Luis Edu
Taking advantage of the fact that we are just a few days away from the 2022 NBA Draft , we are going to remember 5 of the worst selections in the history of this great event, which brings together the best prospects in the world of basketball.
These cases definitely show that being a star in the NCAA or outside the United States is no guarantee of being able to shine in the NBA .
The worst NBA Draft selections in the history of the contest
5. Michael Olowokandi – Los Angeles Clippers
It is unbelievable that given the opportunity to take Dirk Nowitzki or Paul Pierce in the 1998 draft, the Los Angeles Clippers decided to select Nigerian center Michael Olowokandi, who could never finish taking off in the NBA.
After exactly 500 appearances in the best league in the world, the African left poor numbers. He finished with 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, shooting 43.5% from the field.
4. Kwame Brown-Washington Wizards
In this case, Michael Jordan has been considered one of the culprits for Brown’s poor performance in the NBA. What happened?
The power forward was the Wizards’ first-round pick heading into the 2001/02 campaign, and he progressively lost his love and passion for the game largely due to the intimidation he suffered from the six-time NBA champion , who was spending his last cartridges with the capital team.
In 607 games, Brown ended up averaging 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, with a dismal 11.1% shooting from three points.
3.- Markelle Fultz – Philadelphia 76ers
Although he is still very young and in the future he could become a star , the truth is that so far he is one of the biggest disappointments as a first-round pick of the NBA Draft 2017 , especially considering that the 76ers avoided choosing a certain Jayson Tatum.
Physical problems have notably affected the performance of this point guard, who has played more than 20 regular-round games on just one occasion , after his first five seasons.
In his NBA career, Fultz averages per game: 10.9 points and 4.8 assists, with an unremarkable 26.2% shooting from three points.
2.- Anthony Bennett – Cleveland Cavaliers/Minnesota Timberwolves
How is it possible that Bennett was chosen over Giannis and Rudy Gobert in 2013? Well, the Cleveland team did not want to trust the development of a Greek player who still looked like a tall young man with much to improve in physical appearance to be able to withstand the harsh rigor of the NBA.
In the end, everything was a complete disappointment. He was barely able to stay in the league for four seasons , of which only one was played in a Cleveland team uniform.
With 151 appearances in the NBA, Bennett averaged per game: 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds, with 67% free throws.
1. Greg Oden – Portland Trail Blazers
One of the biggest mistakes in the history of this sport . The Trail Blazers had a chance to draft Kevin Durant, but went with Greg Oden instead.
Things started badly for the player due to knee surgery that made him lose his first season in the NBA . Upon returning, he was barely able to be on the court for 105 games, where he showed that he was not even up to the ankles of “KD”.
Oden retired from the NBA averaging per game: 8 points and 6.2 rebounds, with 57.4% shooting from the field and 65.8% free throws.
Who was missing from this Top 5 Worst NBA Draft Picks?
