The 1985 draft was one of the deepest and most balanced of all time.  There were contributors from the beginning of the draft to as far down as the 160th selection.  The ’85 draft was 162 picks over seven rounds with the first round consisting of 24 picks.  Of the 162 players selected, 66 of them played in the NBA, according to Basketball-Reference.com.  Of those 66 players, Mario Elie (Round seven, 160th overall) was the player taken with the lowest pick to play in the league.

Even with all of the talent, there were still plenty of missed picks in the first round.  The team that benefited the most was the Utah Jazz, who ended up with a franchise building block and one of the best players in team history.

Note: even though Arvydas Sabonis was drafted in the fourth round of ’85 draft he isn’t included in this because he was also selected in the ’86 draft and that team retained his rights.

24.  Manute Bol: Bol was originally taken with the seventh pick in the second round (31st overall) by the Washington Bullets.  Bol played 10 seasons in th NBA with the Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.  His best season came in ’85-86 when Bol appeared in 80 games (60 starts) and averaged 3.7 points, six rebounds and a league-leading five blocks a game.

For his career, Bol averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 624 games (133 starts).

23.  Ed Pinckney: Pinckney was originally taken with the 10th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns.  Pinckney played 12 seasons for the Suns, Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.  His most productive season came with the Suns in ’86-87 when Pinckney played in 80 games (65 starts) and averaged 10.5 points on 58.4 percent shooting to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals.

For his career, Pinckney averaged 6.8 points and five rebounds in 793 games (335 starts).

22.  Jerry Reynolds: Reynolds was originally taken with the 22nd overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.  Reynolds played eight seasons over 11 years for the Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic.  His best season came in ’89-90 with the Magic when Reynolds averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and a block a night in 67 games (40 starts).

For his career, Reynolds averaged 9.1 points, three rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals in 443 contests (118 starts).

21.  Sam Vincent: Vincent was originally taken with the 20th overall pick by the Boston Celtics.  Vincent played seven seasons with the Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic.  His best year came in ’89-90 with the Magic when Vincent averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and one steal 63 games (45 starts).

For his career, Vincent averaged 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 396 games (168 starts).