Indiana Pacers: 5 best draft picks and draft-day trades

Five best draft picks and draft-day trades in Indiana Pacers history

Last week, we took a look at the Indiana Pacers’ worst draft picks and draft-day trades. Today we will look back at the Pacers’ five best draft picks and draft-day trades. This was a harder list to make than the worst draft picks list.

The Pacers have drafted many great players that deserve to be recognized. Before the list begins, here are two honorable mentions that did not quite make the list: center Rik Smits and guard Vern Fleming. They both had stellar careers with Indiana.

Now, without further ado, here are the best five draft picks and draft day trades the Indiana Pacers have ever made.

Indiana Pacers best draft-day move: Drafting Reggie Miller

The most obvious one. Reggie Miller was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 1987 draft out of UCLA with the 11th overall pick. If you were to look on paper and all that Miller accomplished in his career, you would think that this was an easy and no controversy pick. Well, you would be wrong.

Fans were fuming at the selection of Miller. They would have preferred that the organization selected the guard out of Franklin, IN, and Indiana University standout shooting guard, Steve Alford. Fans were quickly proven wrong and the organization was happy that it did not bend to the will of its fans.

Alford was drafted in the second round and played only four seasons in the NBA. Miller on the other hand spent 18 seasons in the NBA all of which were in a Pacers’ uniform. He became known as one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time, one of the greatest clutch players, and one of the best trash talkers to play the game. He was a New York Knicks killer. So much so, ESPN created a 30 for 30 about it, “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks.” He led the Pacers to their only NBA Finals appearance.

He ended his career with the Pacers as the franchise leader in games, points, 3-point field goals made, assists, and steals. He averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from beyond the arc in his career. His accomplishments include being a five-time NBA All-Star, the 2002 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, a 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, the 2004 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, being named to the All-NBA Third Team three times, being a member of the 50-40-90 club in 1994, and his number 31 retired by both UCLA and the Pacers.

He also held the record for most 3-point field goals of all-time until Ray Allen surpassed it in 2011. Finally, he was named a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.