It is lunchtime somewhere. So, welcome back to the lunch hour read of the Meat & Three. Every weekday I dive into a big picture topic and three things to get you through a quarantine spring. Who are the best players for each pick of the first round of the NBA Draft over the last 20 years? I make my picks. A note about networking, a re-watch hoops doc and, of course, the Ty Freeman photo of the day. 

THE MEAT: BEST OF EACH OF THE LAST 20 NBA DRAFT FIRST ROUND PICKS

The NFL Draft rolls into the second and third rounds tonight I loved it. It was real. I, like so many of you, watched every pick of the draft last night. It was great to have some live sports back in our life. 

In the month-long NBA Draft research I’ve been swimming in, I wanted to identify the best player per pick over the last 20 NBA Drafts. Here were my picks 1-30. 

1: LeBron James, 2003, St. Vincent-St. Mary (HS SR)/Cleveland Cavaliers 
2: Kevin Durant, 2007, Texas (FR) /Seattle SuperSonics 
3: James Harden, 2009, Arizona State (SOPH)/Oklahoma City Thunder 
4: Chris Paul, 2005, Wake Forest (SOPH)/New Orleans Hornets
5: Dwyane Wade, 2003, Marquette (JR)/Miami Heat
6: Damian Lillard, 2012, Weber State (JR)/Portland Trail Blazers
7: Steph Curry, 2007, Davidson (JR)/Golden State Warriors
8: Rudy Gay, 2006, UConn (SOPH)/Houston Rockets (traded to Memphis)
9: Amar'e Stoudemire, 2002, Cyrpess Creek HS (FL)/Phoenix Suns
10: Paul George, 2010, Fresno State (SOPH)/Indiana Pacers
11: Klay Thompson, 2011, Washington State (JR)/Golden State Warriors
12: Thaddeus Young, 2007, Georgia Tech (FR)/Philadelphia 76ers
13: Devin Booker, 2015, Kentucky (FR)/Phoenix Suns 
14: Bam Adebayo, 20017, Kentucky (FR)/Miami Heat 
15: Kawhi Leonard, 2011, San Diego State (SOPH)/Indiana Pacers (traded to San Antonio)
16: Hedo Türkoğlu, 2000, Efes Pilsen (Turkey)/Sacramento Kings
17: Jrue Holiday, 2009, UCLA (FR)/Philadelphia 76ers
18: David West, 2003, Xavier (SR), New Orleans Hornets
19: Zach Randolph, 2001, Michigan State (FR)/Portland Trail Blazers
20: Evan Fournier, 2012, Poitiers Basket (France)/Denver Nuggets
21: Rajon Rondo, 2006, Kentucky (SOPH)/Phoenix Suns traded to Boston)
22: Jared Dudley, 2007, Boston College (SR)/Charlotte Bobcats
23: Tayshaun Prince, 2002, Kentucky (SR)/Detroit Pistons
24: Kyle Lowry, 2006, Villanova (SOPH)/Memphis Grizzlies
25: Gerald Wallace, 2001, Alabama (FR)/Sacramento Kings
26: Kevin Martin, 2004, Western Carolina (JR)/Sacramento Kings
27: Rudy Gobert, 2013, Cholet Basket (France)/Dencer Nuggets traded to Utah
28: Tony Parker, 2001, Paris Racing Basket (born 1982)/San Antonio Spurs
29: Josh Howard, 2003, Wake Forest (SR)/Dallas Mavericks
30: Jimmy Butler, 2011, Marquette (SR)/Chicago Bulls

THE NOTE

A line we hear a lot in conversation is "I hope you and your family are well" and it means well and comes from an honest place. I appreciate them. I really do. 

We have heard such a line uttered more and more during this time of quarantine. And I have no doubt the intent on the statement is as genuine as ever before. 

However, what if we pivot and say "Tell me about your family"? Imagine the value gained from such a small change. If there is ever a time to cultivate and grow relationships, now is it. 

THE STREAM 

You’re probably going to watch the NFL Draft tonight and I get it. I will do. So, store this one away for a pre-cursor to The Last Dance on Sunday. When was the last time you watched Hoop Dreams, arguably the best basketball documentary of all-time? You can rent the movie a number of online platforms. Here is a trailer: 

THE TY FREEMAN PHOTO OF THE DAY 

The lens of Ty Freeman catches it all. This week we look take a look at the perspective that Ty brought from the 2019 Best of the South at the Georgia World Congress Center.