Originally published: June 27, 2005
1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005
Editor's note: We asked ESPN Insider John Hollinger to evaluate every NBA Draft pick since 1995 and tell us what the lottery teams during those years should have done, based on what we know now about each player. For more on John's methodology, click here.
One reason this project begins in 1995 is that's the year Kevin Garnett entered the draft and began to change everything. It took a few years for NBA teams to understand that high school players were not necessarily a bigger risk than other sorts of players, but it was KG and Kobe Bryant (Class of '96) who altered the way the draft plays out. By the time we reached 2004, the Orlando Magic hardly raised an eyebrow when they took barely-known high schooler Dwight Howard instead of college stud Emeka Okafor.