DPOY Smart was only No. 6 in 2014. Who are the first five people? Embiid is just Tanhua

As the only guard in the NBA who has won DPOY since Gary Payton, Smart's defensive strength is obviously unquestionable. Although Smart is only 1.93 meters tall, with his outstanding confrontation and 2.06 meters wingspan, he can still switch defenses on the court. Moreover, Smart's assisted defense is also very outstanding, so when he is on the court, you can even often see him becoming the franchise guard in the team, which has a lot to do with his "desperate" defensive attitude.

In addition, on the offensive end, Smart is a qualified shooter. After all, he has also made good three-pointers in the playoffs. In addition, he also has certain ball-holding and organizational skills. Among the same type of 3D players, his advantages in this aspect will be more prominent. However, it is precisely because of this ability that Smart often oversteps the authority on the court. When he was in the Celtics, he relied on his position in the team and watched him make various unreasonable shots while Tatum and Brown were on the court at the same time.

Smart is now limited by age and injuries, and his condition is obviously no longer at his peak. Therefore, even though the Wizards put him on the trading shelves, he still has not been able to join a playoff-level team. In the end, Smart chose to buy out with the Wizards, and then joined the Lakers. Considering that he only signed a two-year contract of 11 million, even if his past attendance and decline would worry the team, it is understandable that the Lakers choose to gamble for his upper limit, not to mention that this is the player Doncic wants to name.

After introducing Smart's situation, we will take stock of the five players who were ranked first in the 2014 draft. Let's take a look at how these five players have developed after entering the league!

5. Dante Ekosam has averaged 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his career. Exam is from Australia. He is also a defensive defender. With a height of 1.96 meters and an arm span of 2.07 meters, his static talent is quite outstanding among players in the same position. However, the reason why Exam failed to play a higher upper limit is the offense. Smart is the type who can do anything but is not good at anything, but Exam is completely judging the attack end. Not only is his shooting a type that can be completely empty, but his throwing and attacking frames are also very average, which makes him easily drag the team down in positional battles and offenses.

There is now Exam plays for the Mavericks. He signed a one-year contract extension with the team during the offseason this year. Considering that the team's current depth on the back line is not enough, he is likely to be able to get a stable playing time next season. Before Irving returns, the team's back line can only rely on him and Russell. Considering that Exam is already 30 years old, it is obviously unrealistic to expect him to continue to improve later. Therefore, for the Mavericks, the only expectation for him to maintain healthy and stable play at this stage.

4. Aaron Gordon averaged 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his career. In the Magic period, Gordon was regarded as the core of his training by the team as the ball-holding front line, but obviously the effect of doing so was not ideal. In the nearly 6 seasons of the Magic, Gordon has only led the team to the playoffs twice, and was eliminated in the first round. His personal performance in this period was only 16 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. However, the Nuggets saw what Gordon was worth, so he was brought to Denver in the 2020-2021 season, and with Jokic, his playing style also changed.

Playing around Jokic and Murray, Gordon can focus more on off-ball. With his outstanding athletic ability, he has eaten a lot of cakes given by Jokic. At the same time, he can make up for Jokic's shortcomings on the defensive end, so the combination of these two people is very chemical. Gordon successfully helped the Nuggets win the championship in 2023. He averaged 13.3 points, 6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in the playoffs. The team's ability to win the championship is inseparable from his defense against stars such as James, Durant, Butler. Although the Nuggets failed to win the championship again, Gordon's performance has always been excellent. If the team wants to return to the peak, it is still inseparable from Gordon.

3. Embiid averaged 27.7 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks in his career. As the strongest first round pick of this year, Embiid's talent can be said to be visible to the naked eye. Even though he was late in basketball and could only learn from Olajuwon's highlights at the beginning, he still quickly became famous. After entering the league, Embiid averaged 20+ per game in his rookie season. After that, as his physical condition improved, Embiid gradually became one of the best stars in the league. In the 2022-2023 season, he won the regular season MVP with his average of 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Embid, who was only 28 years old at that time, had a bright future, and it seemed that he was the only player who could compete with Jokic. However, Embiid did not develop in the most ideal direction afterwards. Due to injuries, not only did he decline in his competitive state, but the most important thing was his attendance. He only played 64 games in the past two seasons. Now Embiid is 31 years old, and even he himself doesn't know if his injury can be completely cured. In this case, it is obviously difficult for him to return to the peak..

2. Jabarri Parker averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2 assists in his career. If Parker averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2 assists in his career, Parker, who was averaging 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal in his third year of career, averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal. As a result, he was injured not long after and has never played the same form since then. After leaving the Bucks in 2018, Parker has been to many teams, but has never really found a place for him. So in 2022, Parker was forced to leave the NBA.

1. Andrew Wiggins averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1 steal in his career. Wiggins, who has top physical fitness, has made his mark since high school. After entering the NBA, he was naturally given very high expectations, and some people even called him "James' successor." Unfortunately, 11 years have passed, and Wiggins has obviously failed to reach his ideal height. He has only been selected as the All-Star once in the NBA for so many years, and this is also the only personal honor he has shown in his career.

However, although Wiggins' development was not as good as expected, it does not mean that he is not an excellent NBA player. The Warriors won the championship in 2022 cannot be separated from his contribution. That year, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, especially his defense against Tatum in the finals, which won him a lot of praise. Although Wiggins has declined compared to that time, many teams still have their own interests. If he can join a team with an atmosphere and strength in the championship level, he is still expected to return to the top.