The 1982 draft, redrafted

Hoops Redraft rates 53 players from the 1982 draft. Six of them reached 70 or better in at least one season. By the game's numbers the best career in the class belongs to Dominique Wilkins, taken 3rd by Utah. The latest pick in the redraft's top five is Ricky Pierce, who went 18th.

The board below is the real order: where each man was taken and by whom, his rating in 1982-83, his best season and the number of seasons he is rated. Ratings are scaled inside each season, so 50 is that year's average player and 70 is a star. Six of them have no 1982-83 rating, shown as a dash.

Play from 1982-83 Take over any club in 1982-83. The 1982 class is the first draft of your run.

The redraft

The class again, in the order the game's numbers would take it: by career value, which adds up how far each of his seasons sits above an average player. A long good career beats one great season.

Dominique Wilkins, forward, taken 3rd by Utah. Peak 77 in 1992-93, 15 rated seasons.
Terry Cummings, forward, same spot as the real draft. Peak 72 in 1982-83, 18 rated seasons.
James Worthy, forward, taken 1st by Los Angeles. Peak 69 in 1985-86, 12 rated seasons.
Ricky Pierce, forward, taken 18th by Detroit. Peak 71 in 1989-90, 16 rated seasons.
Fat Lever, guard, taken 11th by Portland. Peak 71 in 1986-87, 11 rated seasons.
Sleepy Floyd, guard, taken 13th by New Jersey. Peak 70 in 1985-86, 13 rated seasons.
LaSalle Thompson, centre/forward, taken 5th by Kansas City. Peak 66 in 1983-84, 15 rated seasons.
Paul Pressey, forward, taken 20th by Milwaukee. Peak 66 in 1985-86, 11 rated seasons.
Clark Kellogg, forward, taken 8th by Indiana. Peak 70 in 1982-83, 5 rated seasons.
Quintin Dailey, guard, taken 7th by Chicago. Peak 62 in 1983-84, 10 rated seasons.

Steals and misses

Taken well after his career said he should have gone:

Ricky Pierce: 18th in the real draft, 4th in the redraft. Peak 71.
Paul Pressey: 20th in the real draft, 8th in the redraft. Peak 66.
Sleepy Floyd: 13th in the real draft, 6th in the redraft. Peak 70.

Top-ten picks the redraft moves furthest down:

Keith Edmonson: 10th in the real draft, 30th in the redraft. Peak 45.
Bill Garnett: 4th in the real draft, 22nd in the redraft. Peak 54.
Trent Tucker: 6th in the real draft, 16th in the redraft. Peak 59.

The real board

Pick	Player	Pos	Club	Rookie	Peak	Seasons	Redraft
1	James WorthyNorth Carolina	F	Los Angeles	65	69 1985	12	3
2	Terry CummingsDePaul	F		72	72 1982	18	2
3	Dominique WilkinsGeorgia	F	Utah	60	77 1992	15	1
4	Bill GarnettWyoming	F	Dallas	54	54 1982	4	22
5	LaSalle ThompsonTexas	C/F	Kansas City	53	66 1983	15	7
6	Trent TuckerMinnesota	G	New York	51	59 1986	11	16
7	Quintin DaileySan Francisco	G	Chicago	61	62 1983	10	10
8	Clark KelloggOhio State	F	Indiana	70	70 1982	5	9
9	Cliff LevingstonWichita State	F	Detroit	46	60 1987	11	13
10	Keith EdmonsonPurdue	G	Atlanta	32	45 1983	2	30
11	Fat LeverArizona State	G	Portland	58	71 1986	11	5
12	John BagleyBoston College	G	Cleveland	46	61 1985	11	12
13	Sleepy FloydGeorgetown	G	New Jersey	42	70 1985	13	6
14	Lester ConnerOregon State	G	Golden State	50	60 1988	12	17
15	David Thirdkill	F	Phoenix	38	38 1982	5	38
16	Terry TeagleBaylor	G	Houston	53	63 1989	11	11
17	Brook SteppeGeorgia Tech	G	Kansas City	41	46 1983	5	27
18	Ricky PierceRice	F	Detroit	32	71 1989	16	4
19	Rob WilliamsHouston	G	Denver	54	61 1983	2	20
20	Paul PresseyTulsa	F	Milwaukee	54	66 1985	11	8
21	Eddie PhillipsAlabama	F	New Jersey	36	36 1982	1	43
22	Mark McNamaraCalifornia	C	Philadelphia	34	46 1983	8	28
23	Darren TillisCleveland State	C	Boston	26	42 1983	2	31
24	Oliver Robinson	G	San Antonio	33	33 1982	1	47
25	Bryan Warrick	G	Washington	38	42 1984	4	32
27	Fred RobertsBYU	F	Milwaukee	–	58 1991	13	15
28	Dave MagleyKansas	F	Cleveland	26	26 1982	1	53
29	Scott HastingsArkansas	F/C	New York	28	47 1988	11	25
30	Wallace BryantSan Francisco	C	Chicago	–	41 1984	3	34
31	Rod HigginsFresno State	F	Chicago	–	61 1989	5	18
32	Richard AndersonUC Santa Barbara	F		48	57 1983	6	21
33	Linton TownesJames Madison	F	Portland	41	41 1982	3	35
34	Vince TaylorDuke	F	New York	34	34 1982	1	44
35	Derek SmithLouisville	G	Golden State	31	67 1984	9	14
36	J. J. Anderson	F	Philadelphia	27	37 1984	3	41
37	Audie NorrisJackson State	C	Portland	33	47 1984	3	26
38	Wayne SappletonLoyola	F	Golden State	–	34 1984	1	45
40	Guy MorganWake Forest	G	Indiana	28	28 1982	1	51
41	Dwight AndersonUSC	G	Washington	29	29 1982	1	50
42	Jeff TaylorTexas Tech	G	Houston	38	38 1982	2	39
43	Jose SlaughterPortland	G	Indiana	41	41 1982	1	36
44	Mike GibsonUSC Upstate	F	Washington	–	32 1985	2	48
45	Russ SchoeneChattanooga	F/C	Philadelphia	41	52 1987	4	24
48	Craig HodgesLong Beach State	G		52	56 1985	10	19
50	Corny ThompsonConnecticut	F	Dallas	34	34 1982	1	46
51	Jim JohnstoneWake Forest	F/C	Kansas City	27	27 1982	1	52
54	Hutch JonesVanderbilt	G		31	31 1982	2	49
55	Jerry EavesLouisville	G	Utah	54	54 1982	4	23
56	Joe KopickiDetroit	F	Atlanta	34	41 1984	3	37
60	Chris EnglerWyoming	C	Golden State	33	37 1987	5	42
61	Charles PittmanMaryland	F	Phoenix	33	46 1985	4	29
63	Chuck NevittNC State	C	Houston	32	38 1986	9	40
69	Perry MossNortheastern	G	Boston	–	42 1986	2	33

More drafts

The 1981 draft · The 1983 draft · Every draft, 1976 to 2025

How the numbers are made is on the ratings page. How a run plays is in How to play.