In the top five picks of the 84 generation, who are the other two, except Dameng, Jordan and Barkley?

Although there were still many top newcomers later, even though 41 years have passed, in the eyes of the outside world, the rookies in 1984 are still the strongest in history, especially among the top five picks, there were three legendary superstars, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Then some fans, especially new fans, will be more questionable, that is, the top five picks in that year, and who are the two? What are their overall developments after entering the NBA? Let’s take the time train and go back to the talent show night 41 years ago to see who these two people are!

1. Sam Bowie

Career data: 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks

Draft pick: Second pick in the first round

Now it seems that unless you are a player whose ability and honor are close to Dameng or Jordan, the second pick and team that year were destined to be recorded in history and kept ridiculed by later fans. The one who was selected before Jordan was Sam Bowie, and the one who selected him was the Portland Trail Blazers. The reason why the Trail Blazers skipped Jordan was actually because they had a reason. On the one hand, they had already chosen Clyde Drexler, who had a very similar style of playing to Jordan the year before. On the other hand, the NBA was still the inside player at that time. During his years at Kentucky, Bowie showed outstanding abilities and also contributed 17.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in a single season. Of course, the most important point is that Bowie's style is very similar to the legendary center Bill Walton who led the team to the championship back then, so even though many media and experts suggested that they win Jordan, after discussion by the Trail Blazers, they still chose Bowie.

After entering the NBA, Bowie only played for 10 years due to injury. Looking back at his career, although his overall performance is indeed not worthy of being the second-tier player, if he does not use the second-tier performance to measure, he is far from being a parallel player. During his four years in Portland, Bowie actually showed his potential to be a first-class center. After giving him enough ball rights in the 1986-87 season, he could contribute 16 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2 blocks. But what is more helpless is that whenever there is a situation, he is ruthlessly defeated by injuries. In the last three seasons of the Trail Blazers, he only played 63 games in total, so the team gave up completely. However, after coming to the Nets, he found the most suitable position for him, especially in the 1991-92 season. At the age of 31, he scored his best career-best 15 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks, helping the team to make the playoffs. In this regard, Bowie proved that as long as he can stay healthy, he is completely a center above average. Unfortunately, due to injuries, and the performance of Jordan and Dameng, who were in the same class as him, was indeed too amazing, so he was also recorded in history in a different way.

2. Sam Perkins' career data: 11.9 points, 6 rebounds, 1.5 assists

Draft pick: fourth pick in the first round

. After Jordan, before Barkley, the player who was selected in the fourth pick was Jordan's senior at the University of North Carolina. Although he was only 2.06 meters tall, Perkins, who played as a center in that era of long men, did not have a height advantage, but even so, he was able to dominate the inside, help the team get every rebound as much as possible, and constantly attack the basket on the offensive end. During his years in college, he averaged 16.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, making him one of Jordan's most trusted partners. The two not only won the championship in the NCAA, but also were selected for the US national team that summer after graduation, helping the US team defeat many strong enemies at the Los Angeles Olympics held at their doorstep and won the Olympic gold medal. It can be said that before entering the NBA, Perkins will not be much worse than Jordan in terms of honors and prospects.

However, there are still many gaps between the NCAA and the NBA. After all, the people who play in the NBA are the best players in their respective regions. Therefore, after Perkins entered the NBA, he was unable to reproduce the dominant performance of North Carolina during his university years. But this does not mean that he is a parallel product. On the contrary, after being selected by the Mavericks, he has been able to maintain a level of 15+8+2 output every year in Dallas for six seasons, and is one of the core of the team's inside line. After transferring to the Lakers, he also performed 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in a single season, and did not follow the team to reach the Finals in 1991. Since then, Perkins has been in the Supersonics and Pacers respectively. Although his performance has begun to decline year by year due to age and injury, his rich experience and delicate skills have helped him compete in the NBA for 17 years, scoring a total of 15,324 points and 7,666 rebounds. For Perkins, who has never been selected into the All-Star lineup, such performance is worthy of recognition. It is also worth mentioning that although Perkins has not won the championship, he has followed three different teams, namely the Lakers, the Supersonics and the Pacers, into the finals stage, which indirectly proves his value.