The 2011 draft was one of the best in the 21st century draft, both in terms of the quality of the top stars and the success rate of the role players. And now 13 years have passed, and some of the rookies in the 11th class have long left the NBA, but at the same time, we can also see that some players are still active in the league.
10. Valanciunas
The 5th pick in the original first round
He averaged 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 block per game in his career
As a big center, Varan entered the league just in time for the league's transition to the small-ball era, but fortunately he adapted to this style of play and was not eliminated. And Valan, who has his own advantages, not only has he not been eliminated, he has also played quite a good performance, in the 2020-2021 season, he can also average 17.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, and now the 32-year-old Varan can still score consistently on the court, which is why the Wizards are willing to provide him with a contract with an annual salary of 10 million yuan this offseason.
9. Bojan Bogdanovich
The first pick in the original second round
He averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his career
Drafted in 2011, Bojan didn't officially enter the NBA until the 2014-2015 season, and as an older rookie, he quickly adapted to the NBA game. After moving to the Pacers, Bojan gradually found his best form, averaging 20.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the 2019-2020 season, and then he played for the Jazz, Pistons and Knicks, but the 35-year-old obviously had a significant decline in his form in New York last season, and it seems that he has started the countdown to retirement.
8. Harris
The 19th pick in the original first round
He averaged 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his career
Although Harris has never been selected to the All-Star or All-Star team during his career, his performance has always been very consistent, and at his peak he also averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game at a quasi-All-Star level, and he is currently the highest total scorer of any active non-All-Star. Consistent form has helped Harris win a number of big contracts, and now his career total salary has exceeded $300 million, and it has to be said that he is definitely a winner in life.
7. Vucevich
The 16th pick in the original first round
He averaged 17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his career
Vucevic averaged only 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in his rookie season, and since he transferred to the Magic in 2012, he has been like a different person, and his stats have skyrocketed to 13.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1 block per game that season, and since then he has become a double-double god in the league, and he has scored 514 double-doubles so far, which can also be ranked 30th in NBA history.
At his peak, Vucevic was also selected as an All-Star twice, and at that time he also played an average of 20+10 per game in the season, which is also thanks to the three-point shot he developed in order to adapt to the league's style of play, otherwise let alone being selected as an All-Star, it is unknown whether he can play until now.
6. Walker
The 9th pick in the original first round
He averaged 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his career
When Walker first entered the league, his shooting was terrible, which led to his poor offensive efficiency, but the good thing is that he knows where his shortcomings are, and he has been improving his ability in this area since then. From the start of the 2015-2016 season, Walker gradually became an elite level goalscorer, which also helped him play better.
In Walker's peak 2018-2019 season, he averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 three-pointers per game in the regular season, and he was selected to the only All-Three team that year. Unfortunately, since leaving the familiar Hornets system, coupled with the impact of injuries, Walker has declined very quickly, and now he has officially announced his retirement and returned to the Hornets as an assistant coach.
5. Thomas Jr
The 30th pick in the original second round
He averaged 17.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in his career
Thomas Jr.'s physical condition is relatively poor in NBA history, he is only 1.75 meters tall, and his arm span is only about 1.85 meters, so he almost lost the draft that year, but fortunately, the king gave him a chance. And Thomas Jr. didn't waste the opportunity after being drafted, he averaged 11.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in his rookie season, and he also established himself in the league.
Later, after joining the Green Army, Thomas Jr. entered the peak of his career, averaging 28.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the 2016-2017 season, and he was not only selected as an All-Star for the second time, but also selected to the All-Second Team this year. Unfortunately, due to injuries, Thomas Jr. fell shortly after reaching his peak, and he failed to find his place in many teams in the league after that.
4. Thompson
The 11th pick in the original first round
He averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his career
As the most champion of 11 rookies, Thompson has four championship rings and has played a significant role in each of those championships. As one of the best shooters on the roster, Thompson has now declined a lot, and his outside shooting has been productive and efficient all year round since his peak season, and he has shot above 40% from three-point range for eight consecutive seasons since his rookie season.
However, Thompson's style of play means that his ceiling is not particularly high, and he needs others to create opportunities for him on the court, so in his heyday, he was also "only" selected to the All-Three team twice.
3. Butler
The 30th pick in the original first round
He averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his career
When Butler first made his NBA debut, his on-court role was basically around defense, but then an injury to the core of the team forced him to take on more offense, which changed his career dramatically. After polishing the offense, Butler became an All-Star level player who can play both offense and defense, and he has since shown his leadership attributes and leadership ability on other teams.
Especially with the Heat, in the five seasons he has played here, Butler has led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals a total of three times, and they have won the Eastern Conference championship in two of them, but in fact, no one is optimistic about them until they achieve results. In the process of the Heat reaching the Finals in 2023, he can still average 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game with injuries, so although he does not have more rings than Thompson, he is undoubtedly a stronger player.
2. Owen
The original first round 1st pick
He averaged 23.6 points, 4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his career
As a former No. 1 rookie, Irving did show his talent after entering the league, in addition to having a wealth of offensive skills, his style of play is also very spectacle, which also helped him be selected as an All-Star early in the second year of his career. Later, the Cavaliers were able to win the championship without the help of Irving, who averaged 27+ per game in the finals that year, and "blew up" Curry, the unanimous MVP of the season, face-to-face.
Later, even if Irving had a serious decline in his reputation due to various off-court problems, no one would question his ability in the high-end game, but compared to other top guards, Irving's honors are indeed too few, in addition to the championship, his most honorable shot is to be selected for the best second team once, so in the hearts of some fans, Irving is one of the most overrated players in the league.
1. Leonard
The 15th pick in the original first round
He averaged 20 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his career
Although Leonard was originally drafted by the Pacers, he was already eyed by the Spurs, and he was traded to San Antonio shortly after being drafted, which also changed the direction of his career. In the Spurs team, Leonard is completely cultivated in the direction of a top star, and he is also competitive, from the beginning of the defensive engineer, he has also played a name for himself on the offensive end step by step, since the 2015-2016 season, Leonard has basically entered the ranks of the league's first-line stars, that year he averaged 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1 block per game, and was also selected for the best team in the regular season and won the DPOY.
Since 2016, Leonard has been in the top five in the league for a long time, and in 2019, when he played for the Raptors, he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game to help the team win the first championship in team history. As the only player in the 11th class who can lead the team to win the championship as the boss of the team, Leonard is undoubtedly the strongest existence in the same class, but he has also been unlucky in recent years, he is plagued by injuries, let alone winning the championship, and his basic attendance is getting worse and worse.