One of the greatest stars in the Blazers’ history, how strong is Glider Drexler

On May 11, 1992, the selection committee announced the last two Dream Team selections. In the previous list, a group of NBA superstars led by Magic, Jordan, and Bird were impressively listed, but there was no Pistons star Isaiah Thomas among them.

Thomas was almost unpopular with everyone: at the time, almost everyone involved had negative opinions on whether he could be selected. Since there is no need for other style players in this lineup, the top ten are good enough. In the end, the committee settled on Drexler and Laettner.

In that year's Olympic Games, the Dream Team successfully won the championship with a sweep. In this short and legendary experience, people seem to only remember Jordan and Barkley, but Drexler was one of the best players in the US team's game against Spain.

What kind of legendary story does Drexler, a 5-time NBA All-NBA selection, 10-time All-Star, 1995 NBA champion, and one of the greatest stars in Trail Blazers history, have?

Although "Glider" was not born in Houston, for him, this may be one of his favorite cities in his life.

At the age of 5, Drexler moved to Houston with his mother. After high school, he chose to join the local University of Houston. From then on, he became the brightest star in the "Phi Slamma Jamma" team.

In college, he was the forward of the team, partnering with Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Michaud to form a strong frontcourt line. Together, they led the team to the NCAA Final Four for two consecutive years.

In his junior year, Drexler averaged 15.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while shooting 53.6% from the field. After the school year, he chose to participate in the NBA draft and was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 14th overall pick in the first round.

However, looking back at that draft, one can't help but wonder how a player as good as Drexler could slip so low in the draft, especially considering that he has since surpassed many players who were drafted earlier.

But in fact, Rockets coach Del Harris had already extended an olive branch to "Glider" at the time, saying that the team would select him with a first-round pick. It's just that God's calculations are not as good as those of man. The Rockets fired Harris after the season, and newly appointed Bill Fitch had little interest in the Houston native.

Fortunately, 12 years later, Houston chose to trade with the Trail Blazers to bring back Drexler, which could be considered a disguised way to make up for the mistake of being wrong at the time.

Because the "Clyde" in the name is close to the English "Glide" (glider), Drexler began to have the nickname "Glider". Of course, he deserves this name.

His dunks tend to be elegant. When dunking, he usually chooses to take off from a farther place, similar to a "long jump" dunk. The movement is relaxed and the gliding distance is far enough, as if it has escaped the gravity of the earth and is gliding a certain distance in the air.

(Dunk Isaiah Thomas)

(Dunk Stass King)

has top dynamic talent and is the most widely known label of "Glider". He has excellent jumping, super long flight and excellent body control, and can make all kinds of unreasonable moves.

(Windmill)

Although three-pointers are a rather weak link in his skills (maybe related to his excellent shooting skills), he was one of the first modern players to accept three-pointers. In the 91-92 season (his peak year), he averaged 4.4 three-pointers per game, far ahead of Jordan and Lightning Miller.

But when it comes to the mid-range area, he comes to the sky point where he is best at. The mid-range pull-up jump shot is his reliable weapon, especially the pull-up shot after a move.

(Misleading mid-range)

(Facial shot of Jordan)

In addition, he did a very good job in finishing at the basket after breaking through, grabbing offensive rebounds, organizing and connecting as a point forward, mid-to-long-range shooting, etc. To some extent, he would be the most versatile scorer at the time.

As a rookie, Drexler's arrival did not immediately bring about a qualitative change in the team. In his first season, the "Glider" averaged only 7.7 points per game and was not selected for the All-Rookie Team that season. Part of the reason for this is because there are players such as John Paxson, Calvin Nutt and the previous year's No. 1 pick Lafayette Leifer in front of him.

However, starting from the second season, this situation began to change. In the second season, Drexler's scoring increased to 17.2 points. By the 1985-86 season, he had become an All-Star, averaging 18.5 points per game, including 2.63 steals, which ranked third in the league, and 8.0 assists, which ranked 10th in the league.

But in that era of competition, if a player wanted to be regarded as a top star, he needed to achieve at least the achievements of Magic Johnson or Larry Bird.

Fortunately, Drexler did it. In the 1986-87 season, "Glider", Johnson and Bird became the only three players in the league to average more than 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. In addition, he ranks fifth in the league with 2.49 steals per game.

Coming to the playoffs, Drexler's performance went to a higher level, averaging 24.0 points per game in the first round series. However, the team eventually lost to the Rockets led by old teammate Olajuwon in the first round.

But at least the spotlight is starting to focus on him. In the

87-88 season, the "Glider" ushered in the peak season of his career. This season, he averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game. In addition to being among the top five in the MVP selection, he was also selected for the second team of the All-Squad.

However, they still failed to break through the first round and were eventually swept by the Utah Jazz.

Next season, the Glider delivered a career-best score of 27.2 points per game, with 7.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists, leading the team to the playoffs again. But the team once again stopped in the first round.

As a star with low media attention, "Glider" has not obtained attention that matches the excellent data. But with the improvement of the overall lineup, Portland gradually rose to become a champion in the next three years, and Drexler's achievements were also recognized as due. In the 89-90 season, Portland introduced Buck Williams through an offseason trade, and Drexler was full of expectations for this deal:

"I think we have a team with championship strength, and we will definitely be able to do it."

This season, Drexler averaged 23.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, and was selected for the All-Star lineup for the third time, and was selected for the third team after the end of the season.

More importantly, he is a key figure in the Trail Blazers' finals. In the playoffs, the Glider averaged 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and the team eventually reached the finals. In the second game of the finals, the "Glider" scored 33 points, including two free throws in the last moment of overtime, successfully leading the team to the only victory in the series. In the end, they lost to the Pistons and missed the championship. In the 90-91 season, the "Glider" led the Trail Blazers to a record of 63 wins and 19 losses, setting the most wins in a single season in the team's history. After a series of wins over the Supersonics and Jazz, they once again stood in the division finals. However, they later lost to the Lakers at the end of "Showtime" and eventually missed the finals.

It is worth mentioning that this is also the curtain call of the "Showtime" era. After the season, the Magic announced his retirement.

In the following year, Drexler ushered in the most unforgettable season of his personal career. He became the second player in Portland history to be selected for the first-team All-Squad and ranked second in the MVP vote. In addition, he also led the Trail Blazers to the finals and competed with the Bulls led by Jordan.

Unfortunately, "God" performed bravely in the first game of the finals, and scored 35 points in the first half, giving the Trail Blazers three-pointers one after another.

Although the Trail Blazers chased afterwards and prepared to drag the series to Game 7. However, they were reversed by their opponents at the end of Game 6 and lost the finals by 4 points.

In the next two seasons, Drexler's performance declined due to injuries. By the 94-95 season, he had expressed his willingness to leave Portland. In the middle of the season, the Trail Blazers agreed to his request and traded him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Otis Thorpe.

The deal reunited him with his college teammate Olajuwon, and in the same year, the two led the Rockets from the Western Conference Sixth to the Finals and eventually won the championship.

In the playoffs, the "Glider" is the second second scorer after Olajuwon. In the finals, he averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game against Magic Drexler, which is a key part of the team's victory. In the 95-96 season, the "Glider" began to decline due to calf and knee injuries, and his playing time and average data. Next season, he missed some games due to straining his thigh muscles. With the addition of Charles Barkley, his average score average reached the lowest since the 84-85 season. In the mid-season of 97-98, Drexler announced plans to retire after the end of the season and prepares to return to his alma mater, University of Houston, as a coach. In the end, he completed the season with 18.4 points and 5.5 assists per game, and then ended his brilliant NBA career.

The sentence "I have given birth to Yu, why did I give birth to Liang" is most appropriate for "glider". In a sense, Drexler was another "victim" of Jordan's reign:

His peak career almost overlapped with Jordan, and there were few personal honors that could be shown. In the most peak season of 91-92, Drexler ranked second on the MVP list, and Michael Jordan ranked first; in the finals that year, they became the last stepping stone for Jordan to reach the top; the only championship trophy was also won by Jordan when he first retired; even after retirement, he collided with Jordan...

But this still cannot stop him from becoming one of the most representative shooting guards of that era.

Mini-game recommendations:Super Billy Boy