Greg Monroe is the best player ever to accept a qualifying offer.
After a two-game suspension, the Pistons big man will begin his quest to prove he made the right choice when Detroit hosts the Nets tomorrow.
I ranked every first-round pick since the NBA enacted the rookie scale by win shares through their first four seasons. Monroe, who placed No. 38, is – by far – the best player to accept the qualifying offer. Ben Gordon, who ranked No. 51, is the only other player in the top 100 to accept the qualifying offer.
Here’s the top 100, ordered by win shares, colored by contract type with the height of the bars representing the total dollar amount of their first post-rookie-contract deal:
You can read more of my thoughts on Monroe’s big risk at ProBasketballTalk.