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Toronto Raptors: Top 15 No. 4 overall picks in NBA Draft history

By Mike Luciano

Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook (R) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (Photo credit should read RONALD MARTINEZ/AFP/GettyImages)
Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook (R) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (Photo credit should read RONALD MARTINEZ/AFP/GettyImages) /
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Chris Paul, Toronto Raptors, NBA Draft
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 23: Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

3. Dave Cowens (1970)

With so many great players, especially bigs, prominently featured across the history of the Boston Celtics, Cowens often gets overlooked. The Florida State product may never get the proper amount of respect after a legendary pro career, but he was as dominant as they come for a short period of time.

Injuries hampered his effectiveness, but in the first 8 years of his career, Cowens averaged 18.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Cowens is an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA player, three-time All-Defensive team nominee, a two-time champion, and an MVP.

If Cowens didn’t retire at such a young age, basketball historians would be able to appreciate him for the dominant post player he was. Even in an era with so many great big men, Cowens’ numbers rank right up there with the best.

2. Chris Paul (2005)

Paul came into the league as an undersized guard from Wake Forest who needed to prove he could translate his tremendous college career to pro success. Paul has not only done that several times over, but in doing so he has made himself one of the best point guards in NBA history thanks to his style of play.

Paul has 11 All-Star nods and 10 All-NBA appearances to his name. With nine All-Defensive team selections, six steals titles, and four assists titles, Paul has pulled in more than his fair share of individual accolades.

This campaign with Phoenix gives him perhaps the best chance to finally chase that elusive championship, which would be one heck of a way to solidify one of the strongest Hall of Fame resumes of all time.