I’m a fairly new NBA fan so obviously I didn’t follow the league when these guys got drafted. But I’ve done reading up on it and Anthony Bennett, Greg Oden, and Darko Milicic are the three that probably come most readily to mind when I think about this question.
My question is who are some of the sneaky draft busts? The guys you consider huge busts that don’t really get talked about as much when this question comes up. I’d love to hear about some of those guys and learn some more about NBA history.
Danny Ferry
The 2009 Wolves.
I feel like the focus has always been on them passing on Steph even though they had the #5 and #6 overall picks despite drafting PGs with the #5 and #6 pick.
Steph still went #7 overall. Higher than Joker or Giannis or Kobe or Kawhi went. Sometimes talent is just missed.
So, retroactively, of course passing on Steph was stupid.
But, in real-time, WHAT THE FUCK WAS MINNESOTA DOING?!?!?
They drafted a 6’2 PG. #5 overall. Solves a position for a bad team. I’d get any team then not wanting to draft Steph at that point (a tiny PG that plays the same position they just spent the #5 overall pick on.) Again, not talking retroactively. At that time, if MIN thought Rubio was a better prospect than Steph, then the pick made sense.
What does Minnesota do next? SELECT A 6’0 PG!!!
He was such a forgettable bust that you didn’t mention his name, Jonny Flynn.
Oh, I knew/know his name.
Was just pointing out the colossal clusterfuck the Wolves had that draft.
I don’t care if the next player taken was Seth Curry. Or a bowl of curry sauce. Drafting a 6’2 PG and then selecting a 6’0 PG with literally the next pick may be the dumbest thing in U.S. sports history.
Would also be the only possible explanation as to why Minnesota traded five firsts for RUDY FUCKING GOBERT!!! Maybe they are outthinking everyone. Can’t make historically draft decisions if you don’t have draft picks.
Since you are a new fan, you likely missed all the shit those guys have gotten, but they’ve been been shit on proper.
Anthony Bennett: He gets a bit of a pass because nobody had him going number one and it was a legit shock when the Cavs picked him. I think the belief was that the Cavs simply picked a bad player so it was more about the Cavs being awful than it was about Bennett being bad.
Greg Oden: He gets a pass from most (justifiably) because of injuries.
Darko: This guy got shit on a LOT. But if there is a pass here it is because he was drafted after LeBron and not before him, and he was drafted more on potential the readiness.
Along the same lines, Kwame Brown got shit on a lot, as did Thabeet. You might not hear about them much if you are a new fan because there is no sense beating a dead horse.
As for guys who never really got shit on despite being high picks, I’d say that Kenyon Martin comes to mind, he did manage an All-Star appearance (still shrugging my shoulders on that one) but he was more of a quality starter who was more about rebounding and defence, but he never even averaged a double-double. Frankly speaking, he was a poor man’s Horace Grant. Don’t get me wrong: He was a good player.
But he was also the #1 pick. But it was a shitty draft and just about nobody really panned out there other than Michael Redd. Some good roation players/starters, sure, but nobody that was swinging the balance of power in the NBA.
I’d say that Andrea Barngani also gets a pass, but the first overall pick was a toss up that year. I remember the Raptors shopping that pick in a trade and not getting any bites.
The Clippers drafted the Candy Man, Michael OlolowoKandi, and he wasn’t terribly good. He got drafted ahead of Dirk, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Antwan Jamison, and Rashard Lewis. But when you get drafted by the Clippers, people just assume you are doomed for failure… at least that’s how people saw it back then, though I don’t think it was on a lot of people’s radar.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili
might be one of the worst players ever selected at 5
Anthony Bennett, Number 1 overall pick 2013 and averaged less than 5 points in his 4 NBA seasons.
Sam Bowie, 2nd player selected overall the year he was drafted. Pick number 3 was wait for it, Micheal Jordan. If all you did was compare stats between him and MJ during their last season in college plus add in Sam was a 7 footer and Portland already had Clyde Drexler, at the time it seemed like the right choice to make.
Honestly there are none bc this sub is so quick to call everyone a bust
LaRue Martin. Was picked right ahead of MVP Bob McAdoo as well, when everyone else in basketball assumed McAdoo was a sure thing number one pick
Man, the Timberwolves have no luck in the draft. Other than Kevin Garnett their high draft picks always flame out. Even though KAT and Edwards have looked good, it looks like they’re gonna struggle to get anywhere in the playoffs with them.
Emmanuel Mudiay
Derrick Williams, 2nd overall pick in 2011
Jarrett Culver. 6th overall pick that was in the G league within 3 seasons
The number of athletic two way wings that never pan out is scary. All because Kawhi turned out the way he did, guys like Culver, Knox, and Reddish are drafted highly. Even ones that are still in the league aren’t even close to Kawhi level, like Patrick Williams, Zaire Williams, Josh Green.
am i missing something ? i kno Cam Reddish ain’t a PREMIER player but is he not at least solid ? genuinely curious btw, haven’t really watched him ball
I mean, Kawhi has been the best player on a championship team, almost nobody is actually on his level.
The fact that we traded Dario Saric and pick 11 to move up to try to get Garland and landed on Culver. Gersson really f’d that chase.
Meanwhile, had we sat at 11:
- Cam Johnson
- PJ Washington
- Tyler Herro
Dante Exum was taken 5th in a supposedly deep draft. Injuries and other things kept him from being even semi good.
Thabeet. Everyone clowns on the Wolves for drafting Rubio and Flynn over Curry, but at least Rubio is still in the league and Flynn had a devastating injury.
Thabeet was the same year and he was taken 2nd overall over Harden, Curry, Tyreek Evans, DeRozen and Jrue Holiday.
Okafor, Mudiay, Hezonja, Bender, Chriss, Maker, Shabazz Muhammad, Stauskas, Nonleh, Thomas Robinson
The Vesely pick set back our rebuild
Olowokandi
Ellison.