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Good imaginations make a great NBA scout. Throughout a player's high school and college careers or even during the NBA Draft Combine, every single team across the league spend a lot of time and money into prospect scouting in the hopes of finding the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.
It is, however, worth noting that there have been instances that NBA scouts were very wrong. In most cases, the worst scouting reports in NBA history are the result of a narrow inspection process and imaginations gone wild. Put simply, wrong scouting reports come in various kinds and sizes.
In this piece, Sportskeeda Basketball will take a look at five of the most horrible NBA draft comparisons in recent memory.
#5 Kwame Brown [Comparison: Chris Webber, Karl Malone]
Any list containing the worst number one overall pick in history wouldn't be complete without the addition of Kwame Brown. Brown, a 6ft11 specimen out Charleston, South Carolina, was among the most revered prospects in the 2001 NBA Draft. Coming out of high school, Brown had the physical abilities and an NBA-type body of a franchise big man.
As a matter of fact, Brown drew comparisons to legends such as Karl Malone and Chris Webber due to his NBA-size frame. In addition to that, renowned journalist Gene Huh of FoulShots.com even described him as a center on a guard's body. Huh also added that Brown could even lead the fastbreak.
This prompted then-GM Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards to pick him first in the 2001 NBA Draft, ahead of future All-Stars including Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker and Zach Randolph.
Sadly for the Wizards, Brown never reached his true potential, averaging just 7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds during four seasons in Washington. Brown was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005, playing alongside NBA champion Bryant, but the former was unable to blossom in the Lakers' rotation.
After three seasons in the City of Angels, Brown went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers. Brown last played in the NBA during the 2012/13 campaign and currently features for the Three-Headed Monsters in the Big 3, having been selected as the fifth overall pick in the inaugural draft.
#4 Eddy Curry [Comparison: Shaquille O'Neal]
Before Stephen Curry wowed us with his unbelievable shot-making ability, another Curry also made headlines in 2001. Coming out of Harvey, Illinois, the Chicago Bulls were convinced that Eddy Curry would help bring the team back into Finals contention as they selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
Prior to the draft, Curry drew comparisons to Shaquille O'Neal due to his wide body size and frame. While Shaq and Curry may have had identical frame and size, the two behemoths never had the same skillset as the latter only averaged 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds during his 11-year NBA career.
Good numbers but certainly not good enough for someone who was selected above Joe Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, and Tony Parker. However, he won a championship with the Miami Heat during the 2011/12 NBA season. Currently, Curry is playing in the ASEAN Basketball League with the Zhuhai Wolf Warriors.
#3 Darko Milicic [Comparison: Dirk Nowitzki]
When you are selected above future Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, you must be good. In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons made a catastrophic mistake by selecting Darko Milicic with the second overall pick in the draft when they could have selected Anthony, Bosh, Wade, or even Nick Collison.
Milicic came in the league at the height of a Euro-craze bubble that allowed scouts to compare him to a "better version" of Dirk Nowitzki. Several scouts said that Milicic was not only a proficient post-scorer who can stretch out the perimeter but was also a physical seven-footer with incredible shot-blocking ability.
As a matter of fact, ESPN NBA analyst Chad Ford described him as the real deal. Someone "you can slot in the 3, 4, and 5 positions". However, Milicic never lived up to the expectations as he only averaged six points and 4.2 rebounds in his 12-year NBA career. Milicic retired from the NBA in 2013 and most recently, he works as a farmer in his native Serbia, owning a 125-acre apple orchard.
#2 Adam Morrison [Comparison: Larry Bird]
Armed with a sweet shooting stroke and decent ball-handling skills, Adam Morrison was considered by scouts as one of the best prospects in the 2006 NBA Draft. He was so good in college that he drew comparisons to Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
Raring to make it into the top of the NBA curve, the Charlotte Bobcats selected Morrison with the third overall pick in the draft. His first year with the Bobcats wasn't bad either as he put up fairly decent numbers of 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting a good clip from the field.
However, Morrison's career was halted with injuries during his second year in the league, which resulted in them trading him to the Lakers in 2009. He only played a total of 39 games with them before being released in the 2009/10 campaign.
Subsequently playing in Europe before making several attempts to return to the NBA, he failed to break into the final rosters of both the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers. Currently, he serves as an assistant coach with Mead High School.
#1 DeShawn Stevenson [Comparison: Michael Jordan]
Unlike any other players in this list, DeShawn Stevenson was a fairly decent athlete. He was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft and went on to average double figures for five seasons during his 15-year NBA career. In fact, Stevenson even played a crucial role in the NBA Finals win with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. So why is Stevenson here?
Well, unfortunately for him, popular site NBA Draft.net billed him as the next Michael Jordan due to his immense ball-handling skills and superb scoring ability in HIGH SCHOOL. To be fair, Stevenson was good in high school. He won the McDonald's High School Dunk Contest and got offers from popular schools including Kansas.
While Stevenson turned out to be a good player, comparing a high school star to MJ was just too much to handle for a 17-year-old kid. Like it or not, this just goes to show that hard work beats talent in the NBA any day of the week.
