7 best second-round draft picks in Cavaliers history
No. 1: Mark Price, 25th pick in 1986 NBA Draft
We take one more trip to the ACC to close out our list, where point guard Mark Price was an All-ACC player in all four seasons at Georgia Tech. He continues to hold nearly every meaningful record for a point guard at Georgia Tech. Even so, his size (6’0″) and lack of athleticism caused many to doubt whether he could succeed in the NBA, and he accordingly fell to the 25th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.
Perhaps those doubters felt vindicated early on, as Price averaged just 6.9 points per game as a rookie, shooting 32.9 percent from deep. Then he pulled the rug out from under their feet, exploding in his second season to average 16 points, six assists and shooting a scorching 48.6 percent from 3-point range.
In his third season Price was an All-Star, a feat he would repeat three more times during his nine seasons with the Cavaliers. He was the floor general on a number of playoff teams, running the show and maximizing the impact of big men such as Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams.
Price was one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, and certainly during his era. He led the league in free-throw shooting three separate times, totaled 967 career 3-pointers and shot 40.2 percent from deep. When he retired in 1997-98, he ranked inside the top-15 in 3-point makes, and among all players with at least 1,500 3-point attempts he was fifth in career 3-point percentage.
Next. 7 players the Cleveland Cavaliers gave up on too soon. dark
One of the all-time great shooters, passers and leaders, Mark Price was the best second-round pick in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers.