1974, 4th Pick
Who The Suns Took:
John Shumate, Power Forward, Notre Dame
Career Stats:
318 GP, 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 51.6% FG
Who The Suns Should Have Taken:
George Gervin, Small Forward/Shooting Guard, Eastern Michigan – Originally taken by the Phoenix Suns with the 40th overall pick
Career Stats:
791 GP, 26.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 51.1% FG
The Suns ended up picking Gervin in the third round, but Gervin went to the ABA instead of joining the team. Perhaps taking him in the first round would have been more incentive for Gervin to join the Suns immediately, instead of Gervin picking the ABA and never playing a minute in a Suns uniform.