Dajuan Wagner (photo. Joe Tanis)
For some teams, the NBA draft is a chance to rebuild and send the franchise in a completely new direction (cough, Cleveland, cough). But there are no guarantees that a high pick will change a franchise’s fate, or even become an impact player.
Yesterday we listed the best NBA draft picks at each spot. Today, we present you with the worst picks at 1-30 in NBA history.
No. 1: LaRue Martin in 1972 by the Portland Trail Blazers
I don’t mean to scare Cavs’ fans, but the number of No. 1 overall picks who turned out to be busts is higher than LeBron‘s hairline. Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, and Kent Benson were all No. 1 picks who went on to lead disappointing careers. But the biggest bust of all-time selected at the top is Martin hands down. The 6-11 center out of Loyola University of Chicago hung around the league for just four seasons, finishing with career averages of 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
No. 2: Darko Milicic in 2003 by the Detroit Pistons
I hesitate to give this honor to a player who has only been in the league for eight years and is coming off his most successful campaign, but the words “bust” and “Darko Milicic” will forever be linked. The Pistons passed up on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade to take the Serbian big man who is averaging 6.1 points and 4.3 boards per game for his career. Sam “the guy drafted before MJ” Bowie is a close second.
No. 3: Chris Washburn in 1986 by the Golden State Warriors
Highly recruited out of high school, Washburn was supposed to be the next big thing. He played two seasons with North Carolina State where he averaged 16.4 points per game before leaving for the NBA. His career didn’t last much longer as Washburn was banned from the league 72 games into his career in 1989 after failing his third drug test.
No. 4: Ron Shavlik in 1956 by the New York Knicks
Knicks fans, if you think Renaldo Balkman was a bust, wait until you hear about Shavlik. After being selected fourth by the Knicks, Shavlik played a total of eight games and scored just 10 career points in two seasons.
No. 5: Jonathan Bender in 1999 by the Toronto Raptors
The Raptors passed on Wally Szczerbiak, Richard Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, and Manu Ginobili to select Bender with the fifth pick. So far, Bender hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype, averaging just 5.5 points in eight seasons in the NBA.
No. 6: Dajuan Wagner in 2002 by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Wagner got buckets in high school, dropping 100 points in a single game during his senior season at Camden High School. But Wagner’s scoring ways ended when he got to the NBA. He never averaged more than 10 points per game after his rookie campaign and was out of the league after four seasons because of health problems.
No. 7: Roger Strickland in 1963 by the Los Angeles Lakers
After setting Jacksonville University’s single season scoring record, Strickland was picked up by the Lakers with the seventh pick. Some people can hold their breath for more minutes than Strickland spent on an NBA court. He got four minutes of fame with the Baltimore Bullets, scoring one basket on three shots. Strickland was never heard from again.
No. 8: Rafael Araujo in 2004 by the Toronto Raptors
After four solid years in college, the Raptors must have felt they were getting a sure thing with their eighth pick. But Araujo, who currently plays in Brazil, failed to bring the same skill he displayed at BYU. He posted a 2.8 scoring average in 139 games with the Raptors and Jazz before being bounced from the league.
No. 9: Patrick O’Bryant in 2006 by the Golden State Warriors
Top-10 picks aren’t supposed to be in the D-League just five seasons into their careers. But after averaging less than three points per game in his first four seasons, O’Bryant found himself riding the bus with the Reno Bighorns last year.
No. 10: Mouhamed Sene in 2006 by the Seattle Sonics
The Sonics had high hopes for the 20-year-old Senegalese big man when they used their first round pick on Sene in the 2006 draft. Sene was nothing but a disappointment, playing in just 47 games in three seasons in the NBA.