Re-Drafting the 2013 NBA Draft Class | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Michael King 21. Utah Jazz: Allen Crabbe
Crabbe owns a career 38.7 percent conversion rate on threes, and he's always understood that his effectiveness depends entirely on the long ball. His career three-point rate (the percentage of field-goal attempts that come from beyond the arc) is 55.3 percent, third-highest among 2013 selections. That number has trended up lately, and Crabbe hasn't posted a three-point rate under 64.3 percent in any of the last three seasons.
Though unhelpful on defense and the owner of a minus-1.6 career box plus-minus, Crabbe has an elite skill: high-volume, high-accuracy shooting. This late in the draft, that's more than good enough.
22. Brooklyn Nets: Alex Len
Originally picked at No. 5, the 7'0" Len seemed to be supplementing his old-school game with some stretch in 2018-19 when he shot 36.3 percent on 2.6 long balls per contest. Sadly, his attempts and accuracy have decreased in a 2019-20 season split between the Hawks and Kings. Had he sustained the growth of the prior year, he would have been an intriguing asset. Maybe it's not too late.
If the shooting doesn't return, Len can still impact games with shot-blocking and rebounding, his two most consistent skills. He and Gobert are the only players picked in 2013 with career block rates over 4.0 percent and career rebound rates over 17.0 percent.
23. Indiana Pacers: Michael Carter-Williams
Carter-Williams won the 2013-14 Rookie of the Year Award with averages of 16.7 points, 6.3 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals. That remains MCW's most productive campaign, and it was a win-win for the tanking Sixers, who piled up the losses they sought while inflating Carter-Williams' trade value with gaudy counting stats.
The lanky point guard has never been an efficient enough shooter to make a real difference, despite his unselfishness and quality defense. In fact, MCW's post-ROY career is that of an off-the-pine stopper, most successfully over the last couple of seasons with the Magic.
MCW and Antetokounmpo are the only 2013 picks with career averages of at least 10.0 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds, which might make it seem like Carter-Williams deserves to go higher. But among the 28 players in this class who've attempted at least 1,000 shots, MCW's 47.5 true shooting percentage ranks dead last.
24. New York Knicks: Solomon Hill
Hill does a little bit of everything, but outside of the brief stretch toward the end of the 2015-16 season that made the Pacers regret declining his fourth-year option, he's never been regarded as a high-end rotation player.
A lot of that late-2016 spike in value had to do with uncharacteristically scorching three-point shooting (57.9 percent from deep in seven playoff games that year), but maybe his 37.8 percent accuracy rate in 2019-20 portends better things next year.
Hill is 23rd in total points, 19th in rebounds and 18th in assists among his 2013 peers.
25. Los Angeles Clippers: James Ennis III
Ennis might be best known for (seemingly) always coming up as "the under-the-radar three-and-D wing contenders should trade for at the deadline." It's a weird legacy, but it's also kind of flattering—if you focus on the fact that players with his skills are always in demand.
Though he's never averaged more than 7.2 points per game in a season, Ennis sits at 35.4 percent from deep for his career and has the frame—if not the numbers—to suggest he can match up with dangerous wings on defense.
Originally drafted 50th by the Hawks, Ennis has only started and finished a year with the same team in two of his six seasons. Never quite appreciated where he is but always wanted somewhere else, he might be this class' best-traveled journeyman.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Muscala
Purely a three-point specialist, Muscala has the size of a power forward but lacks the foot speed to hang with most 4s. That renders him a spot-use stretch 5 who can't offer enough rim protection to play against first units.
Credit him for sticking in the league by altering his game in his age-25 season, upping his three-point-attempt rate and embracing a perimeter role. But barring an unlikely return to significant minutes, Muscala may end up being best remembered as the guy the Clippers somehow turned into Ivica Zubac in a 2019 robbery of the Lakers.
27. Denver Nuggets: Matthew Dellavedova
Yet another undrafted player slides into the top 30, as Dellavedova earns his spot on the strength of solid backup work for a Cavs squad that reached the Finals twice and won a title with him on the roster in 2016.
A defensive pest whose competitiveness sometimes bordered on dirty, the Australian point guard never actually graded out as a good defender, even in his best years. But his manic activity and effort had tone-setting value for Cleveland, which had a tendency to coast.
Though the starting gig he earned with the 2016-17 Bucks didn't last, Dellavedova is still a playable second-stringer on bad teams and may still have some usefulness as a deep reserve for a winner.
28. San Antonio Spurs: Reggie Bullock
Health has always been the issue for Bullock, who averaged just 45 games per year over his first six seasons. When fit, the 6'6" wing is among the league's best shooters. He hit 44.5 percent of his triples in 2017-18 and nailed 37.7 percent on increased volume the following season. He averaged 11.3 points per game in that two-year stretch.
It's worth noting that Bullock has mostly been a starter over the last three years, which sets him apart from the reserves we've been selecting with the previous several picks. Availability is an ability, though, and it hasn't historically been one of Bullock's strong points.
29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Trey Burke
Sixth in the 2013 class in total assists, Burke is actually a score-first guard who does most of his damage from the ill-favored mid-range area. Ideally, teams want their scoring to come at the rim and from deep, but Burke doesn't have the burst to get to the cup or the quick release to fire off the dribble from beyond the arc.
So he makes do with probing drives and hesitation moves designed to generate short jumpers.
Though not the difference-maker you'd want from a player originally picked ninth, Burke has hung on as a backup by embracing his strengths.
30. Phoenix Suns: Ben McLemore
McLemore has always looked the part of an NBA shooting guard. A gorgeous stroke and plenty of run-and-jump athleticism made him the No. 7 pick in 2013. But spacey defense and the inability to put the ball on the floor nearly resulted in his slipping out of the league prior to last season.
Claimed off the scrap heap and now a rotation player for the Rockets, McLemore seems to have found a home. If all he has to do is catch the ball and shoot it when open, he can make a positive difference. He has proved that by hitting 39.5 percent of his treys in Houston this season.