The Athletic NBA Mock Draft using NBA players from 1985-2004

[tcf15]

The Athletic put together a mock draft of players from 1985-2004 based on who would be better in today’s game.

Gilbert Arenas? Rasheed? Dan Majerle? An NBA Mock Draft for the new era

These 20 players were certainly good in their own right, but just imagine the heights they'd reach in today's offensive-centric league.

theathletic.com

Cliff Robinson taken 2nd overall:

2. PF/C Clifford Robinson, Connecticut (drafted by Portland in 1989)​

James L. Edwards III: Robinson was ahead of his time offensively. From 1996-2003, only 13 players in the NBA attempted more 3s than the hybrid big man, and of those 13, Antoine Walker was the only front-court player who put up more. Robinson attempted 2,180 3-pointers during that span. The next closest big, Sam Perkins, attempted only 1,312. Robinson didn’t just take 3s; he made them. During the 1994-95 season with Portland, Uncle Cliffy shot 37.1 percent from 3 on 5.1 attempts per game. The next year, he hit 37.8 percent of his 3s on 6.0 attempts per game. At 6-foot-10, with that ability to space the floor, Robinson is the picture-perfect center in today’s NBA. When it comes to defense, this quote that Ben Wallace, arguably the greatest defender of all time, gave me tells you everything you need to know: “The fact that he could guard the four or five or three, it allowed me to roam around and do what I was best at doing. For me, he was one of those guys who playing beside allowed my game to continue to grow and flourish.” Shooting. Versatility. Robinson was built for today’s game.

 

[Waquoit]

It's sad that he didn't live to read this. I'm sure he would have gotten a kick out of it.

 

[Matrim55]

A lot of our OGs were ahead of their time. I credit Calhoun for realizing that 3>2:

Cliffy would've been a multiple-time all-star & borderline Hall of Famer in today's game.

Donyell would've been a borderline all-star in today's game.

Smitty would've been a 10-year vet in today's game.

Burrell would've been a god-tier 3-and-D in today's game.

Charlie V would've been 50% more valuable than he was in today's game.

Ben would've been a multiple-time all-star in today's game.

Ray would've been 20% greater than he already was in today's game.

Albert would've made the league as a 3-point specialist.

 

[johnhuskies95]

A lot of our OGs were ahead of their time. I credit Calhoun for realizing that 3>2:

He certainly recruited a lot of versatile players but he didn’t really push the 3 at all. I can only find data going back to 97-98 but between that season and Calhoun’s last year, UConn never ranked higher than 166th in 3PA per game and they were 2nd lowest in the country twice. Part of that was he liked playing two traditional bigs together a lot but I think philosophically he just favored an inside-out approach.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

oh, so now it's dawning on nba blabberests that Mr. Robinson was a groundbreaking, pioneering, and prototypical nba player? what did it take, like 2 or 3 decades for them to figger out?
it took linus pauling (he was rated the '16th most important scientist in history'), he of only four to win 2 nobels, forever to receive acknowledgement for his work on vitamin c. patience is a virtue, with the waiting being the hardest part.
rest in spleef, Cliff- the basketball and cannabis worlds remember you.

 

[Rich]

Whomever drafts 'Sheed wins this exercise, hands down.