Here’s a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the NBA: name the two players that were drafted on either side of Patty Mills, who was 55th pick in the 2009 draft.
This one should be gettable for most normal NBA fans, even a lot of casuals should be able to name the players drafted 54th and 56th in that draft. I actually just called up my mom and posed her the same question (after getting bombarded with meaningless gossip for about 20 minutes) and she rattled off the names like it was nothing. And I know she barely watches games except for the big matchups and maybe some playoffs.
I’ll give you some more time. While you’re thinking about it, we can reminisce about the good old days when Mills was in Portland and wasn’t any good for anything except waving towels and making three-goggles. I am begrudgingly willing to give a small amount of credit to the Spurs for developing into the decade-long steady contributor that he is, but more of the credit goes to Mills himself for always believing in himself or whatever.
Okay, since you obviously don’t have an answer to the quiz question, I’ll give it to you. Remember: even my mom who is a total casual got this one right.
Robert Vaden was the 54th pick, and Ahmad Nivins was the 56th pick. It seems obvious now that I’ve said it, right? Don’t you feel dumb.