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8p9s Roundtable: Best and Worst Draft Picks in Pacers History

By 8 Points, 9 Seconds Staff, 8 Points, 9 Seconds Staff

January 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Pacers defeated the Warriors 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Pacers defeated the Warriors 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 15, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15) during the game at FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies beat Indiana Pacers 95-83 Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Who is the best pick in Indiana Pacers draft history?

Tim Donahue: Well, Reggie, of course. Simply too foundational to the Indiana Pacer NBA franchise to have any real competition. In the non-Reggie division? It really depends on what you mean by “best.” Paul George (#10 in 2010) will probably become the best player the Pacers drafted. Chuck Person (#4 in 1986) was a great against-the-grain pick by Donnie Walsh, helping the Pacers move beyond the disastrous early ’80s. Antonio Davis (#45 in 1990) was probably the best value pick made by the Pacer front office.

And with the 11th pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select Reggie Miller; University of California, Los Angeles. BOOM BABY!

Justin Ochoa: And with the 11th pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select Reggie Miller; University of California, Los Angeles. BOOM BABY! Reggie Miller is the greatest Pacers draft pick of all-time, without question. All I knew was Miller Time growing up as a young Pacers fan in Indianapolis and he’s still one of my favorite players in league history. Reggie, in my opinion, is still the face of the Indiana Pacers organization. If I felt like trolling today, I could make a legit case that Fred “The Mayor” Hoiberg and my main man, Austin Croshere, are tied for #2. Gotta love those guys, but we all know Paul George is the only person who can give Reggie a run for his money right now

Jon Washburn: This will wildly fluctuate depending upon how one defines “best,” but assuming we all agree that Reggie Miller is the obvious answer, I’m gonna go with Danny Granger. It’s easy to look at Granger’s career right now and feel a little lukewarm about it, but Larry Bird got a top-five talent with the 17th pick in the draft. Unfortunately, Granger was stuck on super mediocre teams for most of his time in Indiana, but he was the consummate professional, battling every night no matter how low the stakes were. It’s too bad his knees started acting up once the Pacers finally became contenders. Granger probably won’t go down as one of the most beloved Pacers in franchise history, but he probably should.

Jared Wade: Paul George. The kid is a beast — and Indiana got him 10th. If he recovers fully, he could be the best player in that draft, and at worst he will be third behind only John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. No one player, aside from Reggie Miller, has had the turnaround impact that George has already had in his short tenure in Naptown. Let’s just hope that leg gets back to full strength soon.

Next: Worst Pick Ever?

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