Comparisons between the 2003 and 1984 draft class–regarded as the greatest ever–inevitably will be made. But the differences are obvious even before one sees Kansas City picked ninth in 1984.
The two drafts illustrate the seismic change the NBA has undergone. Nineteen years ago, 17 college seniors and seven college juniors were taken in the first round. There was one foreign player taken and one player from a non-Division I school.
Two traditional college powers had a pair of players taken in the first six picks–North Carolina with Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, Kentucky with Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin. By 2003, however, neither school had a player drafted in the first round.
In last April’s draft, only nine college seniors were selected in the first round. Eight foreign players were drafted, starting with No. 2 pick Darko Milicic, along with four high school seniors–LeBron James went first overall–and two college freshmen in Carmelo Anthony (3rd) and Chris Bosh (4th).
As a result, the success of this year’s draft class is more remarkable because of the greater difficulty in scouting players.
“Players are getting better at a younger age,” said Stu Jackson, the NBA’s senior vice president of basketball operations. “Look at Bosh and Carmelo. To see them at such a high level at this age doesn’t happen very often.”
