8 Stars the Portland Trail Blazers missed drafting by a single pick

1. Alex English - 1976

Trail Blazers pick: Johnny Davis, No. 22

Other pick: Alex English, No. 23 (Milwaukee Bucks)

Interestingly, the 1976 NBA Draft was ten rounds long. Despite the draft consisting of 173 players, Alex English had one of the best careers amongst the entire draft class. In 2022, The Athletic ranked the greatest NBA players of all time. English deservedly made the cut, coming in at No. 71.

In English's Hall of Fame career, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 51/22/83 shooting splits. The large discrepancy between his free throw and three-point efficiency perfectly summed up his game. While not a prolific three-point shooter, English could score at will inside the arc with his soft touch. As a versatile 6-foot-8 forward, he was able to get to his spots with his size and ability to create space.

Although the Milwaukee Bucks selected English, he had most of his success in Denver. In 11 seasons with the Nuggets, his scoring output increased to 25.9 points a game, even becoming the NBA scoring champion in 1983. English also had an impressive eight All-Star appearances in a row and three All-NBA Second Team selections with the Nuggets.

Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, missing out on English in the 1976 NBA Draft was only the beginning. Within the following ten years, they missed out on three extremely significant Hall of Fame players by a single pick.