Portland Trail Blazers: 15 best draft picks of all-time

While his younger brother John Paxson is more well-known these days thanks to a shot he hit versus the Phoenix Suns and being the second-half of GarPax in Chicago, we’d be foolish to overlook Jim Paxson on this all-time list. Paxson was an outstanding two-guard for the Trail Blazers in the early to mid-1980s. Portland took him No. 12 overall out of the University of Dayton in the 1979 NBA Draft.

Paxson became a starter in the Trail Blazers’ backcourt as a second-year player in 1980-81. He would go on to average double figures in scoring in Portland over the next seven seasons. When Paxson entered his mid-20s, he certainly hit his prime. Paxson would make back-to-back Western Conference All-Star teams in 1983 and 1984. He made the All-NBA second team in 1984 when averaged 21.3 points per game.

However, Paxson would see a drastic dip in production as he entered his late 20s. He lost his starting job and was ultimately traded to the Boston Celtics for point guard Jerry Sichting in 1988. Paxson would spend the next year and change with the Celtics before being released by the club in 1990. He retired shortly after that, taking on a front office role with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Overall, Paxson played nearly nine seasons with the Trail Blazers. He averaged 16.0 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game in 29.3 minutes per contest. Interestingly, Paxson played in an era of Portland basketball in between championship runs. He missed out on the 1977 championship by a few years and was in Boston by the time Rick Adelman helped the Trail Blazers get to two finals in three years. Paxson now works for his brother in the Chicago Bulls front office.