So your team has a high draft pick, huh? That doesn’t mean you are safe from picking a player who is destined for perpetual mediocrity or worse. We’ve found the worst draft picks made at each spot in the lottery from the past decade (this isn’t an all-time list – you don’t need to remind me about Sam Bowie). You’re about to witness a heaping dose of untapped potential, career-hindering injuries and bad draft decisions. This could be painful.
1st Pick: Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards, 2001
Back when drafting players straight out of high school was all the rage, the Wizards fell in love with Kwame Brown’s size and athleticism. Team president Michael Jordan was enamored with the determination that Brown exhibited in a one-on-one workout pitted against fellow rookie Tyson Chandler. In that workout, Brown would tell Jordan “If you draft me first, I’ll never disappoint you.” In Brown’s nine seasons in the NBA, he has only averaged more than 10 points per game one year, and has never emerged as anything more than a role player. I think it’s fair to say that Brown has been disappointing.
2010 1st Pick: Washington Wizards
2nd Pick: Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons, 2003
Detroit’s pick of Darko Milicic was particularly bad, especially when considering what other players were still on the board – including Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Milicic was buried behind a solid Pistons front line that featured Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace in their primes. Early in his career, the only time Milicic entered the game was when it was nearly decided, earning him the nickname of the “human victory cigar”. Milicic has been a disgruntled player for much of his career, always unpleased with his role, the system he is in, or the lack of playing time he is receiving. It is expected that Milicic will return to Europe next season.
2010 2nd Pick: Philadelphia 76ers
3rd Pick: Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats, 2006
Adam Morrison got the reputation of a fiery competitor while in college at Gonzaga. While he wouldn’t beat you with his athleticism, he would beat you with his sweet jumpshot and will to win. While he was fairly productive in his rookie campaign, averaging nearly 12 ppg, his poor shooting percentage led him to a reserve role in his second year. The Bobcats decided to cut their losses and trade Morrison to the Lakers mid-way through his second year, but an ACL tear in his second year seriously derailed his early career. Morrison has never found any significant playing time as a member of the Lakers, but has two NBA championships to show for along with his career field-goal percentage of 37%.
2010 3rd Pick: New Jersey Nets
4th Pick: Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls, 2001
If you asked me to make this list four years ago, Eddy Curry wouldn’t have been on it. Curry had a fairly productive beginning to his career, producing double-digit scoring averages in the six seasons following his rookie year. But my how he has fell off. Amidst weight gain, knee surgeries, calf strains, and debt problems (despite having a $60 million contract) Curry has been limited to just ten games in the past two seasons. It would be truly surprising if Curry ever returns to relevancy in this league.
2010 4th Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves
5th Pick: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Denver Nuggets, 2002
Ever since Dirk Nowitzki was drafted in 1998, everybody wanted a piece of that European crop of sharp-shooting big men. Nikoloz Tskitishvili was expected to be a Nowitzki clone, a seven-footer with a feathery jumpshot. But he just wasn’t ready for the big lights. In four seasons in the league, he never improved off of his rookie season where he averaged 3.9 ppg.
2010 5th Pick: Sacramento Kings
6th Pick: Dajuan Wagner, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2002
The hype doesn’t get much bigger for a player who has scored 100 points in a high-school game, especially when they are only 6′2″. This was the case for Dajuan Wagner, a high-octane scoring guard who drew comparisons to Allen Iverson. While he showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie campaign, leading the Cavs in scoring 11 games, his career has always been held up from a variety of ailments. Whether it was a bladder infection, a torn meniscus, a stomach virus, or recovering from surgery, Wagner often found himself out of the lineup. Currently, Wagner is working on getting back into the league after undergoing a major surgery to remove his colon. It’s hard to imagine how good Wagner could have been in the NBA, but it seems like all the cards have been against him thus far.
2010 6th Pick: Golden State Warriors
7th Pick: Chris Mihm, Chicago Bulls, 2000
Chris Mihm has actually had a fairly productive career, but with career averages of 7.5 points and 5 rebounds per game, you should expect a bit more production out of a seventh pick in the draft. Although Mihm started 75 games for the Lakers in the 04-05 season, his career would slowly go down hill due to recurring ankle sprains, injuries and surgeries. Mihm is currently a free-agent and hasn’t appeared in a game since the 08-09 season.
2010 7thPick: Detroit Pistons
8th Pick: Rafael Araujo, Toronto Raptors, 2004
I’m not sure what’s worse for an eighth pick in the NBA draft – averaging a career 2.8 points per game and playing himself out of the league in just three seasons, or being traded along with an undisclosed amount of cash for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. That’s Rafael Araujo.
2010 8th Pick: Los Angeles Clippers
9th Pick: Rodney White, Detroit Pistons, 2001
Rodney White was highly touted after one prolific year at UNC-Charlotte, named the national freshman of the year by ESPN. With his stock so high, he jumped ship and declared for the NBA Draft. He soon clashed heads with Pistons’ coach Rick Carlisle, and hardly ever saw the floor. After being traded to Denver, he got an opportunity to show his stuff and became a dependable scorer off the bench. However, his lack of effort at times (primarily on the defensive end) led to his gradual decline out of the NBA and departure overseas. He is currently a player for Zhejiang Guangsha in China.
2010 9th Pick: Utah Jazz
10th Pick: Luke Jackson, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2004
As an Oregon alum, Luke Jackson is near and dear to my heart. I witnessed Jackson score 29 straight points to lead the Ducks to an NIT win over Colorado, and I was absolutely sold on his potential as a solid pro. After a prolific college career, ending as a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year award, Jackson was brought in to Cleveland to serve as the versatile spot-up shooter to complement LeBron James. Unfortunately, nagging issues with his back kept him limited to just 46 games in his first two seasons, and he didn’t have much of an impact when he did play. These days you can find Jackson playing for Carife Ferrara in the Italian LegaBasket.
2010 10th Pick: Indiana Pacers
11th Pick: Jerome Moiso, Boston Celtics, 2000
Coming out of UCLA Jerome Moiso had appeal as a long and versatile big man. You see a 6′10″ player with athleticism coming out of a storied program, you snatch him up quick, right? Not in the case of Moiso. While athletic, Moiso turned out to be a bit of a wallflower out on the court, generating career averages of just under three points and three rebounds per-game over his five-season NBA career. Moiso then took his career overseas where he has played for a variety of teams in Italy, Spain and Russia. He is currently playing for Club Baloncesto Bilbao Berri, a pro club in Spain.
2010 11th Pick: New Orleans Hornets
12th Pick: Hilton Armstrong, New Orleans Hornets, 2006
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine what the Hornets were thinking taking Hilton Armstrong this early. Armstrong was a four-year player at UCONN, but never averaged above four points per-game in his first three years there. He showed a great deal of improvement his senior year by nearly doubling his points and rebound averages, so perhaps it was thought that Armstrong would continue this steady ascent in the NBA. Instead, he reverted back to mediocrity when paired against the league’s talented big men. He has career averages of 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per-game over his four NBA seasons. Armstrong has only earned spot minutes on every team he’s been on, mainly serving as big-man injury insurance .
2010 12th Pick: Memphis Grizzlies
13th Pick: Courtney Alexander, Orlando Magic, 2000
Big things were expected of Courtney Alexander coming out of college. At 25.3 ppg, Alexander was the first player in the history of the Western Athletic Conference to become the nation’s leading scorer. After being traded to the Washington Wizards during his rookie season, he showcased his prolific scoring skills – averaging 17 ppg. He was traded after the following season to New Orleans for a 1st round pick in the 2002 NBA Draft (Juan Dixon), and after one season as a Hornet ruptured his right Achilles tendon. Despite several comeback attempts, Alexander hasn’t ever been able to return to his old form and play himself back into the league.
2010 13th Pick: Toronto Raptors
14th Pick: Mateen Cleaves, Detroit Pistons, 2000
After leading Michigan State to a NCAA championship and being named as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, Mateen Cleaves was a sensible (but homer) pick for the Pistons. Cleaves was productive in his rookie season as a backup, averaging 5.4 points and 2.7 assists, appearing in 78 games. The following season he was traded to Sacramento for Jon Barry and a 1st-round draft pick, and Cleaves failed to fit in as a viable option for the kings – never playing more than 5 minutes per-game. While he would have additional stints with Cleveland and Seattle, Cleaves never turned out to be the floor general he was expected to be in the pros. The former lottery pick is now a music talent manager.
2010 14th Pick: Houston Rockets
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Stu. Great website. Articles are great since they have some Blazer slant to them. You should try to get on 95.5 to get some pub. I will tell Drew about the site even though he isn’t much of a bball fan. It must be great doing something you love for a living!
Hey Guy! Cool that you found my site! I’ve thought about trying to get on 95.5 before, but the site might have to grow a bit before I’m on that level. I wish I did this for a living, but unfortunately this is just a hobby outside of my real job!
I hope you and Drew are doing well. Maybe I’ll see you guys at Cole P’s wedding this weekend?