Talking about the NBA's previous drafts, the golden generation in 1996 has to be mentioned. Yes, there were a number of superstars in that draft, such as the eternal superstar of the current year, "Answer" Iverson, and the great Kobe Bryant, and Ray Allen, Nash, Walker, Canby and O'Neal Jr., who were also the star players who emerged in that year.
People tend to forget the name of one person, yes, he is Abdul Raheem, the all-around forward who was selected by the Grizzlies in 1996 as a probing flower, but his achievements in the 1996 rookie are not low.
With three members of the 96 Golden Generation entering the 20,000-point club, Raheem scored 15,028 points in just 12 seasons, and only Kobe, Allen, Iverson, Nash, Marbury and Antoine Walker scored more points than he did in the rookies of the same year.
A smooth Grizzlies career
In the golden generation of 1996, two great No. 3 players emerged, Iverson and Marbury, and Abdel-Rahim was also a player in the No. 3 jersey. In fact, his performance in the rookie season has reached a very high level.
In his first season, Raheem was able to average 18.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and he was a small forward who was often put in the No. 4 position by the Grizzlies, who were missing major generals, but in the face of a group of muscular men, Rahim was always able to use his excellent speed, flexibility and technology to tease each other. The qualities of 3 to 4 make Raheem very difficult to guard against.
Since the second season, Rahim's three-point shooting has also become more and more stable, he can average 22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, which is completely All-Star stats, and in the following three seasons, Rahim averaged more than 20+ points per game, which is a very stable presence in the golden generation in 1996.
The only fly in the ointment is that the Grizzlies are a weak team that is not capable of reaching the playoffs, and although Raheem is not Kobe's kind of sneaker with a strong desire to win, it is inevitable to get tired of staying for a long time. In the 01-02 season, he offered to trade, and as a result the Grizzlies sent him to the Hawks. In the Eagles' first season, Raheem averaged 21.2 points and nine rebounds per game, making him an All-Star for the first and only time.
The kaleidoscope of the pitch
Although Raheem is officially 2.06 meters tall, in fact, from Raheem's body type and playing style, he is also a standard small striker.
Yes, Raheem is the kind of player who is fast and very flexible, and his excellent shooting ability allows him to switch freely between a stable mid-range jump shot and a choice of breakouts. While Raheem isn't the kind of small forward who relies more on outside projections from Glenn Rice, he still has a decent three-point shooting percentage and is able to hit consistent shots in limited shots. In short, he has a three-point range, which gives him another option against defenders on the offensive end.
Although Raheem's figure is relatively disadvantaged in the scramble for rebounds, his excellent elasticity makes up for the weakness of the tonnage, and he can grab the rebounds well even when playing in the No. 4 position. It can be said that Rahim is a typical kaleidoscope player, he has a variety of attacking methods on the offensive end, and on the defensive end, Rahim can erase the disadvantage through extremely high ball quotient.
Stars ruined by the deal
Although Raheem eventually retired due to injury, he was actually very healthy at his peak, more because of frequent trades and chaotic team policies that prevented him from reaching higher heights.
The first is the 03-04 season, Raheem was inexplicably exchanged by the Hawks to the Blazers, you know, in the Hawks, Raheem can freely shuttle between the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, his tactical role is also very flexible, before being traded, he can almost get 20 +10 super data per game.
But after the trade, the Blazers fixed him in the No. 4 position, and even sometimes let him make a cameo in the No. 5 position, which made Raheem unable to adapt at all, and during the run-in period, Raheem only got 10 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Blazers, and the playing time also slipped to 22.8 minutes. In fact, Rahim can't really be blamed, because the Blazers were the most chaotic team in the NBA at the time, and even had the notoriety of "prison team", and the always mild-mannered Rahim came to this team, and it was certain that he would not adapt.
Next, although Raheem's state has recovered, he has also been plagued by injuries, and finally he was traded to the Kings by the Blazers in the 05-06 season, and this time, Raheem completely left the category of star players.
Yes, in the Kings, Rahim's former advantages no longer existed from an absolute core main force to a role player, and he was often placed by the Kings in the No. 5 position, and in the exploration period of the small-ball era, Rahim's previous advantages no longer existed. After two tepid seasons, Raheem suffered a career-destroying knee injury in the 07-08 season and finally bid farewell to the NBA.
When Raheem retired, he was only 32 years old, which was the golden age of his career. His career trajectory also tells us that the NBA is indeed a place full of upheavals, and it only takes one unsuccessful trade to turn an all-round warrior with nearly 20+10 stats into a mediocre role player.
But now, Raheem's other path is also going well, he now works for the NBA, is the president of the NBA Development League, and is committed to developing more talented players into the NBA. The former 96 golden generation celebrity has also found a place to realize his self-worth. (Chen Chuan)