The luckiest three from the 2001 class were probably Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, and Arenas.
Richard Jefferson ran into Kidd and was fed to average 20 points per game, resulting in a big contract; Tony Parker went to a team that could quickly showcase his talents; Arenas was fast and escaped the Warriors' quagmire early on.
When Zhang Yang saw these names from the 2001 class, he exclaimed, "Damn, was the draft class this explosive?" He vaguely remembered that Okur and Joe Johnson were also from the 2001 class. Isn't that nearly as good as the 2003 class?
…
The leisure time of two days quickly passed, and by the evening of the 25th, Zhang Yang and his parents watched two Christmas Day games.
The Pistons thrashed the Spurs 85 to 70, and after 27 games into the early season, they had a record of 24 wins and 3 losses, tying the 99-00 Lakers' performance.
The Pistons were rated as the most stunning team of the season.