Re-Drafting Every Suns 1st Rd Pick Pt. 2: 77-88
By Tim Holstad
1987, 2nd Pick
Who The Suns Took:
Armen Gilliam, Forward, UNLV
Career Stats:
929 GP, 13.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 48.9% FG
Who The Suns Should Have Taken:
Reggie Miller, Shooting Guard, UCLA – Originally taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 11th overall pick
Career Stats:
1389 GP, 18.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 47.1% FG
The Suns missed out on the top pick once again in 1987, missing out on ‘The Admiral,’ David Robinson. They took power forward Armen Gilliam with the second pick, and Gilliam actually had a decent career. He played 13 years, and was a good role player for a long time in the league. However, the Suns had two Hall of Famers they could have taken instead. Not only was Scottie Pippen available, but one of the top-5 shooters of all time, Reggie Miller, was available for them as wel. Miller played 18 years in the NBA, and before Ray Allen came along, was the most prolific 3 point shooter in league history once his career wrapped up. Pippen was also a perfectly viable option here as well, but it’s hard to tell how good Pippen could have been, or how bad, if he had never been the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman.