Giannis Antetokounmpo: Who Was Taken Before Bucks Star in 2013 NBA Draft?

Getty Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

Long mocked as one of the worst drafts in NBA history, the 2013 class has recently started to redeem their lackluster collective start. With Giannis Antetokounmpo emerging as an MVP candidate while Victor Oladipo and Rudy Gobert have all turned into either All-NBA level talents. CJ McCollum is sneakily one of the most underrated players in the NBA and is having a breakout 2019 postseason, averaging 25 points per game.

However, Giannis went off the board at 15th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks and the top 15 picks are littered with players either on their way out of the league or long gone altogether. Most notably, first overall pick Anthony Bennett is out of the NBA and has been trying to earn another shot playing in the G-League with the Clippers’ affiliate. While the remainder of players taken above Giannis are still around (to some extent), none have come remotely close (save for Oladipo) to matching the production Antetokounmpo has put out.

2013 NBA Draft Picks Taken Ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo

#14: Shabazz Muhammad, Utah Jazz
#13: Kelly Olynyk, Dallas Mavericks
#12: Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder
#11: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
#10: CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
#9: Trey Burke, Minnesota Timberwolves
#8: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons
#7: Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings
#6: Nerlens Noel, New Orleans Pelicans
#5: Alex Len, Phoenix Suns
#4: Cody Zeller, Charlotte Bobcats
#3: Otto Porter, Washington Wizards
#2: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
#1: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers

Re-Drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Top 15 NBA Draft Picks From 2013

Especially considering that the Anthony Bennett experiment went horribly wrong and only two of the first five players taken off the board have even carved out respectable careers, the top half of the 2013 draft is ready for a redo.

#1: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cleveland Cavaliers (Originally Milwaukee Bucks, 15)
#2: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (Originally Orlando Magic, 2)
#3: Rudy Gobert, Washington Wizards (Originally Denver Nuggets, 27)
#4: CJ McCollum, Charlotte Bobcats (Originally Portland Trail Blazers, 10)
#5: Steven Adams, Phoenix Suns (Originally Oklahoma City Thunder, 12)
#6: Otto Porter, New Orleans Pelicans (Originally Washington Wizards, 3)
#7: Tim Hardaway Jr., Sacramento Kings (Originally New York Knicks, 24)
#8: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons (Originally Detroit Pistons, 8)
#9: Dennis Schroder, Minnesota Timberwolves (Originally Atlanta Hawks, 17)
#10: Kelly Olynyk, Portland Trail Blazers (Originally Dallas Mavericks, 13)
#11: Reggie Bullock, Philadelphia 76ers (Originally Los Angeles Clippers, 25)
#12: Tony Snell, Oklahoma City Thunder (Originally Chicago Bulls, 20)
#13: Trey Burke, Dallas Mavericks (Originally Minnesota Timberwolves, 9)
#14: Nerlens Noel, Utah Jazz (Originally New Orleans Pelicans, 6)
#15: Andre Roberson, Milwaukee Bucks (Originally Oklahoma City Thunder, 26)

The draft starts to get thin after Otto Porter and after the next tier of role players that includes Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kelly Olynyk, and Reggie Bullock, the draft drops off hard. Nerlens Noel has never been short on talent but outside of a brief sting in Philadelphia, hasn’t put up consistent enough numbers to be a legitimate threat. The remainder of the back end of the top 15 is fairly weak before the caliber of player plummets. Featuring names like Alex Len, Michael Carter Williams (hysterically the ROTY), and Allen Crabbe in the second half of the first round, the 2013 redraft is extremely top-heavy.