In recent weeks, Bleacher Report has been doing re-drafts of some of the previous drafts in the NBA. While these are interesting to read, nondescript players are usually included towards the end.

After doing a two-round draft of all the players eligible to be drafted in both the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, let’s now look at the 2000s. This was far from easy, and I’m sure there will be disagreements. It was hard to know where to draft players such as Derrick Rose, Yao Ming, and Brandon Roy when injuries forced them not to reach their full career potential.

Many players were widely considered for the draft but didn’t quite make the cut. Some of those include Andrew Bynum, Mehmet Okur, JJ Redick, Wesley Matthews, Nene, Jeff Teague, Andrew Bogut, Danilo Gallinari, Emeka Okafor, Kenyon Martin, Roy Hibbert, Nicolas Batum, Ty Lawson, George Hill, Danny Green, Jameer Nelson, Ricky Rubio, Troy Murphy, and many others.

(Blurbs for second-round picks were omitted due to a character limit. All stats were taken from Basketball-Reference.)

First-round

  • 1. LeBron James (1st overall - 2003)

Still going strong at the age of 35, James is a four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion (named Finals MVP each time). He has been named an All-Star each of the last 16 seasons and is third on the all-time scoring list with 34,087 points.

  • 2. Kevin Durant (2nd overall - 2007)

A four-time scoring champ, Durant was named the MVP of the 2013-14 season. He was named Finals MVP both times he won rings with the Warriors and has made the All-NBA First Team six times.

  • 3. Stephen Curry (7th overall - 2009)

Winner of back-to-back MVPs in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons (became the first unanimous winner in the latter season), Curry is seen by many as the greatest shooter to ever play.

The three-time NBA champion has made 43.5 percent of his career three-point tries and 90.6 percent of his free throw attempts.

  • 4. Dwyane Wade (5th overall - 2003)

An eight-time All-NBA member, Wade won three titles with the Heat and was the Finals MVP in 2006. He had a string of 12 straight seasons being named an All-Star and was the league’s scoring champ in 2008-09.

  • 5. Chris Paul (4th overall - 2005)

In his 15 seasons, Paul has been named to the All-NBA First Team four times and the All-Defensive First Team seven times. He is a four-time assists leader and six-time leader in steals.

  • 6. James Harden (3rd overall - 2009)

One of the most gifted scorers in the game’s history, Harden in all likelihood will win his third straight scoring title this season. The 2017-18 MVP has averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in his eight seasons with the Rockets.

  • 7. Russell Westbrook (4th overall - 2008)

In his 2016-17 MVP season, Westbrook became the second player to average a triple-double, and he did likewise in the following two seasons. He’s also a two-time scoring champ and two-time All-Star MVP.

  • 8. Dwight Howard (1st overall - 2004)

For three straight seasons from 2008-09 to 2010-11, Howard was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. He has led the NBA in rebounding five times, blocks twice, and field goal percentage once.

  • 9. Carmelo Anthony (3rd overall - 2003)

For the first 14 seasons of his career, Anthony averaged more than 20 points a contest. The 10-time All-Star was the league’s scoring champ in 2012-13 and has made six All-NBA teams.

  • 10. Pau Gasol (3rd overall - 2001)

A two-time champion while with the Lakers, Gasol is among the all-time leaders in points (20,894 - 37th), rebounds (11,305 - 28th), and blocks (1,941 - 21st). He was also a solid passer as a big man averaging more than three assists every season from 2005-06 to 2013-14.

  • 11. Tony Parker (28th overall - 2001)

Spending the first 17 of his 18 seasons with the Spurs, Parker was a part of four title-winning teams and was the Finals MVP in 2007. He nearly scored 20,000 points in his career and fished out over 7,000 assists.

  • 12. Chris Bosh (4th overall - 2003)

An All-Star in each of his last 11 seasons, Bosh won two championships teaming up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Prior to that, he was the first option with the Raptors and averaged 22.8 points and 9.9 rebounds from 2005-06 to 2009-10.

  • 13. LaMarcus Aldridge (2nd overall - 2006)

Just shy of 20,000 career points (19,599 and is still active), Aldridge has become one of the most reliable midrange shooting big men in recent memory.

Since his rookie year (total of 13 seasons), he has consistently produced with averages of 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds.

  • 14. Amar’e Stoudemire (9th overall - 2002)

While injuries began to pile up and slow him down later in his career, Stoudemire was a force in his prime. He had three seasons where he averaged over 25 points, and he shot an impressive 53.7 percent from the field for his career.

  • 15. Blake Griffin (1st overall - 2009)

While he missed all of his first season with injury, Griffin rebounded nicely and went on to win the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year. He’s made five All-NBA teams and has averaged 21.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists through 10 seasons.

  • 16. Kevin Love (5th overall - 2008)

The NBA’s leading rebounder in 2010-11, Love was also named the league’s Most Improved Player that season.

He won a championship with the Cavaliers and had two seasons with the Timberwolves averaging at least 26 points and 12.5 rebounds.

  • 17. Kyle Lowry (24th overall - 2006)

An All-Star each of the last six seasons, Lowry helped guide the Raptors to the 2018-19 NBA title. Amongst active players, he is fifth in assists, 11th in steals, and 20th in points.

  • 18. Derrick Rose (1st overall - 2008)

Rose would be much higher if only heights of careers were considered, as unfortunately a multitude of injuries took away much of his prime. At his best, he was outstanding though as he took home the 2010-11 MVP.

  • 19. Deron Williams (3rd overall - 2005)

There was a time when people could argue that Williams was every bit as good as Chris Paul.

From 2007-08 to 2011-12, he averaged 19,5 points and 10.2 assists while being named to the All-NBA Second Team twice.

  • 20. Marc Gasol (48th overall - 2007)

Part of the ‘Grit and Grind’ era in Memphis, Gasol moved on to the Raptors and won a championship in 2019. He has one of the best passing centers and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.

  • 21. Al Horford (3rd overall - 2007)

Horford has been named an All-Star in five of his 13 seasons and has a career 52.0 field goal percentage. He is the ultimate team player whose career averages of 14.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists don’t completely show the value he truly has provided.

  • 22. Andre Iguodala (9th overall - 2004)

Iguodala was a member of all three recent Golden State championship teams and was named Finals MVP in 2015.

He has made two All-Defensive teams and is 24th on the all-time list with 1,671 steals.

  • 23. Joe Johnson (10th overall - 2001)

Named an All-Star seven times (including six straight seasons from 2006-07 to 2011-12), Johnson is one of 46 players to score over 20,000 points. He averaged over 20 points a contest for five straight seasons spanning from 2005-06 to 2009-10.

  • 24. Yao Ming (1st overall - 2002)

Much like Derrick Rose, Ming sustained multiple injuries that derailed his prime, and he played just eight seasons. He was still a force though in his 486 games posting averages of 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.

  • 25. Rajon Rondo (21st overall - 2006)

Now a 14-year veteran, Rondo won a championship with the Celtics in 2008, made four All-Star teams, led the league in assists three times, and steals once.

He has made the All-Defensive First and Second Teams two times apiece.

  • 26. DeMar DeRozan (9th overall - 2009)

While he hasn’t developed a three-point shot, DeRozan is in the midst of his seventh-straight season averaging more than 20 points. He has made four All-Star Games and two All-NBA teams.

  • 27. Paul Millsap (47th overall - 2006)

Drafted by the Jazz, Millsap really began to make his mark after joining the Hawks as he was named to four straight All-Star teams in the 2013-14 to 2016-17 seasons. He was a part of the All-Defensive Second Team in 2015-16.

  • 28. Zach Randolph (19th overall - 2001)

An excellent rebounder, Randolph had nine seasons where he averaged double figures in the category. He grabbed over 10,000 in his career while averaging 16.6 points in his 17 seasons.

  • 29. Carlos Boozer (35th overall - 2002)

Boozer made back-to-back All-Star appearances in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons while averaging a double-double in points and rebounds those two as well as the following two seasons. He shot 52.1 percent from the field for his career.

  • 30. David West (18th overall - 2003)

West ended his career by winning championships with the Warriors in his last two seasons. In his prime, he was named to two All-Star teams and averaged 19.6 points along with 8.1 rebounds from 2006-07 to 2010-11.

Second

  • 31. Mike Conley (4th overall - 2007)
  • 32. Gilbert Arenas (31st overall - 2001)
  • 33. Luol Deng (7th overall - 2004)
  • 34. Lou Williams (45th overall - 2005)
  • 35. Michael Redd (43rd overall - 2000)
  • 36. DeAndre Jordan (35th overall - 2008)
  • 37. Tyson Chandler (2nd overall - 2001)
  • 38. Jamal Crawford (8th overall - 2000)
  • 39. David Lee (30th overall - 2005)
  • 40. Brandon Roy (6th overall - 2006)
  • 41. Joakim Noah (9th overall - 2007)
  • 42. Brook Lopez (10th overall - 2008)
  • 43. Jason Richardson (5th overall - 2001)
  • 44. Caron Butler (10th overall - 2002)
  • 45. Al Jefferson (15th overall - 2004)
  • 46. Monta Ellis (40th overall - 2005)
  • 47. Serge Ibaka (24th overall - 2008)
  • 48. Rudy Gay (8th overall - 2006)
  • 49. Richard Jefferson (13th overall - 2001)
  • 50. Danny Granger (17th overall - 2005)
  • 51. Josh Smith (17th overall - 2004)
  • 52. Kevin Martin (24th overall - 2006)
  • 53. Kyle Korver (51st overall - 2003)
  • 54. Tayshaun Prince (23rd overall - 2002)
  • 55. Shane Battier (6th overall - 2001)
  • 56. Gerald Wallace (25th overall - 2001)
  • 57. Hedo Turkoglu (16th overall - 2000)
  • 58. Goran Dragic (45th overall - 2008)
  • 59. Jrue Holiday (17th overall - 2009)
  • 60. Thaddeus Young (12th overall - 2007)
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