The Blazers selected Drexler with the 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. Looking back, it seems a mystery how such a great player slipped so low in the draft, especially in light of the careers of many of the players chosen ahead of him.

But as rookie, Drexler did not have an immediate impact. He did not make the NBA All-Rookie Team and averaged just 7.7 ppg. Some of that could be attributed to the fact that he only averaged a little over 17 minutes per game playing behind veteran guards and forwards like John Paxson, Calvin Natt and the year's prior No. 1 selection, Lafayette Lever.

However, after that inaugural season, Drexler reeled off 10 straight seasons as one of the top scorers in the league. In his second season, Drexler's scoring jumped to 17.2 ppg. And by his third year, 1985-86, he had become an All-Star, averaging 18.5 points and ranking third in the NBA in steals (2.63 per game) and 10th in assists (8.0 apg).

However, during that era, If a player wanted to be considered among the NBA’s elite, there was no mystery about what he had to achieve -- the same things achieved by Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics' Larry Bird. Indeed, each was considered to rank among the most complete players of all time. In 1986-87, Drexler began to find himself in that rarefied air. He joined Johnson and Bird as the only players in the league to average more than 21 points (21.7 ppg), 6 rebounds (6.3 rpg), and 6 assists (6.9 apg). He also finished fifth in the NBA with an average of 2.49 steals per game... (more)"