The 2013 Draft has some of the best busts the NBA has to offer. Boy is this exciting!
Photo By: Ned Dishman (Getty Images North America)
This is a legendary draft class in terms of bust material. This is the 2017 Warriors of draft busts. I don't really think I can articulate how terribly wrong all the analysts, fans, and front offices were about this draft class coming into their careers. There were some bright spots though. A follower of District requested that I highlight some of the better guys from these classes (that series will come soon). Some of those guys would be Giannis Antetokounmpo, C.J. McCollum, and Rudy Gobert. But then there are some solid role players like Dennis Schröder, Kelly Olynyk, and Tim Hardaway Jr. But in this series, we really only care about the busts.
1. Anthony Bennett, CLE
This is possibly the greatest draft bust in NBA history. Bennett is up there with some of the greats; Greg Oden, Kwame Brown, Darko Miličić, etc. In 2013, Anthony Bennett was a force coming out of UNLV. While there were some concerns of injury, the Cavaliers took him 1st overall to help lead their franchise in the post-LeBron days. As you can expect, it didn't start well for Bennett. He struggled mightily to begin his career. He didn't score in double-digits until January 28th. He was given the title of "bust" within the first 10 games of his career. It got so bad, that the Cavs just got rid of him. They traded him to the Timberwolves that off-season as a part of the Kevin Love trade. But he was an afterthought of the deal. He then spent a season with Minnesota, Toronto, and Brooklyn before being waived out of the NBA.
Well, what happened with Bennett? Outside of the usual injury issues that normal draft busts suffer from, Bennett had problems with getting in the gym. It was reported on multiple occasions that Bennett was unwilling to improve upon his craft. That's probably why the Cavaliers let go of him so early and he was out of the league by 24. Then on the court, into he had major problems with just about every facet of the game of basketball. He couldn't defend, pass, or score, let alone score efficiently. So everything that could've gone wrong, did for Anthony Bennett.
2. Michael Carter-Williams, PHI
I honestly don't care that he won Rookie of the Year. I still consider him a bust for a multitude of reasons. MCW was drafted 11th overall out of Syracuse to the 76ers. Carter-Williams had an incredible rookie campaign. He averaged 17 PPG, 6 RPG, and 6 APG in 70 games for the rebuilding Sixers squad. However, in the off-season, he had surgery to repair his shoulder, which somewhat altered his career path. He was traded to Milwaukee while his stock was incredibly low, for apparently no reason at all. This must've affected MCW's mental game, because he was just never the same. He then bounced around with Chicago, Charlotte, and Houston before finding a home with Orlando. Although his averages have dipped in every season since his Rookie of the Year back in 2014.
The thing that bites most NBA busts also hit Michael Carter-Williams. Injuries were a big part of his career, unfortunately. He's had shoulder issues, a hip problem, knee, wrist, ankle, and more. He just failed to stay healthy. He never played over 70 games since his rookie year. Then when he was on the court, MCW just failed to convert. He was inconsistent in scoring the ball, he could never shoot from deep, and he was spotty defensively. Just too many problems for a guy who was once the Rookie of the Year.
3. Nerlens Noel, PHI
How funny. Another draft bust from the great Sam Hinkie era in Philadelphia. While the Process certainly started off with a rocky start, it kind of worked out in the end for the Sixers. The same cannot be said for Nerlens Noel though. He started off his career with a torn ACL, which he had suffered at college. He was projected as the Number 1 pick before his injury but slid to 6th overall to the New Orleans Hornets, who traded his draft rights to Philadelphia. In his rookie year, Noel actually played pretty well. The same can be said about his sophomore season. But he didn't show any improvement, and he suffered a few injuries. So Noel was traded to Dallas for scraps, where he started to really struggle.
Noel then took on the role as a bench piece for multiple teams. He played a key role on a playoff Thunder team, was a huge defensive piece for the Knicks and their run, and is primed to be traded to a contender this season. Noel has just always had a problem with injuries throughout his career. His knee and ankle has been a huge issue for him and it never went away. When he's on the court, Noel is a great role player for a winning team. But he can't stay healthy.
Other "Busts": Otto Porter Jr. (WAS), Cody Zeller (CHA), Alex Len (PHX), Ben McLemore (SAC), and Shabazz Muhammad (UTA).
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