5 times the Cleveland Cavaliers aced the NBA Draft

No. 2: Mark Price, No. 25 pick in 1986 Draft

Our deepest reach into franchise history for this list is Mark Price, the 25th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. The “OK Kid” was a star high school player in Oklahoma before starring at Georgia Tech, finishing as an All-American three times before entering the NBA Draft.

Price had a slow rookie season but exploded in his second season, becoming a full-time starter and never looking back. He was an All-Star by his third year and was one of the league’s best passers and shooters throughout his career, three times leading the league in free-throw shooting (missing the games played benchmark to lead the league another few times). He would make four All-NBA teams, shoot over 40 percent from 3-point range for his career, and prove himself one of the 10 best players in franchise history, with a strong case for Top-5.

The only player with more career value from the 1986 Draft was Jeff Hornacek, who was much healthier during his career and played 350 more games than Price. The only player with a better Box Plus-Minus (value without volume factored in) was Arvydas Sabonis. Dennis Rodman had the playoff success. But no matter how you slice it, Price was a top-5 player from that draft and the Cavs got him at 25; that’s how you ace a draft pick.