The Pacers have the 23rd pick; here's what it's produced the past 20 years

Nat Newell
IndyStar
Former No. 23 picks Tayshaun Prince, Solomon Hill and OG Anunoby.

The Indiana Pacers ended the season in a four-way tie for the 20th pick in the NBA draft and it was their misfortune to finish fourth in a tiebreaker drawing.

Or was it?

Looking at the past 20 years, the 20th pick (which went to Oklahoma City) has been the least productive of the four picks in play, producing just 202.7 Win Shares (a single number that accounts for a player's contributions), according to basketball-reference.com. Only Brendan Haywood (2001) and Jameer Nelson (2004) have had significant NBA careers (Evan Fournier and Caris LeVert could join them).

The 23rd pick, on the other hand, has a history of producing useful, if not star-caliber, players. Here is a look at the past 20 players to be selected 23rd:

1998: Tyronn Lue, Denver 

Long before he was LeBron James' coach (or is it the other way around?), Lue was traded to the Lakers with Tony Battie for Nick Van Exel in a draft day deal. Lue didn't play much for the Lakers (61 games in three years) but developed into a capable point guard, splitting time between the starting lineup and bench for seven teams over 11 seasons.

Lue is best known for Allen Iverson stepping over him in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals:

Iverson scored 48 points (on 41 shots) with 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and just 3 turnovers in beating the Shaq-Kobe Lakers 107-101. The step over has lived on but there's no shame in getting beaten by a Hall of Famer — in a game Lue scored 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting with 3 assists and 5 steals in 22 minutes — and Lue has taken it in stride.

“If Milwaukee would have beat Philly (in the East finals), I wouldn’t have played,” Lue told Bleacher Report in June 2016, due to the Bucks having bigger guards. “So that could have possibly been my last year in the NBA. People don’t understand that. …

“The step over definitely made me famous. The thing with Allen Iverson is, he made me.”

1999: Devean George, Lakers

Golden State Warriors forward Devean George is shown during the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, April 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

The second-best NBA player to come out of Augsburg College (Dan Anderson averaged 12.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in two ABA seasons in the late '60s). George never averaged more than 7.4 points or 4.0 rebounds but did find his way into 630 games over 11 seasons.

George is now a real estate developer in his native Minneapolis with a focus on affordable housing.

2000: DeShawn Stevenson, Utah

Atlanta Hawks' DeShawn Stevenson, center, passes the ball to teammate Jeff Teague, left, as New York Knicks' Raymond Felton defends on the play in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

He went straight to the NBA out of high school with NBADraft.net comparing him to Michael Jordan and North Carolina coach Roy Williams saying he was his "most gifted recruit ever," according to HoopsHype.com. It took three years to develop, but Stevenson eventually made 542 starts over 13 seasons. He averaged more than 11 points per game four times but was never a consistent shooter, hitting 40.6 percent in his career. He didn't top 38.8 over his final six seasons.

He was also known for having an ATM installed in his home. He told HoopsHype he still has it and it works but it was a joke that his financial advisor and friend bought him.

2001: Brandon Armstrong, Houston

NBA former player Baron Davis and NBA former player Brandon Armstrong  (left) react after the All-Star Celebrity Game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Possibly the worst No. 23 pick of the past 20 years, Armstrong appeared in 108 games without a start and averaged just 2.2 points per game. He was immediately traded to the Nets and the list of players taken after him is enough to bring tears to Rockets and Nets fans: Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas and Mehmet Okur.

2002: Tayshaun Prince, Detroit

From the worst to the best. Prince was a key member of the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team and a 12-year starter in the league. He averaged 11.1 points and was known in at least one city for blocking shots.

The Pacers had won a franchise-record 61 games and Game 1 of the East finals but this block clinched Detroit's Game 2 victory and the Pistons would advance to the NBA Finals in six games. The brawl followed in 2005 and it took 10 years for the Pacers to recover.

2003: Travis Outlaw, Portland

Outlaw carved out an 11-year career as a defense- and rebounding-oriented forward after getting drafted out of high school. He peaked in 2007-08 at 13.3 points on 39.6 3-point shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks.

He pleaded guilty to felony marijuana possession in 2017 with two years of non-adjudicated probation and a $1,200 fine. He was indicted for allegedly possessing between 250 and 500 grams of marijuana.

2004: Sergei Monia, Portland

Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal, left, pulls a rebound from Portland Trail Blazers Sergei Monia, from Russia,  during the third quarter Friday, Dec. 2, 2005.

The Russian started 15 of the 26 games he played as a rookie in 2005-06 with the Trailblazers but shot 33.3 percent and averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He was waived so he could play for Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Superleague A, which sounds way cooler than playing for the Sacramento Kings. He won the EuroCup championship in 2012.

2005: Francisco Garcia, Sacramento

Sacramento Kings guard Francisco Garcia, of Dominican Republic.

Garcia spent seven seasons with the Kings, primarily as a reserve, and averaged as many as 12.7 points per game in 2008-09. He finished his NBA career with three seasons as a reserve in Houston before playing overseas.

2006: Josh Boone, New Jersey

The power forward/center lasted four seasons with the Nets and only once averaged more than 4.2 points per game. He has since played in China, the G-League, Philippines, Bahrain, Estonia, Russia, Turkey, Hong Kong and Australia.

2007: Wilson Chandler, New York

Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Pepsi Center.

The second-best No. 23 pick in the past 20 years has averaged 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 34.1 percent on 3s in a 10-year career. He's still active, playing for Denver since being part of the Carmelo Anthony trade in 2010-11. He has 11 tattoos including Marvel's Juggernaut, He-Man, Space Ghost and Beavis and Butt-Head, according to this story.

2008: Kosta Koufos, Utah

He's developed into a servicable NBA center, averaging as many as 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in a 10-year career, the last three with Sacramento.

2009: Omri Casspi, Sacramento

Mar 14, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Omri Casspi (18) drives down the court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

A solid reserve forward for the Kings, Cavs, Rockets and, most recently, the Warriors, though he's seen his production dip the past two seasons. He averaged 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds for Sacramento in 2015-16. He is the first Israeli to play in the NBA.

2010: Trevor Booker, Washington

Indiana Pacers' Trevor Booker, left, puts pressure on Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Cleveland.

The rugged forward joined the Pacers for 17 games last season and was a useful reserve, providing a rebounding boost. Primarily been a rebounder off the bench but has averaged double-figures in scoring twice as well.

2011: Nikola Mirotic, Chicago

Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic (3) reacts to an officials call during the second quarter in game four of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors.

Didn't come to the NBA until 2014-15 but has been a productive power forward despite primarily coming off the bench. Averaged 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds, shooting 37.7 percent on 3s last season, which included a trade to New Orleans. He missed the beginning of this season after a fight with teammate Bobby Portis left Mirotic with face and head injuries. He upped his numbers to 20.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 39.8 percent on 3s as a starter last season, primarily in New Orleans after DeMarcus Cousins was injured.

2012: John Jenkins, Atlanta

Jenkins played a career-high 61 games as a rookie, also averaging a career-best 6.1 points per game. He did not play in the NBA last season after appearing in just four games in 2016-17.

2013: Solomon Hill, Indiana

Indiana Pacers forward Solomon Hill (44) celebrates hitting a three-pointer in the second half of their Eastern Conference first round playoff game Saturday, April 23, 2016, afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers defeated the Raptors100-83.

A familiar name to Pacers fans. He averaged a career-high 8.9 points and started 78 games when Paul George missed most of the 2014-15 season and had another solid year after signing with New Orleans in 2016-17. His four-year, $48 million contract is often cited as an example of over-paying players due to the massive rise in the salary cap in 2016. Hill played in just 12 games last season due to a torn hamstring

2014: Rodney Hood, Utah

Cavaliers guard Rodney Hood (1)

A volume scorer — averaging 13.0 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting, though 36.9 percent on 3s. His production dropped significantly after the Jazz traded him to Cleveland, and he created a stir when he refused to enter Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Toronto.

2015: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, New Jersey

Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center.

Hollis-Jefferson took a significant step forward last season, not only increasing his scoring to 13.9 points a game but also his shooting to 47.2 percent.

2016: Ante Zizic, Boston

Apr 11, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Ante Zizic (41) rebounds in the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

His name sounds like a Marvel villain who can control electricity — though he is not, as far as we know, included in Wilson Chandler's tattoos — and he was productive in extremely limited minutes (6.7 per game) for Cleveland last season, averaging 3.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and .4 blocks. Those numbers come out to 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks — not to mention 73.1 percent shooting — when extrapolated to 36 minutes per game.

2017: OG Anunoby, Toronto

Raptors forward OG Anunoby (3) goes up and scores a basket against the Detroit Pistons at Air Canada Centre.

It's too early to give up on T.J. Leaf but it's hard not to think of this former Hoosier in the Pacers' lineup. He was the 3-and-D small forward he was projected to be — after he exploded as an NBA prospect his freshman season at Indiana — hitting 37.1 percent from behind the arc and averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 20.0 minutes. He looks like a perfect complement to Bojan Bogdanovic.

Anunoby likes to wear Uggs according to Bleacher Report.