4 No. 18 draft picks who had successful NBA careers

2. David West 

David West was drafted 18th overall just one year before J.R. Smith by the same team. He stayed with the New Orleans Hornet for eight seasons and made two All-Star games in 2008 and 2009. In both seasons, he averaged over 20 points and 8 rebounds per game. 

He never cracked the 20-point mark again for an entire season but still had some successful years with the Hornets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors. 

While his personal production dropped quite significantly, West found great team success with the Golden State Warriors. He signed with the team in 2016 and promptly won his first championship. Afterward, he decided to return for one final season with the Warriors, played over 1,000 regular season games, and won a second title. 

In August 2018, the forward officially retired, capping off a successful NBA career. His career shows what most of us already know: you do not have to be a lottery pick to have a successful NBA career. Obviously, the chances are much higher as a first-round pick than a second-round pick or undrafted player, but the NBA is always full of surprises, and that should be encouraging to Magic fans when it comes to this year's draft.