Which NBA Team Picked These Draft Busts?
- by D_Lamoureux
- – on
- in Sports
For teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs, the Draft can be the most exciting part of the entire basketball year. This could be the day a team drafts their next legendary player. Or, it could be the day when they royally screw up their pick, only to see the team behind them pick a future All-Star. Busts happen every year. They're almost as common as good draft picks.
There is no steadfast formula for determining if a pick is, or isn't a bust. Sometimes it's obvious, when a player with lots of hype coming into the draft gets picked first, but doesn't live up to the expectations set for him. Other times it isn't. Like when a player gets picked higher than they maybe should have gone, and get expectations put on them that never should have. And then there's injuries. Some of these teams picked the correct player, but got unlucky in that they couldn't reach their potential due to injuries. And then there's the most likely one, when a team drafts a player based on their athleticism and potential, only to find out their athleticism was the only reason they were good in college, and they'll never come close to achieving their potential.
Some franchises have been plagued with picking busts much more than others. The Clippers are almost famous for not being able to make a good draft pick, although other franchises have shown their incompetence in recent years.
Which team drafted Kwame Brown?
Kwame Brown was drafted first overall in 2001. In 2008, this is ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith's thoughts on his game. “The man cannot play the game of basketball. He has small hands, he can’t catch the ball. He’s got bad feet, he can’t really move. Even though he’s mobile, doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Doesn’t have a post-move that he puts to memory and can do two times in a row. He has no game whatsoever. Plays no defense. Doesn’t have the heart, the passion, or anything that comes with it…” I have nothing to add.
Which team drafted Anthony Bennett?
Anthony Bennett didn’t ask to be the #1 overall pick when he declared for the 2013 Draft after his freshman season. He wasn’t expected to go there either. But with the first pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him to join Kyrie Irving and the Post-LeBron Cavs. While two-thirds of #1 overall picks reach 10 points in their first NBA game, it took Bennett 33 games to reach double-digits. He and fellow Canadian #1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins were traded to Minnesota in 2014 for Kevin Love. After spells with Toronto and Brooklyn, he took his talents to Turkey in 2017.
Which team drafted Michael Olowokandi?
No two ways about it, Olowokandi is a certified bust. He was drafted first overall in 1998 as a 7’0” athletic center. He was an athletic 7-footer, but he wasn’t an NBA-level basketball player. Despite averaging over 20 ppg in the NCAA, he gave the team that drafted him just 9.9 ppg in his five years with them, before he moved on to Minnesota in free agency. The “Kandi Man” would be a decent option for rebounding and blocking shots, but not what the Clippers wanted out of the #1 pick when they could have had Dirk Nowitzki.
Which team drafted Rafael Araujo?
Araujo was picked #8 in the 2004 NBA Draft. That isn’t as high as most players in this draft, which means he must have been exceptionally bad. He was. “Hoffa” only played three seasons in the NBA, all with the team that drafted him. His average game was 11.4 minutes played, three points, three rebounds, two fouls, and a turnover. I’d say he was invisible out there, but because of how high he got picked, he was noticeably terrible. Araujo was selected ahead of Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, and J.R. Smith.
Which team drafted Darko Milicic?
Darko Milicic is one of the more frustrating bust stories. This team obtained the number two overall pick in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies six years prior. By this time, they were a team looking for a piece to help them challenge for the NBA Title. After LeBron James was selected first, they had Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony to choose from. They picked Darko Milicic. While they’d end up winning the NBA Championship anyway, the team returned to mediocrity soon after. The NBA would be so much different if this team got a star.
Which team drafted Greg Oden?
Greg Oden is another case of a big man (in this case, huge) whose career was lost due to injuries. Oden was selected first overall in 2007, expected to be the player to rejuvenate the franchise he was drafted to. Kevin Durant was picked second, a player who did transform both franchises he’s played for. Oden was a 7’2”, 275 lbs monster with athleticism. Unfortunately, he grew at a rate that wasn’t sustainable for his joints. Oden was plagued by injuries, and then the cycle of painkillers that came with them. He'd play just 66 games in six NBA seasons.
Which team drafted Andrea Bargnani?
Andrea Bargnani was this franchise’s first ever first overall draft pick. It's an understatement to say the fans had high expectations. The Italian 7-footer could never compete with the strength of NBA centers. The frustration with Bargs reached its peak when head coach Sam Mitchell brought up his stats in a post-game scrum, saying “We had a guy with a stat line: Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero.” When it was clear he wasn't the player they were looking for, they shipped him to New York for some draft picks. This trade was considered one of the franchise’s best ever transactions.
Which team drafted Adam Morrison?
Everyone remembers Adam Morrison in college, his run with Gonzaga to the Sweet Sixteen before getting his heart crushed by UCLA, and crying on the court in response to the loss. His NBA career was very forgettable. He was selected third overall, averaging 8 ppg in two seasons with the team that drafted him. He then moved to another team, and despite averaging just 2 ppg there, he got his hands on two NBA Championship rings. This is why you should never use only number of championships to compare players.
Which team drafted Darius Miles?
Darius Miles declared for the NBA draft while he was a senior in high school, back when they let you do that kind of thing. Miles probably would have benefitted from some more time preparing for the NBA. After a rough season and a half with the team that drafted him, he was sent to Cleveland. He was once again traded to Portland, where he feuded with his coach Maurice Cheeks. Just as Miles’ stats began to improve, he got badly injured, and wouldn’t play meaningful minutes in the NBA ever again.
Which team drafted Marcus Fizer?
Marcus Fizer was the #4 overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. That mean he was picked ahead of… well... the draft wasn’t that good. That doesn’t absolve Fizer from his title as a “draft bust.” No matter what draft you’re in, a top five pick should be able to start more than 35 games in their career. Even when he was getting solid minutes, Fizer never shot the ball well, and had more turnovers than assists. At least when Jamal Crawford (The 8th pick in 2000) comes off the bench he has some sort of impact.
Which team drafted Michael Beasley?
Michael Beasley was taken second overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. The team that drafted him traded him for draft picks and cap space after two seasons. There, he had the best year of his career, and still didn’t get resigned. He then underperformed for the next team that signed him, went back to the team that drafted him, made the Finals, failed to get a contract, signed in China, came back to the NBA, signed in China again, then came back again, got signed, traded, released and signed by the New York Knicks, where he plays today.
Which team drafted Stromile Swift?
Along with having one of the greatest names in sports, Stromile Swift was one of the top prospects in the 2000 NBA Draft. It wasn’t one of the better draft classes, but he was one of the top prospects. The 6’10” PF/C was taken second overall that year. In his second season Swift got to participate in the NBA Dunk Contest. That’s really the most relevant he would get. Swift bounced around NBA teams throughout his career, playing in five cities in nine seasons, averaging double-digit points in just two of those years.
Which team drafted Shawn Bradley?
Shawn Bradley really only had one thing going for him in basketball: Height. Bradley stood a gigantic 7’6” tall, a definite bonus on the court. He used his length to lead the NCAA in blocks during the one year he was there, which he followed up with two years in Australia on a church mission. Instead of returning to BYU, he declared for the draft. A wise decision. Bradley was selected 2nd overall, earning himself much more money than he would’ve gotten had the team realized his height was less effective in an NBA with players much stronger than Bradley.
Which team drafted Sam Bowie?
Sam Bowie might go down as one of the worst draft picks ever. Once again, this has a lot to do with who was drafted after him. In the 1984 draft, Bowie was picked second behind Hakeem Olajuwon, a Hall of Famer. Pick number three was Michael Jordan. No explanation necessary. Bowie would average 10.9 ppg, and 7.5 rpg, similar numbers to #4 overall pick Sam Perkins. Pekins avoids the bust label only because he was drafted behind Jordan. Bowie was not as lucky.
Which team drafted Hasheem Thabeet?
Hasheem Thabeet was a highly touted prospect coming out of the University of Connecticut in 2009. He stood an insane 7’3” tall, and had better mobility than you would expect someone his size to have. Averaging 16 ppg in college, Thabeet was taken with the second overall pick more because of his measurables than his basketball skill. That would prove to be a mistake. Thabeet carries career averages of 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. These abysmal stats make him one of the worst draft busts ever.
Which team drafted Wesley Johnson?
Wesley Johnson was the #4 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and he has come nowhere near justifying that high of a pick. Johnson is another player on this list that has bounced from team to team, partly because of the perception of a top pick. Four teams now have tried to tap into Johnson’s potential, so far none have. Johnson remains a defensive wing with below-average offensive skill. With that skillset, he should have been a second-rounder, not fourth overall.
Which team drafted Nikoloz Tskitishvili?
With the 5th pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, this team could have taken Kenyon Martin, A’mare Stoudamire, or even Caron Butler. Instead they took Nikoloz Tskitishvili, a 7’0” PF/C from Georgia. Not the Georgia that Atlanta is in, where people play basketball regularly. The Georgia that borders Russia. Nikoloz didn’t adjust to the American style of basketball very well. He moved back to Europe to play basketball after just four NBA seasons, leaving with career averages of 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, and 0.7 apg.
Which team drafted Jonny Flynn?
There were four point guards drafted in the top 10 of the 2009 NBA Draft. The first was Ricky Rubio, who went #5. Rubio isn’t the best, but he’s averaging 11 points and 9 assists as a starting point guard. Not a bust. Jonny Flynn was the next pick. A short, yet explosive guard from Syracuse. He was a bust. Flynn started 81 games in his rookie season, then nine the rest of his career. By 2012, Flynn was playing overseas. The 7th is really what makes that one look bad. Steph Curry, a two-time NBA Champion and League MVP does.
Which team drafted Tyrus Thomas?
Tyrus Thomas was the 4th player taken in the 2006 NBA Draft. Thomas spent three and a half seasons with the team that drafted him, but never became the type of player they thought he would. Thomas was a strong, athletic 6’9” forward, but he couldn’t put together the scoring game that would justify such a high pick being used on him. Despite starting for a third of a season in Charlotte, his production dipped to just 5 ppg, and was relocated back to the bench. He currently plays for Eisbären Bremerhaven of the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany.
Which team drafted Thomas Robinson?
There are some big-time players in the 2012 NBA Draft who were taken after Thomas Robinson. Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes, and Andre Drummond, who were all taken in the top 10, come to mind. There was also Draymond Green, but everyone missed on him. Robinson carries career averages of 4.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. In a relatively weak class, he himself was a very weak pick. Robinson has played for six teams now in five seasons since he was drafted.
Which team drafted DaJuan Wagner?
DaJuan Wagner grew up a legend in New Jersey. At his high school in Camden, where his father also played, he scored 3,400 points in his career, and averaged 42 ppg in his senior year. He continued to excel at Memphis under John Calipari, and was drafted sixth overall in 2002. After a decent rookie season, he began his career descent. He struggled with injuries, then missed a full season after undergoing surgery to get his colon removed because of colitis. He’d play just one NBA game after the surgery.
Which team drafted Jay Williams?
Jay WIlliams is one of the more heartbreaking stories here. Williams was a star at Duke. Stars at Duke get drafted high, which he did. Williams was picked third overall in 2002, one selection behind Yao Ming. In June 2003, after a moderately successful rookie season, Williams was in a motorcycle accident that severed a main nerve in his leg, fractured his pelvis and dislocated three ligaments in his left knee. Williams now works with ESPN as an NBA analyst.
Which team drafted Jonathan Bender?
Jonathan Bender was another player on this list drafted straight out of high school. Even though he had a verbal commitment with MIssissippi State, he was taken with the 5th pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and promptly traded to the Indiana Pacers for a 31 year-old Antonio Davis. Unfortunately for the Indiana Pacers, a 35 year-old Davis would have been better than Bender, and Bender might have been better off getting a degree. He peaked in 2002 with 7.4 ppg in 21 mpg.
Which team drafted Danny Ferry?
Danny Ferry was a terrible, awful, no good, very bad pick for the team with the #2 selection in the NBA Draft. Ferry made it very clear he didn’t want to play for the franchise. He did this by jumping on a plane to Italy and play a year for a pro team there. Luckily for him, Ferry had a great season, and he came back to the NBA once his rights were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. There, he carved out a decent career, but still not up to the expectations of a #2 pick.
Which team drafted Jan Vesely?
Jan Vesely was yet another tall, European player that was drafted much higher than they should have been. Vesely was taken 6th overall in 2011 for his potential as a seven-footer that could shoot. Unfortunately, he couldn’t shoot in the NBA. Vesely’s first season was mediocre for a rookie: four points, four rebounds in 18 minutes of action. His second year was complete garbage. Vesely was down to two points and two rebounds per game, and finished the year shooting free throws at a 31% rate. His NBA career lasted just three seasons.
Which team drafted Jon Koncak?
Joe Kleine wasn’t the only bad pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. The only reason all three of Malone, Dumars, and Mullin were still on the board at #6 is because Jon Koncak was picked #5. Koncak’s career was eerily similar to Kleine’s. Also a centre, Koncak played slightly more minutes than Kleine, but retired with almost identical ppg and rpg numbers. His nickname “Jon Contract” suggests he was fortunate to get paid to play basketball as long as he did.
Which team drafted Pervis Ellison?
In college, Pervis Ellison’s stellar play as the University of Louisville’s center earned him the nickname ‘Never Nervous Pervis.’ In the NBA, his struggles with injuries earned him the nickname ‘Never in Service Pervis.’ Pervis only ever started over 50 games in one season during his career. He had a few good seasons, scoring 20 ppg once for the Washington Bullets. But it’s not enough to keep him from being a bust. That’s not what this team hoped they’d get when they took Ellison with the very first pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.
Which team drafted Joe Barry Carroll?
If you look at his stats, Joe Barry Carroll isn’t a bust. His relationship with the team is what gets him on this list. After being drafted #1 in 1977, he had a contract dispute with his team that resulted in him playing in Italy. Upon his return, the team made him their highest-paid player ever. Although he was good, he wasn’t a franchise-saver. Fans grew tired of his attempts to leave, while watching other teams win the NBA title with their top draft picks. While Carroll himself was good, you can’t say the draft pick was.
Which team drafted Tractor Traylor?
Robert Traylor was an absolute force at Michigan. The big man earned the nickname ‘Tractor Traylor’ by gobbling up 10 rpg to go with 16 ppg in his junior year at Michigan, before forgoing his senior year to enter the draft. His draft day was interesting. He was picked 6th overall, and even for a 6th overall pick, his numbers in the league weren’t good. He averaged 4.8 ppg and 3.7 rpg for his career. The team that drafted him did really well the pick, however. How? They traded him for Dirk Nowitzki on draft day.
Which team drafted Billy Owens?
Billy Owens was drafted #3 in 1991. He averaged 11.7 ppg in his career, which is very good. However, it’s not as good as the career Dikembe Mutombo had, who was selected with the pick that followed Owens. Mutombo would go on to play in an NBA Finals, eight All-Star Games, star in commercials, and get voted NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year four times. As for Owens, being named to the All-Rookie Team was the only NBA accolade he would receive.
Which team drafted Chris Washburn?
Washburn had question-marks surrounding him ever since high school. His marks were terrible, and scouts didn’t think he had the work-ethic to make it among the nation’s best. He proved the critics wrong while he was at N.C. State, but that’s about it. After being taken 3rd overall in 1986 by this bay area team, he started just two games in two seasons. Washburn was then issued a lifetime ban from the NBA for three failed drug tests in three years. Washburn spent time homeless before finally kicking his drug habit.
Which team drafted Kent Benson?
Kent Benson was a part of Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers teams of the 1970’s. For his work in the Big Ten, and helping Indiana to a National Title, he became the #1 overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. It sure was a long time ago. Benson is one of basketball’s first draft busts. In 10 seasons as an NBA centre, Benson was never a dominant force on offense, defense, or rebounding. The team that drafted him let him go after less than two full seasons.
Which team drafted LaRue Martin?
LaRue Martin is another #1 overall pick thatturns out to be a tragic bust. He may not be as well known as some of the others, but he was just as bad. Martin was picked first in 1972, ahead of “Dr. J” Julius Erving, and Bob McAdoo. Martin’s career was pretty dreadful. The 208-pound centre lasted just four NBA seasons with the team that drafted him. He scored seven points and five rebounds per game in his best statistical season.
Which team drafted Dennis Hopson?
Dennis Hopson was drafted third overall in 1987. Two picks ahead of Scottie Pippen, three picks ahead of Kenny Smith, four picks ahead of Kevin Johnson, and ahead of Reggie Miller, Reggie Lewis, Mark Jackson, Horace Grant and Muggsy Bogues. If you know who all those good players got drafted by, you’ll now have an easier time answering who picked Dennis Hopson. It took just five years in the NBA for Hopson to move to Spain and play professional basketball in Saragosa.
Which team drafted Joe Kleine?
It’s hard to see why Joe Kleine went as high in the 1985 draft. With Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, and Chris Mullin all still on the board at #6, this team took Joe Kleine. Kleine would carve out a role for himself, staying in the NBA until he was 38 years old. It’s hard to tell what that role was from looking at his stats. Kleine played less than 20 mpg for seven NBA teams, retiring with a ppg average of 4.