5 times NBA teams drafted a bust before a star player

The biggest busts in the NBA have been players drafted high in the first round who just never displayed the talent they were perceived to have. When there is such a large disparity between expectation and production, you end up with a bust.

I wouldn’t consider a player who had no chance to play due to injury a bust. He had no opportunity to show what he is capable of. Those that threw away their careers after creating so much hype and attention to themselves fit in perfectly on this list, as do those drafted ahead of more successful players.

Keeping in mind the definitions above, let’s look at five times in recent years that a bust was drafted before a star player.

#5 Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson was selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves elected to pass on Paul George, Demarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, and Greg Monroe.

The Timberwolves needed a wing player, making Paul George the ideal candidate. While Johnson was busy fighting his way out of the league, George was pushing LeBron to the limit twice in the Eastern conference finals with the Pacers.

Wesley is now a journeyman, filling up roster spaces with no significant role on his team. I really blame poor scouting on this one.

#4 Darko Milicic

Darko Milicic

In one of the best draft classes of all time, the Detroit Pistons passed on Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and I’d even throw in David West, to pick Darko Milicic with the second pick of the 2003 NBA Draft.

The 2004 NBA Champions had the potential to create a dynasty with one of the other picks of Melo, Bosh or D Wade. They went on to trade for Rasheed Wallace mid-season.

Darko, on the other hand, was touted to revolutionize the power forward position. He was extra-terrestrial. A big who could shoot threes, block shots, and cover multiple positions leading up to draft day.

He retired in 2013 to pursue a kickboxing career. He reportedly ended up choosing to farm back in Serbia.

#3 Hasheem Thabeet

Hasheem Thabeet

The 7ft 3in Tanzanian was picked with the 2nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Memphis Grizzlies passed on James Harden, Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan and to a lower extent, Jrue Holiday. The Grizzlies decided to pick the big man neglecting their need for perimeter scoring for which Harden was the perfect candidate.

Thabeet was out of the league by 2014 while Harden developed into an elite offensive superstar. Thabeet is currently with the Yokohama B-Corsairs of the Japanese B League.

#2 Johnny Flynn

Johnny Flynn

The Minnesota Timberwolves just can’t catch a break. The 2009 draft proved to be the masterpiece of poor scouting. They drafted three point-guards. With the first two, they picked Johnny Flynn (6) and Ricky Rubio (5). This means they passed on Steph Curry twice. Their third draft pick was Ty Lawson who was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets.

Two championships and two league MVPs later for Steph, Johnny Flynn is not even in the NBA. Rubio is no longer with the Timberwolves, while Lawson is struggling with off-court issues.

#1 Anthony Bennett

Anthony Bennett

After having their fair share of top successful draft picks, the Cavs decided to try being clever and select a fairly unknown player with the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. They had the whole draft to choose from, all of whom were better than Anthony Bennett considering he’s no longer in the league.

If they needed a wing player, there was Giannis Antentokounmpo, Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. There was a plethora of big-men including Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel. I hope they fired the scouts and torched the scouting reports.

Bennett these days makes it to summer league squads and occasional training camp squads only to be cut when the final rosters are decided upon. He could end up being the biggest bust of all time.