2005 NBA Draft

The 2005 NBA Draft produced one of the strongest groups of point guards of its era. Deron Williams was selected third overall by Utah, Chris Paul went fourth to New Orleans and Raymond Felton was selected fifth by Charlotte. Paul and Williams developed into perennial All-Stars and were among the NBA's premier point guards for much of the following decade.

The class also produced Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger and David Lee, along with several valuable players selected in the second round. Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Marcin Gortat, Amir Johnson and Brandon Bass were all selected after the first round and went on to enjoy substantial NBA careers.

Teams listed below are the teams credited with making each original draft selection. Several picks were traded on draft night.

Andrew Bogut: Milwaukee selected Bogut first overall after his standout career at Utah. The Australian center became an All-NBA selection and later won an NBA championship as a member of the Golden State Warriors.

Chris Paul: New Orleans selected Paul fourth overall out of Wake Forest. He won the 2005-06 Rookie of the Year Award and developed into one of the premier point guards of his generation. Paul ultimately became the 2005 draft class leader in career win shares.

Deron Williams: Utah moved up to the third selection and drafted Williams out of Illinois. Williams became a multiple-time All-Star with the Jazz and was one of the NBA's top point guards during his prime.

Point guard class: The first five selections included three notable point guards in Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton. Jarrett Jack and Nate Robinson were also selected later in the first round, giving the class unusual depth at the position.

Andrew Bynum: The Lakers selected Bynum tenth overall directly out of high school. He became an All-Star and a key member of Los Angeles' 2009 and 2010 NBA championship teams.

Late first-round value: Indiana selected Danny Granger 17th overall and New York selected David Lee with the final pick of the first round. Both became NBA All-Stars, with Granger developing into Indiana's leading scorer and Lee later becoming an All-NBA selection.

Second-round value: The second round was unusually productive. Monta Ellis went 40th to Golden State, Lou Williams 45th to Philadelphia, Amir Johnson 56th to Detroit and Marcin Gortat 57th to Phoenix. Brandon Bass, C.J. Miles, Ersan İlyasova, Andray Blatche and Ryan Gomes also developed into longtime NBA players.

International class: The draft featured a substantial international group that included Andrew Bogut, Fran Vázquez, Johan Petro, Ian Mahinmi, Ersan İlyasova, Roko Ukić, Mile Ilić, Martynas Andriuškevičius, Erazem Lorbek, Mickaël Gelabale, Axel Hervelle, Marcin Gortat, Uroš Slokar and Cenk Akyol.