NBA: Stephen Curry headlines a redrafting of the 2009 draft class

12. Charlotte Hornets – Taj Gibson, USC

With the 12th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select Taj Gibson.

Taj Gibson is another guy who has found his place in the league and has been a contributing player both as a starter and coming off the bench. His career averages are 9.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1 assist per game on 52-22-71 shooting splits and a 15.5 PER. His career 3-point average is a bit misleading as Taj is not an outside shooter in the slightest (0.1 attempts per game for his career). But he makes up for it with his willingness to get physical down low and his efficiency inside.

And his numbers in that category seem to be improving of late. Over the last three seasons, Gibson is averaging 10 points a game and pulling down six boards while shooting 59 percent from 2 point range. Just incredibly efficient.

Not to mention, Gibson is one of the most underrated big defenders in the league. He makes life incredibly difficult for opposing big men. His coach in Minnesota, Ryan Saunders, had high praise for Gibson when it came to guarding some of the best big men in the league, saying:

"“He’s smart and he knows how to keep a body on the guy. A lot of times when you can make their catches hard or you basically don’t get disconnected, especially on pick and rolls, you’re able to recover back. He’s agile, too, for a bigger guy. He does a good job on guys like Gasol, who pose a challenge every night.”"

All of these things led to Gibson receiving a nice contract in New York this offseason, coming in at two-years for $20 million.