The players drafted before Steph Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft — Where are they now?

Position: Power forward

College: University of Oklahoma

What was said at the time: "Griffin has some holes. He'll be beat defensively. He isn't the sturdiest in the low post, as he tends to fall to his left or right when he should be jumping straight up for jump hooks. The same glitch hurts his jump shot. He isn't 7-feet tall, either. And that's about it. The guy is a stud." — Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports

Position: Shooting guard

College: Arizona State

What was said at the time: "While I thought the Thunder might be able to use Ricky Rubio as a trade asset, if nothing else, it's hard to fault Sam Presti. Harden is a better fit in the backcourt with Russell Westbrook" — Chad Ford of ESPN.com

All-Star games: 10

All-NBA team: 1st team (six times), 3rd team (one time)

Championships: 0

Where he is now: After being traded to Houston, Harden thrived in the Rockets' offense. He was the 2017-18 MVP and is a two-time scoring champ. However, after a falling out with the Rockets, Harden struggled to fit in with the Nets and now the 76ers.

Position: Shooting guard

College: University of Memphis

What was said at the time: "Evans is a talented guy and one of the most NBA-ready guards in the draft, a terrific, physical slasher who knows how to score ... On the other hand, I think the Kings chose the safest route, picking now over the future. Ricky Rubio was a better fit than Evans, who is a not a point guard." — Chad Ford of ESPN.com

All-Star games: 0

All-NBA team: 0

Championships: 0

Where he is now: Despite all of the other great talents in this draft, it was Evans who won Rookie of the Year. However, after averaging 20.2 points as a rookie, his scoring numbers regressed a bit and he bounced around a bit. After stints with the Pelicans, Kings, and Grizzlies, he last played in the NBA in 2019. He most recently played in the G League with Wisconsin.

Position: Point guard

College: None

What was said at the time: "Processes the game a step ahead of everybody else. Anticipation makes him a prolific distributor and ball thief. Sets up his teammates for easy baskets by leading them to the ball. Creates his own angles to open up passing lanes. Superb ball-handler." — NBA.com.

All-Star games: 0

All-NBA team: 0

Championships: 0

Where he is now: This is where things started to get wonky in the draft. With doubts about whether Stephen Curry could play the point in the NBA, the Timberwolves drafted Rubio, a good passer and solid defender but not a good shooter. On top of that, he spent two more years in Europe before coming to the NBA. After six seasons with the Timberwolves, he was traded to the Jazz. He has since bounced around with several teams, most recently being traded mid-season to the Pacers after just 34 games with the Cavs and then re-signing with the Cavs before the 2022-23 season.

All-Star games:

All-NBA team:

Championships:

Where he is now: The Timberwolves doubled-down on point guards not named Stephen. Flynn was demoted to the D-League mid-way through his second season and hasn't played in the NBA since the 2011-2012 season when he suited up 18 times for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was last seen playing for a team in Italy in 2014. However, that stint lasted just two games as he was released after getting injured.

Position: Point guard

College: Davidson

What was said at the time: "Curry may or may not (rumors lean toward the latter, at this point) be on his way to Phoenix in a deal that would net the Warriors Amar'e Stoudemire. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter that Monta Ellis might be unhappy with Golden State selecting a player with a frame similar to his. If Monta Ellis has enough sway in your organization to call shots, then your organization is shot. Curry can play. Figure the rest out later." — Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports

All-Star games: 8

All-NBA team: 1st team (four times), 2nd team (three times), 3rd team (one time)

Championships: 4

Where he is now: Curry is now one of the greatest basketball players on the planet. He has won two MVP awards and helped lead the Warriors to six NBA Finals and four championships. Curry said during an interview with Bill Simmons that he heard the Timberwolves were afraid to draft him because they were worried that he would be miserable if he couldn't play a lot of golf in the cold northern climate.

Position: Power forward

College: Arizona

What was said at the time: "The fans booed, but Hill is a great value here, a true power forward who is an upgrade from Al Harrington at the position. He's got the ability to become an absolute stud, and at the least should be a poor man's Jermaine O'Neal." — NBADraftNet.com.

All-Star games: 0

All-NBA team: 0

Championships: 0

Where he is now: We include Jordan Hill here because it was believed at the time that the Knicks wanted to draft Stephen Curry and Curry wanted to play for the Knicks. Instead of trading up, the Knicks made the mistake of staying put, only to see Curry go one pick before they were on the board. Hill was later part of the trade that sent Tracy McGrady to the Knicks. Hill later became a good role player off the bench, playing with five teams in eight seasons but never became a regular starter. He last appeared in the NBA in 2017 with the Timberwolves.