Shocking NBA Draft Busts: Ranking The 10 Worst Draft Picks of All Time

July 24, 2023

Daniel ranks his top 10 biggest draft busts in NBA history, diving into some of the NBA's most disappointing lottery picks of all time.

A draft bust is typically characterized by a player's inability to make a meaningful impact on their team, despite being selected with a high NBA draft pick. These players may struggle with various aspects of their game, such as skill development, adapting to the NBA's level of competition, or staying healthy. Their underperformance or lack of progress is often considered shocking, because after all, they were selected with a valuable high draft pick.

Now that we have the definition of what a bust is, we are now going to go over the criteria of these NBA Draft busts rankings. The players will be ranked off on how close they met expectations, draft selection, and players selected after them. This ranking is purely subjective, these are just my opinions on players who did not reach their full potential. I will try to give insight into what each player was supposed to become, why they didn't become it, and why they are at each spot.

In this article, we'll learn that success in the NBA is never guaranteed, no matter how high a player's potential may seem to be. Let's rank the 10 biggest NBA busts of all time.

10. F/C - Kwame Brown

Stats: 6.6 PTS, 5.5 REB, 0.9 AST

At 10, we have Kwame Brown. He was picked number one in 2001, straight out of high school, with the expectation of becoming a generational big man. Kwame was an exceptional athlete out of high school, he ran the floor gracefully and had the handles of a guard. At 6'11", Kwame could pass and consistently score in the post, which mesmerized scouts with his stature. Though Kwame was very raw and displayed some major red flags, he had the blessing of Michael Jordan. While he had a long 13-year NBA career, he was still very disappointing to many fans for many reasons.

First off, Kwame often had bad relationships with teammates and coaches, which many people blame on his maturity. He wasn't able to adapt to the physicality and fast pace of the NBA game. Many people have pointed to his work ethic during his career as another reason he did not live up to the hype. Washington picked Kwame with the hopes of him becoming a franchise cornerstone, this mistake would set the Wizards rebuild back for years as a result.

Players picked after:  Pau Gasol, Tyson Chandler, Zach Randolph, Gilbert Arenas

9. G/F - Adam Morrison

Stats: 7.5 PTS, 2.1 REB, 1.4 AST

After a dominant season at Gonzaga, where Morrison was named the most outstanding player in the Nation, he declared for the 2006 NBA draft. He was already regarded as one of the top players in his class and was frequently compared to Larry Bird. Morrison had a mix of shooting, size, and skill that very few players in his class had. He was selected third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats but faced problems immediately after. He would go on to tear his ACL in the preseason after his rookie year. He was already a player who was regarded as non-athletic, so this was a major blow.

He really wasn't able to recover from this injury because of how detrimental it was. He was a lights-out shooter but was very inefficient, and his game didn't translate to the NBA. He was also not a good defender at all, another reason why his ACL injury was so huge. After four short and uneventful seasons in the NBA, Morrison found himself out of the league.

Players picked after:  LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Lowry, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Roy

8. C - Larue Martin

Stats: 5.3 PTS, 4.6 REB, 0.7 AST

Now more widely known as a successful businessman off the court, Larue Martin was one of the most disappointing number-one picks in NBA history. Going into the 1972 NBA season, the consensus best player was Bob McAdoo, and many people also believed he would be the number one pick. There are a lot of rumored stories about agents and McAdoo signing with a rival basketball league. But what we do know is that, for some reason, the Trailblazers selected Larue Martin over McAdoo. Martin was a slender 7-foot kid who was athletic and had good defensive instincts.

The Trailblazers only justification for his high draft selection was his good defensive performance against the great Bill Walton once. Many people believed that Larue truly did not care about basketball as much and that he had a poor work ethic. Then, after four very underwhelming seasons, he was out of the league. Unlike other players on this list, Larue was a very durable player but did not have the skill or effort to stay in the league.

Players picked after: Julius Erving, Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal

7. F - Marvin Williams

Stats: 10.2 PTS, 5.2 REB, 1.3 AST

Picked number two overall in the 2005 NBA draft, Marvin Williams is a player that I think didn't live up to his true potential. He has been an above-average starter for more than a decade in the NBA, but that still doesn't justify you being picked second. In high school, Marvin was an elite-level athlete with skills on the perimeter that would make him a star.

Marvin was able to be an adequate floor spacer during his career, but that's about it for his long career. This is an instance where the players picked immediately after him have him higher on this list. The Hawks weren't necessarily affected by this pick, but they could've been way better had they selected someone else.

Players picked after: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, David Lee, Andrew Bynum

6. F/C - Greg Oden

Stats: 8.0 PTS, 6.2 REB, 0.5 AST

One of the more unfortunate players in the NBA is Ohio State's, Greg Oden. Coming out of college, there was a huge debate between him and Kevin Durant. Many people favored Oden because of his dominant playstyle and because he was a traditional big man. He was an uber-athletic player who was quick and witty on defense. The Trailblazers picked him with the hopes of shaping a core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Oden.

Once Oden was in the NBA, he was absolutely riddled with nagging knee injuries that only got worse. Oden missed his whole rookie year because of major knee surgery, it only got worse from there. Oden only played in 105 games through his 7-year career and was out of the league by 2014. Oden simply couldn't stay healthy, he showed promise when playing but was barely available.

Players picked after: Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Joakim Noah

5. C - Hasheem Thabeet

Stats: 2.2 PTS, 2.7 REB, 0.1 AST

Coming out of college Hasheem Thabeet was regarded as an athletic freak who could protect the rim. Being 7'3 obviously helped Thabeet a lot in college because it masked the skill issues in his game. Thabeet was selected second overall in the 2009 NBA draft with the hopes of becoming a dominant force on both ends. The Grizzlies picked Thabeet with the mindset of him becoming better in the league, but it was the opposite.

Thabeet's only real skill was his shot-blocking ability, other than that, he didn't do anything else well enough on the court. He was athletic but not enough at the NBA level, he wasn't strong enough to bang in the post, and he seriously lacked basketball IQ. Suprinsgly Thabeet lasted 7 years in the league, but he took on a very minor role on most teams and eventually was out of the league for good. Many fans banked on Thabeet's height to be his saving grace, but he was just not a good enough player to be picked as high as he was.

Players picked after: Steph Curry, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday

4. F/C - Micheal Olowokandi

Stats: 8.3 PTS, 6.8 REB, 0.7 AST

Coming off of a stellar college career, Olowokandi was a freak of nature, to be honest. He had some insane measurables and also had amazing speed for his size. These are some reasons why he went first overall in his draft, even though there were more complete players on the board. The Clippers felt like he could be a star player and help them compete with the Lakers in Los Angeles. This plan failed miserably, mostly because of Olowokandi's lack of work ethic.

Lots of people claim Olowokandi was not a hard worker and was basically there to collect a check. Olowokandi lasted 10 years in the NBA but still never lived up to the immense expectations he had. The 1998 draft featured some of the best players to ever play, it's a shame the Clippers took the wrong guy.

Players picked after: Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Antwan Jamison, Paul Pierce

3. C - Sam Bowie

Stats: 10.9 PTS, 7.5 REB, 2.1 AST

Sam Bowie is sadly another Portland Trailblazer big man whose career was derailed by injuries. Sam was a long, agile big man who could affect the game on both ends of the court consistently. Sam carved out a pretty good career considering how many injuries he had to fight through, but I still don't think he quite lived up to his draft slot.

If you look at who the Trailblazers passed up to go with Bowie, his draft selection looks even worse. Though he had some decent years, he was nowhere near the potential that people thought he could reach. He was in a stacked draft class, so for him to not even be close to the Hall of Fame makes this selection even more questionable. Bowie lasted 10 years in the NBA, but he was a role player for the majority of that time.

Players picked after: Micheal Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, 

2. F - Anthony Bennett

Stats: 4.4 PTS, 3.1 REB, 0.5 AST

When Anthony Bennett was selected first overall in the 2013 NBA draft, it shocked everyone. He was a good collegiate player at UNLV, he used his size and quickness to score consistently. But I don't think that anyone in NBA circles had his draft stock as high as the Cavaliers. In his rookie year, he struggled immensely, it took him five games just to get his first official basket. He was undersized to play down low and too slow to consistently be on the perimeter.

Bennett eventually found himself on a new team for the next three years, until he was out of the league. Bennett just was not a good NBA player, and he did not have the adequate tools to be one either. He was quickly out of the league after just four years.

Players picked after: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams

1. F - Darko Milicic

Stats: 6.0 PTS, 4.2 REB, 0.9 AST

The Biggest NBA bust, in my opinion, is Darko Milicic. Milicic was supposed to be another great foreign player, he had all the physical and skill tools to be great. Darko was a great post scorer, passer, and defensive player. He was drafted in the middle of multiple Hall of Famers, which made him higher on my list. Another reason he is so high is because of the opportunity he was given.

Darko was not really asked to come in and be the cornerstone of a franchise, he was drafted into an already great franchise. The Pistons gave him the freedom to grow and take his time as a player, and he still failed. He seemed like he did not have the passion to be great. He had a very underwhelming career and did not live up to any of the expectations he had when he was drafted.

Players picked after: Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony 

That's the end of the list. Just to reiterate, the players were ranked based on how close they met expectations, draft selection, and players selected after them. Remember, this list is subjective, and I'm just giving my opinion on who I think are the biggest busts in NBA history.