Basketball Reference’s Similarity Score model matches Hall of Fame combo forward Jamaal Wilkes up with the likes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, David West, David Lee and Lamar Odom. However, it was Wilkes’ playoff performances that separated him from that sea of close, but not quite Hall of Famers.
The Warriors took Wilkes with the No. 11 overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, with the teams ahead of the Dubs opting to take can’t-miss prospects like Mike Sojourner, Tom Henderson and Marvin Barnes, among others.
Out of the 10 rounds — this was back when the draft continued until teams took every eligible player in the pool — there were only a grand total of 12 NBA All-Star players, so Wilkes’ selection had as much to do with luck as it did management’s eye for talent.
Wilkes, who won two national championships playing alongside Bill Walton at UCLA, carried his championship pedigree into the professional ranks, not to mention his diverse offensive attributes and tough defense.
While he had some quirks that the analytics community would frown on today — his aversion to getting to the foul line, his attraction to mid-range jumpers, a less-than-impressive assist/turnover ratio — there’s no denying Wilkes’ impact on as a secondary star behind Rick Barry in Golden State and Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Through a dozen NBA seasons, Wilkes averaged 17.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with a 16.5 PER, an NBA Rookie of the Year award, three NBA All-Star nods and two NBA All-Defensive selections.
Compared to the dreck that other teams took in that draft, aside from the Portland Trail Blazers taking Walton and the Houston Rockets taking Bobby Jones, the Warriors made out pretty well.