Denver Nuggets: 15 best draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Before coming to the Nuggets as the No. 8 overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, point guard Mark Macon was a standout floor general for the Temple Owls of the Atlantic 10. He was first-team All-Atlantic 10 all four years at Temple, earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1989 and second-team All-American in 1988.
Macon was off to a fast start in the NBA, but it wasn’t as fruitful of a career as Denver had expected out of him. He would make the NBA All-Rookie second team in 1991-92. That year saw him average 10.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 30.3 minutes per contest. After his rookie season with the Nuggets, Macon would never average 10.0 points per game in a season.
Beginning in his sophomore year in the league, Macon would see his playing time diminish. By the time it was his third year in the league, he was coming off the bench. In November 1993, Macon and small forward Marcus Liberty would be traded to the Detroit Pistons for Alvin Robertson and a 1995 second-round pick.
Macon would play a total of six NBA seasons over eight seasons before playing overseas. He would retire from playing in 2001. Macon would spend most of last decade as a coach, eventually becoming the head coach of the Binghamton Bearcats. In two-plus seasons with the Nuggets, Macon averaged 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 27.3 minutes per contest.