{"id":1997576,"date":"2026-06-18T14:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T11:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1997576"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T11:30:17","slug":"the-bounce-lets-re-draft-the-loaded-1996-class-that-included-kobe-and-iverson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1997576","title":{"rendered":"The Bounce: Let\u2019s re-draft the loaded 1996 class that included Kobe and Iverson"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Bounce Newslette<\/b>r<\/strong>\u00a0\":basketball:\"<\/span>\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

On this date in 1984, Ndudi Ebi was born. Why is that significant? Well, as we await the decision from the league\u2019s investigation into the Clippers\u2019 alleged cap circumvention, Ebi was once a part of the Joe Smith fiasco with the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the league punished the Wolves, they took away their draft picks from 2001-2005. David Stern eventually gave the Wolves back their picks in 2003 and 2005. They took Ebi in 2003 and Rashad McCants in 2005. So basically \u2026 the Wolves still forfeited those picks. Happy birthday, Ndudi!<\/p>\n

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Draft remix<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s reorder some guys from \u201996<\/strong><\/p>\n

Technically, the 30th anniversary of the 1996 NBA Draft is not until June 26. But we will be right in the middle of post-draft aftermath and pre-free agency chaos on that day next week. I figured a little calm before the storm right now was the perfect time to talk about that historic class. This class features four* Hall of Famers. Four MVP awards. Six players with their jerseys retired. It\u2019s one of the best drafts we\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, teams got a lot wrong in that draft, as we know from three of those MVP awards being taken with the 13th and 15th picks. Let\u2019s have some fun by re-drafting the top 10 in this draft and see how it might have changed those teams\u2019 fortunes.<\/p>\n

1. Philadelphia 76ers: <\/strong>Kobe Bryant | SG | Lower Merion High School<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>We know Kobe and his agent were angling for him to find his way to the Lakers, but a homecoming with the Sixers isn\u2019t bad. This adds him to a team with Jerry Stackhouse. Bryant getting his own team sooner, rather than later, could have been fun.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Allen Iverson.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>A+<\/p>\n

2. Toronto Raptors: <\/strong>Allen Iverson | SG | Georgetown<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>At the time, a backcourt of Iverson and Damon Stoudamire would\u2019ve been a nightmare defensively for Toronto and for defenses against the Raptors. Would Iverson have wanted to go to Toronto? It\u2019s hard to say. But in the same way Vince Carter would eventually galvanize basketball in Canada in 1999, Iverson would\u2019ve done that to an even greater degree.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Marcus Camby.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B+<\/p>\n

3. Vancouver Grizzlies: <\/strong>Steve Nash | PG | Santa Clara<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>Could Nash have saved basketball in Vancouver? It\u2019s tough to say. Granted, he didn\u2019t become more than an All-Star point guard until he locked in with Mike D\u2019Antoni in Phoenix in 2004. But clearly that level of play existed inside of him. Bringing the Canadian kid to Vancouver to usher in good basketball could have eventually worked.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Shareef Abdur-Rahim.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B<\/p>\n

4. Milwaukee Bucks: <\/strong>Ray Allen | SG | Connecticut<\/p>\n

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What would this change? <\/strong>Uh \u2026 so no real change here. They just do it without the trade from Minnesota. Allen is a Hall of Fame shooting guard, who put up 25 points per game in his heyday and became a championship role player in his twilight.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Stephon Marbury (traded to Minnesota).<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>A (for Ray Allen)<\/p>\n

5. Minnesota Timberwolves: <\/strong>Ben Wallace | C | Virginia Union<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>Remember! Wallace went undrafted in 1996. He\u2019s the fifth Hall of Famer from the class, even though he didn\u2019t get selected. The Wolves getting this defensive master next to Kevin Garnett sets them up down the road. Wallace needed some seasoning, and KG still couldn\u2019t legally drink, but that\u2019s a great base for a patient front office.<\/p>\n

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Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Ray Allen (traded to Milwaukee).<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B+ (for Stephon Marbury)<\/p>\n

6. Boston Celtics: <\/strong>Jermaine O\u2019Neal | PF\/C | Eau Claire High School<\/p>\n

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What would this change? <\/strong>It would have taken some patience but O\u2019Neal would have been a brilliant pickup here. The Celtics didn\u2019t have any real prospects at that time, and he could have developed into their big man of the future.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Antoine Walker.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B+<\/p>\n

7. LA Clippers: <\/strong>Stephon Marbury | PG | Georgia Tech<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>A young core of Marbury, Brent Barry, Rodney Rogers and Lamond Murray wouldn\u2019t have been terrible. However, working for Donald Sterling probably would have driven Marbury back East quicker than a Minnesota winter.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Lorenzen Wright.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>C-<\/p>\n

8. New Jersey Nets: <\/strong>Marcus Camby | C | UMass<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>With John Calipari taking over the Nets, doing that with Camby as his big man like at UMass would\u2019ve been a pretty cool story. Camby could have benefited a lot from Kenny Anderson as the point guard. It would\u2019ve been funny to see a Camby-Shawn Bradley frontcourt.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Kerry Kittles.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B<\/p>\n

9. Dallas Mavericks: <\/strong>Peja Stojakovi\u0107 | SF | PAOK BC (Greece)<\/p>\n

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What would this change? <\/strong>Stojakovi\u0107 didn\u2019t come over until the 1998-99 season. So in this scenario, we\u2019re pretending the Mavs still end up with Dirk Nowitzki in 1998 and have the greatest shooting forward duo of all-time.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Samaki Walker.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>C-<\/p>\n

10. Indiana Pacers: <\/strong>Antoine Walker | F | Kentucky<\/p>\n

What would this change? <\/strong>A loaded Pacers team ending up with Walker as a young player off the bench, eventually working his way into the starting lineup to bomb 3s with Reggie Miller, would\u2019ve been a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

Who was the original pick? <\/strong>Erick Dampier.<\/p>\n

Grade for original pick: <\/strong>B-<\/p>\n

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The last 24<\/h3>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Mock up.<\/strong> Speaking of the draft, Vecenie has his latest mock. It\u2019s full of fresh intel on what teams are thinking<\/a>.\ud83c\udfc0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Inside info.<\/strong> Meanwhile, David Aldridge talked to coaches and executives for their unvarnished takes on all the top prospects. Here\u2019s the dish on the guards<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf40 Good idea? <\/strong>The Celtics could trade for Giannis. But \u2026 should they?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude8c Parade time! <\/strong>The Knicks are holding their championship parade today. Here\u2019s how to watch<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf8a Follow along! <\/strong>We\u2019ll be live-blogging the Knicks parade, as well. It\u2019ll be right here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd14 Where are they? <\/strong>John Hollinger has the small-forward free-agent class tier\u2019d up. Is Tari Eason the best one<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stream the NBA on Fubo (<\/em>try it for free!<\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0and catch out-of-market games on\u00a0<\/em>League Pass<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Draft SZN<\/h3>\n

Looking for the shooters in this year\u2019s class<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perusing our Sam Vecenie\u2019s NBA Draft Guide is pretty addicting<\/a>. It has me reordering my draft board constantly and making me reconsider quite a few opinions I have about these prospects. That\u2019s because Sam is the best at this. As I was reading it, I thought it would be fun to go over the best outside shooters in the draft and where they could go.<\/p>\n

In the lottery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | Point guard | 44.0 percent on 209 3FGAs<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Damian Lillard-esque scorer with deep range. He knocked down 49.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 36 percent on pull-up 3s. Should be a top-five pick in my opinion.<\/p>\n

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Darius Acuff is the most polished point guard in the 2026 NBA Draft<\/div>\n
Sam Vecenie<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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