The Biggest NBA Draft Busts

By Dan Holmes Contributor Updated: 05 February 2024

Dan Holmes Contributor

Dan Holmes, a content creator and sports betting enthusiast, brings over a decade of experience to Betting.US. His extensive writing background spans from the internet to prestigious roles at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Dan’s articles, featured on numerous websites, cover various sports, from bowling to disc golf.

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Biggest NBA Draft Busts

1. Darko Miličić
2. Sam Bowie
3. Kwame Brown
4. Adam Morrison
5. Lonzo Ball
6. Anthony Bennett
7. Dennis Hopson, Nets
8. Michael Olowokandi
9. Jan Veselý
10. Kris Dunn
References

The NBA Draft is the day when many dreams are realized, as young men are welcomed into the professional ranks to pursue stardom on the hardwood. However, for some teams it’s a nightmare when expectations are not realized. This article ranks the biggest NBA busts, gathering some of the worst choices by basketball teams. Our No. 1 is the biggest bust in NBA history, a distinction no baller wants to have.

1. Darko Miličić

When you discuss NBA draft busts you have to start with the second overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, Darko Miličić. The Serbian-born big man, a center standing 7-feet tall, was a sandwich pick by the Detroit Pistons at No. 2, directly after Lebron James, and before Carmelo Anthony. Also picked shortly after were Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

All four of those picks (James, Anthony, Wade, Bosh) are going to have their names in the Basketball Hall of Fame. And while the Pistons and general manager Joe Dumars couldn’t have had James at No. 2, they could have had any of those other hoop legends. Instead, he got the biggest bust in NBA history.

Dumars, a Hall of Fame guard who won two NBA titles with the Pistons, was a clever player, but his judgment on this draft class was misguided. Years later, with many European players starring in the league, we can see why Dumars may have become enamored with a Serbian star. But, Miličić was never comfortable in the league, and didn’t possess the athleticism or savviness to compete in the best basketball league in the world.

Though he lasted 10 seasons in the NBA, Miličić basically survived because he was 84 inches tall. But just because you can reach the cookies, doesn’t mean you’re a baker. Only twice did he start as many as 50 games in a season, and he spent parts of just three seasons in Detroit ^[1], averaging 1.6 points per game.

2. Sam Bowie

NBA draft busts have been around a while, even as far back as the 1984 Draft when the Portland Trail Blazers chose Sam Bowie as the No. 2 selection. Like Miličić, Bowie was a big man (7’1), and the 1980s were a time when big men were coveted in the Association. He actually earned a spot on the 1984-85 NBA All-Rookie team.

However, the problem was one of his teammates on that group: Michael Jordan ^[2]. Jordan was picked third by the Chicago Bulls, one selection after Bowie. All he did was transform Chicago, capture 10 scoring titles, and win six NBA titles. Jordan’s legacy led directly to the explosive growth of the NBA internationally, and helped online betting on the NBA become popular too.

Meanwhile, Big Sam suffered numerous injuries. In season two, he broke his leg and missed much of the schedule. The next year, Bowie appeared in only five games. He played for three teams and never fulfilled the expectation of making his team champions.

3. Kwame Brown

Some would argue that Kwame Brown is the biggest bust in NBA history, and they may be right. But, the fact that there were lesser talents picked around him, keeps him at this spot on our list. The most noted players the Washington Wizards could have had instead of Brown were Tyson Chandler and Pau Gasol.

Experts tried to tell Wizards team president Michael Jordan that Brown was “not ready for prime time”, but the former MVP didn’t listen prior to the 2001 Draft. Instead, he made Kwamethe first No. 1 overall pick to be chosen straight out of high school, which turned out to be a mistake.

At 18 years of age, Brown was not emotionally ready for the NBA. Even more crucially, Brown couldn’t handle the elevated and physical play that exists with the big bodies and grown ups who make up the NBA. The 6’11 Brown averaged a meager 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a rookie.

How much of a bust was Brown? It extended to his own financial decisions. After his third season, and having averaged 7.9 PPG in 22 minutes, he rejected a three-year, $30 million contract from the Wizards ^[3]. Instead, he was traded to the Lakers, where he had some success, but never sustained it, and bounced to six teams to wind down his disappointing career.

4. Adam Morrison

Here’s our third consecutive player who has ties to Michael Jordan. What is it about His Airness and NBA draft busts? In the 2006 NBA draft, Jordan made another shopping mistake as chief basketball brain for the Charlotte Bobcats. This time, he plucked Morrison at No. 3 from Gonzaga, where the floppy-haired swingman had a notable career as a frenzied scorer.

As a rookie with the Bobcats, Morrison lost his starting job because he couldn’t defend NBA players. His shooting range also came into question. The following preseason he tore his ACL and required surgery. The whispers of “NBA draft bust” start to increase in volume. When he returned to Charlotte for the 2008 season, Morrison seemed slow and ineffective.

He averaged four points in 15 minutes per game before being traded to the Lakers ^[4]. In Hollywood, Morrison pouted and hardly played, but won two rings as a bench player (getting into just 39 games in two seasons wearing the yellow-and-purple). By 2011 he was playing professionally in Serbia. In all, Morrison played 161 NBA games and averaged 7.5 PPG.

5. Lonzo Ball

Just because you have a public relations team working hard to make you a household name doesn’t mean you can’t be an NBA draft bust. That’s the story of Lonzo Ball, picked second overall by the Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Teams could be forgiven for buying into the Ball hype – the point guard was named national high school player of the year. But the Lakers overreacted and pinned their future hopes for the franchise on the spindly, bad-shooting baller.

LA Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson called Lonzo “the new face of the Lakers” ^[5]. If so, that face was U-G-L-Y. In two seasons as a Laker, Ball averaged 10 points and missed more than 100 games with injuries, as the team failed to make the playoffs each year. That earned a trade to the Pelicans.

Most troubling about Ball was his overbearing publicity-hound father, LaVar, who launched Big Baller Brand to exploit his sons and their athletic careers. Lonzo never turned out to be the “revolutionary NBA player” his dad predicted he would be. And just like the $495 Baller Brand sneakers worn by Lonzo, the player was overrated.

6. Anthony Bennett

Anthony Bennett was picked as the 2013 No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Another big man (power forward) expected to transform the league, Bennett fizzled. He played only four seasons and 151 games, averaging 4.4 PPG. He was an ex-NBA player by the age of 23.

7. Dennis Hopson, Nets

The New Jersey Nets made Hopson the No. 3 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, following his stellar career as a shooting guard at Ohio State. However, despite a beautiful-looking jump shot, Hopson was a bust in the NBA. In five seasons, he only played as many as 70 games twice, and this was long before load management.

When Hopson was off the court, it was because he was dinged up. He also had numerous contract squabbles with his many pro teams. He bolted the NBA and went to Europe and later the Middle East to play professionally.

For Nets fans that wasn’t far enough away to remove the sting of his NBA draft bust status. It didn’t help that Scottie Pippen was taken two picks after Hopson, and Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson were also selected later in the first round of that 1987 NBA Draft.

8. Michael Olowokandi

The Los Angeles Clippers could have had Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, or Vince Carter in the 1998 NBA Draft. Instead they inexplicably selected Olowokandi, who was born in NIgeria, played high school ball in England, and college ball at the University of Pacific. This draft bust was a trainwreck of epic proportions.

Another 7-footer on our list, Olowokandi had one skill – being tall. He was never even a very good rebounder for an athlete his size, and the Clippers gave up on him after five seasons where he averaged 9.9 PPG. In the NBA, “The Kandi Man” was more like “Sugar Free Mike”.

9. Jan Veselý

A trend is starting to appear on this draft bust rankings list – often it’’s big centers and/or foreign born players who fail to pan out after being picked high in the NBA Draft. Veselý was a 7’0 Czech professional hooper, selected sixth overall by the Wizards in the 2011 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG for Washington in three seasons. He was finished in the NBA by the age of 23.

10. Kris Dunn

Our 10th NBA Draft bust of all-time is Dunn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. How bad did it go for Dunn? He was “Dunn” in Minnesota after one disappointing season (3.8 PPG on 37.7% shooting as a shooting guard).

Want a few more NBA draft busts that are all-time duds? How about center Greg Oden, picked No. 1 overall in 2007, with Kevin Durant picked immediately after him. Then you have the Phoenix Suns, who picked Dragan Bender (No. 4 in 2016, from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Josh Jackson (4th overall in 2017 NBA Draft) in the first round in consecutive years. Neither panned out as planned.

References

(February 16, 2006), N.B.A. ROUNDUP; Pistons Give Up on Milicic, Dealing Him to Magic, The New York Times, Retrieved January 15, 2024
Michael Jordan, Wikipedia, Retrieved January 15, 2024
Lee, Michael, (May 4, 2005), Wizards Suspend Kwame Brown, The Washington Post, Retrieved January 15, 2024
Fuller, Thomas, and Hughes, Rob, (September 1, 2008), Lakers Acquire Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic, The Official Site of the NBA, Retrieved January 15, 2024
Oram, Bill, (September 11, 2017), Busy Lonzo Ball prepares for first training camp as new face of Lakers, Daily Bulletin, Retrieved January 15, 2024