins is how unique his game became. People sometimes say he's one in a line after-Baylor-before-Erving-then-Jordan, but I'd argue the other 3 are considerably more similar to each other.

Lew Alcindor (1969) - the surest thing as a prospect ever. Strong argument as the GOAT prospect.

Bill Walton (1974) - many saw him as better than Alcindor, and it's easy to see why. What might have been...

David Thompson (1975) - feel weird about including Thompson but not including Artis Gilmore & Julius Erving, but I do think that Thompson achieved a general awareness in the basketball world as a clear cut "next big thing" in college more so than the other two. People still didn't realize that a Jordan was possible, but they knew that this sort of player was proving to be a bigger and bigger deal.

Larry Bird (1978) - utterly singular as a player and prospect.

Magic Johnson (1979) - utterly singular at the time as a player and prospect. Since then, one might argue that NBA offense has been remade in his image.

Ralph Sampson (1983) - listed at 7'4", some saw him as a super-sized Bill Russell. Injury issues aside, it turns out that Sampson wasn't actually that long. At one point (I believe in Sacramento), Russell & Sampson compared standing reach and both were surprised to realize that Russell has the higher reach. All the more amazing given that it's not just that Sampson was listed as 7 inches taller, but that Russell would have been in his 50s at this point, and quite possibly not quite as tall, and not quite as stretchy, as he would have been as an athlete.

Hakeem Olajuwon (1984) - I'll refrain from mentioning Jordan, as his underrating has already been discussed, but I do think Olajuwon was correctly seen as something close to a mega prospect at the time. In truth I don't think he was as highly rated at 1983's Sampson or 1985's Ewing, so if we were going to chop people based on perception, we'd chop the Dream, but I don't think there was any doubt that Olajuwon might have a uniquely high ceiling coming out of college. He's someone who just moves differently than everyone else.

Patrick Ewing (1985) - ultra-hyped prospect from his time on the scary-as-hell Georgetown Hoyas.

Shaquille O'Neal (1992) - big gap in time before we got such hype again. Coming of age during this gap, it was a time where I kept getting disappointed...but I think the scouts at the time knew what was missing. The one guy I could have mentioned in the gap was David Robinson, but he was something of an oddball prospect - Navy doesn't have a serious basketball team, so you get this guy out of nowhere growing a bunch and putting up big stats on a minor team with the knowledge that he was going to disappear into the military. Yeah he got picked #1, but had their been stronger prospects in that draft he wouldn't have been.

In Shaq, we were getting someone who seemed like the new Wilt, and it would have been a disappointment frankly if he didn't lead a team to NBA championships.

Glenn Robinson (1994) - bizarre to look back on now, but if we're talking about the most hyped non-big of the '90s, it's probably Big Dog Robinson who was seen an absolutely top tier volume scoring prospect.

Kevin Garnett (1995) - a generational prospect who used that hype to get himself drafted at a time when that just wasn't done.

Tim Duncan (1997) - would have been drafted first had he come out as a sophomore in 1995. We will likely never see a prospect that's as much of a sure thing as Duncan was ever again.

LeBron James (2003) - greatest modern prospect, and the only high-school-to-pro prospect that ranked above Garnett.

Greg Oden & Kevin Durant (2007) - since I started being aware of draft prospects in 1985, I don't think there was ever a time where two prospects were as highly rated as Oden & Durant. Both were seen as potentially generational stars, and while that term gets overused, this was stated in a way to emphasize how amazing it was to have two such talents in one draft. Sports Illustrated called it "The Year of the Freshman" for a reason.

Anthony Davis (2012) - best prospect in 5 years. I personally was higher on Davis than Oden or KD, but I'd say most weren't.

Luka Doncic (2018) - For the most part I've refrained from naming guys who were drafted after non-all-time prospects from this list, but I do believe Luka deserves a special shoutout because he was being championed loudly as one of the all-time great prospects at the time.

Zion Williamson (2019) - the most electrifying one & done campaign in history, and probably the most hyped prospect since LeBron even if he was seen as less of a sure thing due to how unique his body was.

What's the story for why Larry Bird wasn't taken #1 overall?

[Doctor MJ]

What's the story for why Larry Bird wasn't taken #1 overall?

Great question!

Red Auerbach picked him despite the fact he wasn't leaving college, which is why he was a rookie a year later. This led to a rule change preventing you from doing this.

I always think about the rest of the NBA smacking their own faces and thinking "How on earth did no one realize this loophole existed except for Red Auerbach? How did he outfox us again like he's been doing for a quarter century?"

[falcolombardi]

who were the most impressive prospects of all time ?

Let's see:

First, a mention of George Mikan & Bob Kurland.

Mega prospects after that along with their drafting information:

Bill Russell (1956) - to be clear here, I don't think Russell was perceived as a mega prospect at the time...but it seems clear he should have been. He had just led back-to-back NCAA championships, and if team's had understood that player length mattered way more than player height, there would have been talk about him as being possibly the the longest basketball player in history.

(Fun fact: In 1956, the 7'3" Swede Holbrook was drafted as well. Given that he was listed a 6 inches taller than Russell it's understandable why Russell wasn't perceived as a physical outlier...but Russell's standing reach higher than Holbrook's, to say nothing of his leaping ability and quickness. This will foreshadow why another future prospect will turn out to be overrated down the road.)

I also think it has to be mentioned that there really had been no Black mega prospects in the White basketball world at this time, and that this was probably a situation where there couldn't be one, until a Black NBA superstar existed. Russell provided the exemplar.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959) - the quest for the ultimate big man prospect after Mikan ends here.

Oscar Robertson (1960) - POY in all college years (ahead of Wilt), was likely the best offensive player on the planet while still in college, and likely was suspected to be so by NBA teams.

Jerry Lucas (1962) - first on the list that you can argue should not have been seen as a tippy top tear prospect, but this was certainly how he was perceived. The next dominant college player after Robertson.

Connie Hawkins (ruled ineligible in 1964 draft) - would have been the next great NBA prospect, in actuality by this point was already a mythic tragedy with an MVP in the ABL and a gig on the Globetrotters. Interestingly, while Hawkins should never have been banned, and it caused massive damage to his competitive accomplishments over all, if Hawkins had gone a more traditional route, he's have become a more traditional player. Part of what I love about Hawkins is how unique his game became. People sometimes say he's one in a line after-Baylor-before-Erving-then-Jordan, but I'd argue the other 3 are considerably more similar to each other.

Lew Alcindor (1969) - the surest thing as a prospect ever. Strong argument as the GOAT prospect.

Bill Walton (1974) - many saw him as better than Alcindor, and it's easy to see why. What might have been...

David Thompson (1975) - feel weird about including Thompson but not including Artis Gilmore & Julius Erving, but I do think that Thompson achieved a general awareness in the basketball world as a clear cut "next big thing" in college more so than the other two. People still didn't realize that a Jordan was possible, but they knew that this sort of player was proving to be a bigger and bigger deal.

Larry Bird (1978) - utterly singular as a player and prospect.

Magic Johnson (1979) - utterly singular at the time as a player and prospect. Since then, one might argue that NBA offense has been remade in his image.

Ralph Sampson (1983) - listed at 7'4", some saw him as a super-sized Bill Russell. Injury issues aside, it turns out that Sampson wasn't actually that long. At one point (I believe in Sacramento), Russell & Sampson compared standing reach and both were surprised to realize that Russell has the higher reach. All the more amazing given that it's not just that Sampson was listed as 7 inches taller, but that Russell would have been in his 50s at this point, and quite possibly not quite as tall, and not quite as stretchy, as he would have been as an athlete.

Hakeem Olajuwon (1984) - I'll refrain from mentioning Jordan, as his underrating has already been discussed, but I do think Olajuwon was correctly seen as something close to a mega prospect at the time. In truth I don't think he was as highly rated at 1983's Sampson or 1985's Ewing, so if we were going to chop people based on perception, we'd chop the Dream, but I don't think there was any doubt that Olajuwon might have a uniquely high ceiling coming out of college. He's someone who just moves differently than everyone else.

Patrick Ewing (1985) - ultra-hyped prospect from his time on the scary-as-hell Georgetown Hoyas.

Shaquille O'Neal (1992) - big gap in time before we got such hype again. Coming of age during this gap, it was a time where I kept getting disappointed...but I think the scouts at the time knew what was missing. The one guy I could have mentioned in the gap was David Robinson, but he was something of an oddball prospect - Navy doesn't have a serious basketball team, so you get this guy out of nowhere growing a bunch and putting up big stats on a minor team with the knowledge that he was going to disappear into the military. Yeah he got picked #1, but had their been stronger prospects in that draft he wouldn't have been.

In Shaq, we were getting someone who seemed like the new Wilt, and it would have been a disappointment frankly if he didn't lead a team to NBA championships.

Glenn Robinson (1994) - bizarre to look back on now, but if we're talking about the most hyped non-big of the '90s, it's probably Big Dog Robinson who was seen an absolutely top tier volume scoring prospect.

Kevin Garnett (1995) - a generational prospect who used that hype to get himself drafted at a time when that just wasn't done.

Tim Duncan (1997) - would have been drafted first had he come out as a sophomore in 1995. We will likely never see a prospect that's as much of a sure thing as Duncan was ever again.

LeBron James (2003) - greatest modern prospect, and the only high-school-to-pro prospect that ranked above Garnett.

Greg Oden & Kevin Durant (2007) - since I started being aware of draft prospects in 1985, I don't think there was ever a time where two prospects were as highly rated as Oden & Durant. Both were seen as potentially generational stars, and while that term gets overused, this was stated in a way to emphasize how amazing it was to have two such talents in one draft. Sports Illustrated called it "The Year of the Freshman" for a reason.

Anthony Davis (2012) - best prospect in 5 years. I personally was higher on Davis than Oden or KD, but I'd say most weren't.

Luka Doncic (2018) - For the most part I've refrained from naming guys who were drafted after non-all-time prospects from this list, but I do believe Luka deserves a special shoutout because he was being championed loudly as one of the all-time great prospects at the time.

Zion Williamson (2019) - the most electrifying one & done campaign in history, and probably the most hyped prospect since LeBron even if he was seen as less of a sure thing due to how unique his body was.

did we ever get wilt and russel measures of their wingspans or standings reach? or somethingh close to it?

[Colbinii]

Greg Oden was so highly regarded that there wasn't even a serious national discussion about whether Portland should consider taking Kevin Durant #1

i was not following nba ar the time, what was greg oden like as a player?

He was compared to Russell, Shaq and Robinson.

He averaged 16/9 in college with a cast on his right [main] hand/wrist...Its incredible to think about. Had he been healthy he would likely have been the greatest center ever at using both hands [Given he had to play nearly an entire season with only his left hand].

He had a great feel for the game and was considered a significantly better than two prospects from a recent draft in Howard/Okafor.

Offensively he was extremely polished. Terrific touch around the rim out to 12+ feet with floaters, Hook Shots, Half Hooks and a dynamite first step with footwork rivaling any center you can name who entered the NBA.

[Colbinii]

To get an idea of how highly rated Oden was:

People were comparing Durant to a McGrady/Garnett hybrid [Not far off offensively, in hindsight] and Oden was still being valued as the 1st over pick.

[70sFan]

who were the most impressive prospects of all time ?

Let's see:

First, a mention of George Mikan & Bob Kurland.

Mega prospects after that along with their drafting information:

Bill Russell (1956) - to be clear here, I don't think Russell was perceived as a mega prospect at the time...but it seems clear he should have been. He had just led back-to-back NCAA championships, and if team's had understood that player length mattered way more than player height, there would have been talk about him as being possibly the the longest basketball player in history.

(Fun fact: In 1956, the 7'3" Swede Holbrook was drafted as well. Given that he was listed a 6 inches taller than Russell it's understandable why Russell wasn't perceived as a physical outlier...but Russell's standing reach higher than Holbrook's, to say nothing of his leaping ability and quickness. This will foreshadow why another future prospect will turn out to be overrated down the road.)

I also think it has to be mentioned that there really had been no Black mega prospects in the White basketball world at this time, and that this was probably a situation where there couldn't be one, until a Black NBA superstar existed. Russell provided the exemplar.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959) - the quest for the ultimate big man prospect after Mikan ends here.

Oscar Robertson (1960) - POY in all college years (ahead of Wilt), was likely the best offensive player on the planet while still in college, and likely was suspected to be so by NBA teams.

Jerry Lucas (1962) - first on the list that you can argue should not have been seen as a tippy top tear prospect, but this was certainly how he was perceived. The next dominant college player after Robertson.

Connie Hawkins (ruled ineligible in 1964 draft) - would have been the next great NBA prospect, in actuality by this point was already a mythic tragedy with an MVP in the ABL and a gig on the Globetrotters. Interestingly, while Hawkins should never have been banned, and it caused massive damage to his competitive accomplishments over all, if Hawkins had gone a more traditional route, he's have become a more traditional player. Part of what I love about Hawkins is how unique his game became. People sometimes say he's one in a line after-Baylor-before-Erving-then-Jordan, but I'd argue the other 3 are considerably more similar to each other.

Lew Alcindor (1969) - the surest thing as a prospect ever. Strong argument as the GOAT prospect.

Bill Walton (1974) - many saw him as better than Alcindor, and it's easy to see why. What might have been...

David Thompson (1975) - feel weird about including Thompson but not including Artis Gilmore & Julius Erving, but I do think that Thompson achieved a general awareness in the basketball world as a clear cut "next big thing" in college more so than the other two. People still didn't realize that a Jordan was possible, but they knew that this sort of player was proving to be a bigger and bigger deal.

Larry Bird (1978) - utterly singular as a player and prospect.

Magic Johnson (1979) - utterly singular at the time as a player and prospect. Since then, one might argue that NBA offense has been remade in his image.

Ralph Sampson (1983) - listed at 7'4", some saw him as a super-sized Bill Russell. Injury issues aside, it turns out that Sampson wasn't actually that long. At one point (I believe in Sacramento), Russell & Sampson compared standing reach and both were surprised to realize that Russell has the higher reach. All the more amazing given that it's not just that Sampson was listed as 7 inches taller, but that Russell would have been in his 50s at this point, and quite possibly not quite as tall, and not quite as stretchy, as he would have been as an athlete.

Hakeem Olajuwon (1984) - I'll refrain from mentioning Jordan, as his underrating has already been discussed, but I do think Olajuwon was correctly seen as something close to a mega prospect at the time. In truth I don't think he was as highly rated at 1983's Sampson or 1985's Ewing, so if we were going to chop people based on perception, we'd chop the Dream, but I don't think there was any doubt that Olajuwon might have a uniquely high ceiling coming out of college. He's someone who just moves differently than everyone else.

Patrick Ewing (1985) - ultra-hyped prospect from his time on the scary-as-hell Georgetown Hoyas.

Shaquille O'Neal (1992) - big gap in time before we got such hype again. Coming of age during this gap, it was a time where I kept getting disappointed...but I think the scouts at the time knew what was missing. The one guy I could have mentioned in the gap was David Robinson, but he was something of an oddball prospect - Navy doesn't have a serious basketball team, so you get this guy out of nowhere growing a bunch and putting up big stats on a minor team with the knowledge that he was going to disappear into the military. Yeah he got picked #1, but had their been stronger prospects in that draft he wouldn't have been.

In Shaq, we were getting someone who seemed like the new Wilt, and it would have been a disappointment frankly if he didn't lead a team to NBA championships.

Glenn Robinson (1994) - bizarre to look back on now, but if we're talking about the most hyped non-big of the '90s, it's probably Big Dog Robinson who was seen an absolutely top tier volume scoring prospect.

Kevin Garnett (1995) - a generational prospect who used that hype to get himself drafted at a time when that just wasn't done.

Tim Duncan (1997) - would have been drafted first had he come out as a sophomore in 1995. We will likely never see a prospect that's as much of a sure thing as Duncan was ever again.

LeBron James (2003) - greatest modern prospect, and the only high-school-to-pro prospect that ranked above Garnett.

Greg Oden & Kevin Durant (2007) - since I started being aware of draft prospects in 1985, I don't think there was ever a time where two prospects were as highly rated as Oden & Durant. Both were seen as potentially generational stars, and while that term gets overused, this was stated in a way to emphasize how amazing it was to have two such talents in one draft. Sports Illustrated called it "The Year of the Freshman" for a reason.

Anthony Davis (2012) - best prospect in 5 years. I personally was higher on Davis than Oden or KD, but I'd say most weren't.

Luka Doncic (2018) - For the most part I've refrained from naming guys who were drafted after non-all-time prospects from this list, but I do believe Luka deserves a special shoutout because he was being championed loudly as one of the all-time great prospects at the time.

Zion Williamson (2019) - the most electrifying one & done campaign in history, and probably the most hyped prospect since LeBron even if he was seen as less of a sure thing due to how unique his body was.

did we ever get wilt and russel measures of their wingspans or standings reach? or somethingh close to it?

Wilt had 7'8 wingspan and 9'6 standing reach barefeet.

I'm not sure about Russell measurements, but I think he had 7'6 wingspan.

[penbeast0]

....

Outstanding list, the only one I don't remember being seen as a generational prospect was Glen Robinson. As I remember that year, Robinson wasn't even the sure thing pick as people like Kidd. (For that matter, the people I remember being at the draft with thought that Kidd should go first and that Grant Hill was overrated and should be there at #5 when Washington drafted, fwiw).

I remember Cazzie Russell and Mark Aguirre being hyped at the Glen Robinson level, Danny Manning and Chris Webber more so.

[Doctor MJ]

....

Outstanding list, the only one I don't remember being seen as a generational prospect was Glen Robinson. As I remember that year, Robinson wasn't even the sure thing pick as people like Kidd. (For that matter, the people I remember being at the draft with thought that Kidd should go first and that Grant Hill was overrated and should be there at #5 when Washington drafted, fwiw).

I remember Cazzie Russell and Mark Aguirre being hyped at the Glen Robinson level, Danny Manning and Chris Webber more so.

So, my recollection was this:

There were 2 really strong prospects: Glenn Robinson and Grant Hill. When Hill fell to 3rd, I remember a comparison being made with Robinson as Olajuwon, Hill as Jordan, and Jason Kidd as Sam Bowie.

Russell & Aguirre were before my time.

Manning is a really good call. Yes, I would say he was even more hyped than Robinson, and I'm surprised I forgot about him.

Webber, eh. He was very well known due to the 2 NCAA finals with the Fave Five Wolverines, and he was the clear top prospect of that group, but he was also coming up right after Shaq, and he was a big man prospect who was pretty far below Shaq in prospect status. Whereas guys like Manning, Shaq & Glenn were College POY guys, Webber wasn't. (Webber finished 5th in the Wooden Award, where the next year Robinson would finish 1st and Grant Hill 2nd.)

But none of that is proof, and your memory is as valid as mine.

[DQuinn1575]

What's the story for why Larry Bird wasn't taken #1 overall?

Great question!

Red Auerbach picked him despite the fact he wasn't leaving college, which is why he was a rookie a year later. This led to a rule change preventing you from doing this.

I always think about the rest of the NBA smacking their own faces and thinking "How on earth did no one realize this loophole existed except for Red Auerbach? How did he outfox us again like he's been doing for a quarter century?"

There was a good chance that Bird wasn't going to sign with the Celtics. There were lots of guys who were drafted as junior eligibles and went back into the draft. I don't recall any others that signed the way Bird did.
Additionally Bird wasn't a "can't miss" guy after 78 - the team played in the MVC, and Bird was an AA; but not a definite superstar.
THe same really applies to Magic in 79 - He wasn't a definite can't miss superstar after his soph year.

[Doctor MJ]

What's the story for why Larry Bird wasn't taken #1 overall?

Great question!

Red Auerbach picked him despite the fact he wasn't leaving college, which is why he was a rookie a year later. This led to a rule change preventing you from doing this.

I always think about the rest of the NBA smacking their own faces and thinking "How on earth did no one realize this loophole existed except for Red Auerbach? How did he outfox us again like he's been doing for a quarter century?"

There was a good chance that Bird wasn't going to sign with the Celtics. There were lots of guys who were drafted as junior eligibles and went back into the draft. I don't recall any others that signed the way Bird did.
Additionally Bird wasn't a "can't miss" guy after 78 - the team played in the MVC, and Bird was an AA; but not a definite superstar.
THe same really applies to Magic in 79 - He wasn't a definite can't miss superstar after his soph year.

I hadn't realized it was so common to draft guys who hadn't declared back in the day, so thank you for that.

I also concede your point that there were more questions about these guys than some others, but the hype was there, and the hype turned out to be right.

On Bird I'd specifically point out that Bird actually had his best numbers in his first year, so while he certainly reached another level in his final year by getting his team to the tournament (though they were great with him from day one by record), and then getting them to the finals - and thus that Auerbach deserves even more credit for drafting him before that occurred - he was certainly standing out in the ways that made him stand out the rest of his career before the draft pick.

With Magic we know his numbers didn't pop the same way and there were major concerns about his ability to do his thing against NBA competition, but he did stand out like crazy on his way to leading Michigan State to the title.

[LukaTheGOAT]

Great question!

Red Auerbach picked him despite the fact he wasn't leaving college, which is why he was a rookie a year later. This led to a rule change preventing you from doing this.

I always think about the rest of the NBA smacking their own faces and thinking "How on earth did no one realize this loophole existed except for Red Auerbach? How did he outfox us again like he's been doing for a quarter century?"

There was a good chance that Bird wasn't going to sign with the Celtics. There were lots of guys who were drafted as junior eligibles and went back into the draft. I don't recall any others that signed the way Bird did.
Additionally Bird wasn't a "can't miss" guy after 78 - the team played in the MVC, and Bird was an AA; but not a definite superstar.
THe same really applies to Magic in 79 - He wasn't a definite can't miss superstar after his soph year.

I hadn't realized it was so common to draft guys who hadn't declared back in the day, so thank you for that.

I also concede your point that there were more questions about these guys than some others, but the hype was there, and the hype turned out to be right.

On Bird I'd specifically point out that Bird actually had his best numbers in his first year, so while he certainly reached another level in his final year by getting his team to the tournament (though they were great with him from day one by record), and then getting them to the finals - and thus that Auerbach deserves even more credit for drafting him before that occurred - he was certainly standing out in the ways that made him stand out the rest of his career before the draft pick.

With Magic we know his numbers didn't pop the same way and there were major concerns about his ability to do his thing against NBA competition, but he did stand out like crazy on his way to leading Michigan State to the title.

I haven't watched it myself but I know Ben Taylor says in his 2nd most recent pod that in the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Documentary, there was a lot of chatter around who should go #1, Magic or Sidney Moncrief, because some people questioned how effective Magic would be due to his playing style as he was a bit abnormal.

[falcolombardi]

There was a good chance that Bird wasn't going to sign with the Celtics. There were lots of guys who were drafted as junior eligibles and went back into the draft. I don't recall any others that signed the way Bird did.
Additionally Bird wasn't a "can't miss" guy after 78 - the team played in the MVC, and Bird was an AA; but not a definite superstar.
THe same really applies to Magic in 79 - He wasn't a definite can't miss superstar after his soph year.

I hadn't realized it was so common to draft guys who hadn't declared back in the day, so thank you for that.

I also concede your point that there were more questions about these guys than some others, but the hype was there, and the hype turned out to be right.

On Bird I'd specifically point out that Bird actually had his best numbers in his first year, so while he certainly reached another level in his final year by getting his team to the tournament (though they were great with him from day one by record), and then getting them to the finals - and thus that Auerbach deserves even more credit for drafting him before that occurred - he was certainly standing out in the ways that made him stand out the rest of his career before the draft pick.

With Magic we know his numbers didn't pop the same way and there were major concerns about his ability to do his thing against NBA competition, but he did stand out like crazy on his way to leading Michigan State to the title.

I haven't watched it myself but I know Ben Taylor says in his 2nd most recent pod that in the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Documentary, there was a lot of chatter around who should go #1, Magic or Sidney Moncrief, because some people questioned how effective Magic would be due to his playing style as he was a bit abnormal.

now that is a fascinating what if

[DQuinn1575]

Great question!

Red Auerbach picked him despite the fact he wasn't leaving college, which is why he was a rookie a year later. This led to a rule change preventing you from doing this.

I always think about the rest of the NBA smacking their own faces and thinking "How on earth did no one realize this loophole existed except for Red Auerbach? How did he outfox us again like he's been doing for a quarter century?"

There was a good chance that Bird wasn't going to sign with the Celtics. There were lots of guys who were drafted as junior eligibles and went back into the draft. I don't recall any others that signed the way Bird did.
Additionally Bird wasn't a "can't miss" guy after 78 - the team played in the MVC, and Bird was an AA; but not a definite superstar.
THe same really applies to Magic in 79 - He wasn't a definite can't miss superstar after his soph year.

I hadn't realized it was so common to draft guys who hadn't declared back in the day, so thank you for that.

I also concede your point that there were more questions about these guys than some others, but the hype was there, and the hype turned out to be right.

On Bird I'd specifically point out that Bird actually had his best numbers in his first year, so while he certainly reached another level in his final year by getting his team to the tournament (though they were great with him from day one by record), and then getting them to the finals - and thus that Auerbach deserves even more credit for drafting him before that occurred - he was certainly standing out in the ways that made him stand out the rest of his career before the draft pick.

With Magic we know his numbers didn't pop the same way and there were major concerns about his ability to do his thing against NBA competition, but he did stand out like crazy on his way to leading Michigan State to the title.

Bird's numbers might have been better his first year, but there wasn't a lot of people believing in Indiana State in 1979.
Even in February of 79 they were undefeated and still ranked below a 3 loss UCLA team
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/1979-polls.html

Note they didn't crack the Top 5 until mid January.
Also, after the 78 season he played with the USA Team in a competition vs USSR,Cuba, Yugoslavia - he was homered out of playing time, but there wasn't a huge uproar, like there would have been a year later.

[DQuinn1575]

I hadn't realized it was so common to draft guys who hadn't declared back in the day, so thank you for that.

I also concede your point that there were more questions about these guys than some others, but the hype was there, and the hype turned out to be right.

On Bird I'd specifically point out that Bird actually had his best numbers in his first year, so while he certainly reached another level in his final year by getting his team to the tournament (though they were great with him from day one by record), and then getting them to the finals - and thus that Auerbach deserves even more credit for drafting him before that occurred - he was certainly standing out in the ways that made him stand out the rest of his career before the draft pick.

With Magic we know his numbers didn't pop the same way and there were major concerns about his ability to do his thing against NBA competition, but he did stand out like crazy on his way to leading Michigan State to the title.

I haven't watched it myself but I know Ben Taylor says in his 2nd most recent pod that in the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Documentary, there was a lot of chatter around who should go #1, Magic or Sidney Moncrief, because some people questioned how effective Magic would be due to his playing style as he was a bit abnormal.

now that is a fascinating what if

Here is the AP story after the Lakers won the coinflip - note they talked about getting Bird, mentioned Moncrief first, and also listed others they considered. Magic didn't fit the conventional mode, played pretty poorly in 78 tourney vs Kentucky, and there were some doubt whether he could play point and some questions on his shooting -


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99203480/

[JordansBulls]

Kareem pretty handily for me.

[Ursusamericanus]

I recollect the Oden hype very well. It was nuts.

He graduated high school 3 years before me and I just remember thinking "here's the next great center", watching his highlights and visiting his website at the time. I also remember being jealous (as a Knicks fan) that the Blazers got him. Scouts at the time were comparing him to a mix between Ewing/Hakeem. Such a bummer how injuries took him out... I really did not see KD ending up with a much better career.