Discovering the most unfortunate nba draft picks of the over 20s is a joyous proposition. After all, those missed targets have rocked races, either on the court and at the front offices. Sometimes even franchises themselves have been radically replaced for years.
While some busts met expectations, many of the players discussed struggled due to persistent or significant injuries that torpedoed their bonuses.
What could it have been if those unfortunate customers had strayed from such misfortunes?How could the franchises involved have managed to get away with it and how could it have replaced the league?
Doubts aside, here are the raids of the last 20 years.
Darko Milicic (No. 2 in 2003) and Derrick Williams (No. 2 in 2011)
If you erase the prestige of the draft from the equation, our two honorable mentions can be praised.
Unfortunately, the two lived up to turnover for draft day, but still controlled to mix for 17 years of service, more than 6500 problems and more than 3,500 rebounds. The Memphis Grizzlies even signed Milicic for three years. Loose agent contract for $21 million in 2007.
The ultimate vital explanation for why everyone is related to the dreaded “bust” tag is the list of Hall of Fame members after them.
Milicic directly followed Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The first circular of 2011 featured All-Stars Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic and Jimmy Butler followed Williams.
Imagine if the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons had Melo, Bosh or Wade as their sixth man. Imagine if Kevin Love had been associated with one of Williams’ Kemba, Klay or Kawhi.
Although none have disappeared as dramatically as some of the following, the nature of those lost elections has greatly affected the franchises that have decided on them for years.
Recruited: No. overall in 2000
The Chicago Bulls’ variety earned its prestige in the draft due to his ties to head coach Tim Floyd, who had in the past recruited the 6. 9″ ahead in the state of Iowa, where he served as head coach before taking the vacant position. of Phil Jackson before the lockout, short season in 1998-99.
Fizer was the only cyclone to be a McDonald’s All-American before Lexi Donarksi joined the Iowa State women’s team in 2020. In his final college season, he finished eighth in the country through scores while pushing the Cyclones to the big eight.
With Elton Brand in tow, the Bulls had little area for Fizer, who started only 35 games in six professional seasons. In his third year, Fizer began validating his variety in the five most sensitive, averaging 19. 8 problems and 9. 6 rebounds each. 36 minutes. A torn anterior cruciate ligament towards the end of this season ended its ascent.
“It’s a blow. It’s going to hurt us,” Chief Coach Bill Cartwright said, according to the Washington Post. “Marcus was not only our most productive position player, but he was also a spark coming from the bank. “
After finishing his tenure with the Bulls, Fizer played more games with the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Hornets/Oklahoma City before finishing the rest of his career abroad.
Recruited: No. 2 overall in 2002
The Chicago Bulls were not very lucky in the early 2000s, and a bad draft played in their lack of evolution after Michael Jordan’s departure. They moved Elton Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers for Tyson Chandler’s rights in 2001, sandwiching him. with Marcus Fizer and Eddy Curry.
Jay Williams has been the best complement to a crowded front area. He ruled school basketball in 2001-02, winning the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, AP Player of the Year and Sports News Player of the Year, as well as the award. NABC Player of the Year for the time being consecutive season.
Williams played 75 games in his rookie season and started 54. He scored 20 or more problems in six of the single competitions, adding 26 issues, 14 rebounds, thirteen assists and two steals against the New Jersey Nets in just the seventh game of his career.
“I’m excited about Jay Williams, the way he stepped forward,” Jalen Rose said after the game, via ESPN. “Not only am I satisfied with him; I’m proud of him. It’s hard when you’re one of the most productive and you don’t play the way you know. He really went out and played the game of a lifetime. “
Before the following season, a twist of fate on motorcycle ended his NBA career. Williams remembers shouting “I threw it all away” moments after the twist of fate.
Since then, he has become an ESPN analyst. And although the Bulls played in the playoffs in 11 of the thirteen seasons between 2004-05 and 2016-17, it’s hard not to wonder how far they could have gone if Williams and Fizer had strayed from the injuries.
Recruited: No. 6 overall in 2002
Four spots after Jay Williams’ selection, the Cleveland Cavaliers made Memphis gunman baseman DaJuan Wagner the sixth overall team. He is a legend thanks in component to his 100-point functionality as a senior base at Camden High School.
Wagner enjoyed a notoriety that went beyond his age. Before being selected, the 6’2″ scoring device dined with Ray Lewis, spent time with Allen Iverson and even won through Sports Illustrated.
However, Wagner would show only some of the brilliant skills that have made it a national phenomenon, starting in just 28 NBA games and betting on only 103 in total. in 2005.
According to ESPN’s 30% over John Calipari, the then head coach in Memphis broke Wagner’s purse after a sensational freshman season. Wagner doubted the opportunity to return for his time of year, and Calipari’s movements would possibly have stored millions for him.
LeBron James joined the Cavaliers in 2003. Would James ever have partnered with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the teammates who helped him erase the 3-1 lead from the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals?
Recruited: No. 3 overall in 2006
In what would possibly have been one of the 10 most disappointing categories in recent history, the Charlotte Bobcats decided on Adam Morrison, third-placed, just before Tyrus Thomas and Shelden Williams left the field.
With 926 problems, Morrison led the NCAA in general problems in 2005-06 and tied Allen Iverson at number 24 in highs in a single school basketball season. He filled the basket everywhere, sinking 42. 8% of his three problems as a junior while leading Gonzaga. to a 29-4 record and an appearance in Sweet Sixteen.
Morrison proved promising in his rookie season with the Bobcats, scoring 20 or more problems 12 times, adding a career-high 30 problems in 17 shots opposed to the Indiana Pacers on December 30.
However, after betting 78 games as a rookie, Morrison suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament that replaced his career in the next preseason. He played in just 83 more games while collecting two championship rings as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers after an industry before 2009. Deadline.
Drafted: No. 1 in 2007
Greg Oden was one of the ultimate destructive forces in the recent reminiscence of his only crusade in the state of Ohio. Nicknamed a “one-time player in a decade” through Steve Kerr, he shone with the highest brilliity in a national championship defeat to the Florida Gators. with 25 problems and 12 rebounds.
Despite persistent foot concerns, functionality is enough to ensure a variety of Kevin Durant Hall of Fame members.
“Greg Oden, an apparent selection that takes this team’s perspective to a whole new level,” wrote Jonathan Givony of ESPN for DraftExpress in 2007.
A wrist injury left Oden out during the first component of his school season, but his fortunes deteriorated dramatically once he joined the NBA.
Microfracture surgery prematurely ended its first crusade before it began. During his late rookie season, Oden played in 61 games, a race record for the Portland Trail Blazers. This season, he was out for foot and knee injuries. begins in 2009-10, regardless of luck, failed when the left patella was fractured.
Several knee surgeries prevented Oden for the next three seasons and he played only 23 more NBA games, a member of the Miami Heat in 2013-14.
Oden described himself as the biggest failure in NBA history in ESPN’s Outside the Lines. While his assessment might be a little unfair, his career is among the most unfortunate, given what his ability may also have translated with fewer injuries.
Recruited: No. 8 overall in 2008
Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 20 or more game-consistent issues in six consecutive seasons, and the franchise had a base forged in painting with Andrew Bogut, the first pick in the 2005 draft.
However, a valid goalscorer or a wing risk, the Bucks failed to make a dent in the East Conference, winning more than 40 games once between 2006 and 2014.
Joe Alexander of West Virginia fits the description of an athletic wing with an ideal for the role.
In March 2008, Jonathan Givony, Joseph Treutlein and Joey Whelan of DraftExpress wrote, “We’ve been following West Virginia a lot ahead of Joe Alexander’s progress for the next two seasons, watching him go from a raw, poverty-free athlete to a true NCAA star. “
Alexander’s measurable and athletic jumped off the page and surprised NBA mix scouts when he recorded a 38. 5-inch vertical just below Derrick Rose’s 40-inch jump.
Despite this, the 6’8 wing would play in just 67 games in two seasons with the Bucks and Chicago Bulls. But you blame Alexander, at least not according to him.
“In the end, not being in the NBA is about me, but as far as ” is that a failure?You have to take a look at Milwaukee and the control that selected me. If you need to label with the term ‘failure’, it’s the Bucks,” he told David Pick of Basketball Insiders.
Alexander frustrated by the lack of patience shown in the main office, after all, had only been playing basketball since he was 16 years old and considered it a project.
While other NBA groups have taken a look at Alexander, he has discovered good luck and now plays for Ironi Nahariya in the Israeli Premier League.
Recruited: No. 2 in 2009
After a 24-game winning season, the talented young Memphis Grizzlies made the two-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year the overall pick of the moment in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The long run of the Grizzlies covered in almost every single position. Mike Conley cut as the starting goalie with Hall of Famer Marc Gasol entering his season for now. With Rudy Gay and incoming rookie DeMarre Carroll on the wings, the unit poised to move to the next point and won 40 and 46 games the next two seasons.
However, the 7. 3″ middle that led Connecticut to the Final Four rarely made its presence felt. In just thirteen minutes consistent with the game, Thabeet averaged more than one basket consistent with the game and the maximum recruited player assigned to the G League.
Thabeet has played in five seasons, moving from Memphis to the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons with several G League stops in between.
Like Joe Alexander, Thabeet is not in a position to take the blame alone.
“The Grizzlies abandoned me,” he told David Gardner of Bleacher Report. “You’ve never heard of a number 2 selection that had as few minutes as me or as few opportunities as me. “
Thabeet is one of the few busts without significant injuries due to its failure. The fact that the Grizzlies switched to James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Jrue Holiday to choose him aggravates the situation.
Recruited: No. five overall in 2012
Most enthusiasts and headquarters would never expect to have a selection of the top five in the middle of their first season, but that’s the case with Thomas Robinson, who played only 51 games for the Sacramento Kings and passed out to the Houston Rockets. months after installing the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft.
As a striker for the school, Robinson dazzled, even racking up 30 problems and 21 rebounds in a singles game before leading the Kansas Jayhawks to the national championship game, where they lost to Anthony Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats. Robinson, such a devastating offensive player that Randy Chambers of Bleacher Report even compares him to Blake Griffin before his draft.
This raw athletics he exhibited at school was never transferred to the NBA, where he recovered to six groups in just five seasons without averaging more than six points.
While the lack of one of the five most sensible selections will be disappointing, write only a variety of Robinson before Damian Lillard has to eat among Kings enthusiasts so far.
Recruited: No. 1 in 2013
Anthony Bennett has as many pretensions to be designated as the “biggest bust” in the league like any other. Unlike the other contenders featured in this article, its variety even shocking at the time.
“I want medical help!” Ringer’s Bill Simmons exclaimed live on television when the Cleveland Cavaliers made Bennett the most sensible striker in the overall team of Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter Jr. and Cody Zeller: “Oh my God!”
Bennet’s measurable values and skills during his only season at UNLV gave an idea of what he had just become a transcendent player. His versatility as a goal scorer of all degrees has made him an attractive choice. On either side, he fiercely attacked the basket in his first season and shot well above the league average in 3 2. 7 attempts consistent with the game.
“The challenge with AnthonyArray and we had no way of knowing at the time, the boy had no preference to succeed over adversity,” said David Griffin, vice president of Cavaliers basketball operations at Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. It was hard, he came out. All his life, he came out of bed bigger, bigger and more talented than everyone else. As soon as it was difficult, it’s over. And that self on campus. Unlv. I’m the one who sold the nomenclature and bought it crochet, line and lead.
These are damning words from the executive who is at least partly guilty of having drafted one of the league’s biggest disappointments, despite the absence of a history of significant injuries that would have prevented him from at least bringing something to his four years. Career.
Bennet played one season in Cleveland before being transferred to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the deal he brought back to Kevin Love. He has played 151 games in his career, which has also noticed him dressing up for the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.
Recruited: No. and 8 in general in 2016
The Phoenix Suns deserve to be criticized for one of the worst drafts of the fashion era. With Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe in the back and PJTucker, Tyson Chandler and TJWarren in the front area had a list capable of competing. with the right help.
With two selections in the top 10 in a rich 2016 draft (including one in the post-selection industry with the Sacramento Kings), the Suns may have accelerated their trajectory by deciding on Buddy Hield, Jamal Murray or Domantas Sabonis.
Instead, they’re with 18-year-old Dragan Bender.
As noted through DraftExpress’ Mike Schmitz, who focused much of his selection report on why Bender doesn’t compare to Kristaps Porzingis, pick number four has never been so much a scorer, tire protector or rebounder abroad. phoenix, without averaging more than 6. 5 game-consistent issues in any of them.
Marquese Chriss consistently trained slightly better, betting 70 more games than Bender in his five seasons with the Suns, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. For the Warriors, who won just 15 games in 2019-20, Chriss averaged 9. 3 problems and 6. 2 rebounds in 20. 3 minutes consistent with the game while shooting 54. 5% from the field.
A long-term assignment due to the overdue start of his competitive basketball career, Chriss possessed control, shooting and athletics of a big fashion, where he failed with his physique and defensively.
There may still be time for those two to realize their position in the NBA and look for long-term roles. After all, Chriss is 23 and Bender is still 22.
But even if they realize their potential before it’s too late, it will happen long after the team that picked them in the most sensible 10 abandoned them.
Statistics via NBA. com, Basketball Reference, Cleaning the Glass, BBall Index, and ESPN, unless otherwise noted.
Preston Ellis covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @PrestonEllis.