The talent of these six individuals was considered far superior to the other rookies, making them six players that simply couldn't be missed in this year's draft, all certain to be selected in the top six spots.
As for Kobe, because of the changes Roger brought, most people viewed him as the player closest to the superstar rookie group in this year's draft.
Firstly, Roger had proven that a high school guard could succeed in the NBA, and secondly, the one-on-one challenge between Kobe and Jerry Stackhouse sparked by Roger last year had made Kobe's name well known.
This led to Kobe's predicted draft position remaining high even though he did not perform spectacularly at the recently concluded McDonald's All-American Game, where he was overshadowed by players like O'Neal, Tim Thomas, and Mike Miller.
Therefore, the Lakers needed at least a seventh draft pick to get Kobe, not the thirteenth pick they historically had.
