For every draft steal, there seem to be twice as many busts. Here is a look at some draft picks that every NBA team might regret 10 years down the road. ( I tried not to include picks from 2020 or 2021, as the players haven't had much time to develop)
Atlanta Hawks: John Jenkins (2012, R1 Pick 23)
Career Totals: 855 PTS, 250 REBS, 171 GP
Passed On: Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Will Barton
Jenkins never caught on in Atlanta or anywhere in his NBA career. He was in the league until 2018-19 with the Knicks. Jenkins never averaged more than 14.5 minutes per game or 6.1 PPG. The Hawks hadn't made too many bad first-round picks, but Jenkins was a flop.
Boston Celtics: Guerschon Yabusele (2016, R1 Pick 16)
Career Totals: 173 PTS, 105 REBS, 74 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon
Yabusele was with Boston for two years and has not returned to the NBA since. Yabu was a very poor man's Grant Williams minus the shooting and defense (everything). It's hard to see what Boston saw in him. You cant give Boston too much trouble as they have drafted Tatum, Brown, Smart, and Robert and Grant Williams in the past decade as well.
Brooklyn Nets: Dzanan Musa (2018, R1 Pick 29)
Career Totals: 211 PTS, 91 REBS, 49 GP
Passed On: Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent Jr., Mitchell Robinson
Musa only lasted two years on an NBA roster, both with the Nets. He only appeared in 49 games and was only able to shoot 37.6% from the field for his short-lived NBA career.
Charlotte Hornets: Vernon Carey (2020, R2 Pick 32)
Career Totals: 66 PTS, 39 REBS, 28 GP
Passed On: Tre Jones, Xavier Tillman, KJ Martin
The Duke product mostly underwhelmed in college, and has done the same to start his NBA career. He is currently on the Wizards roster but doesn't see much action. His career is still young, but I don't see many signs of him improving drastically.
Chicago Bulls: Marquis Teague (2012, R1 Pick 29)
Career Totals: 217 PTS, 134 AST, 91 GP
Passed On: Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Will Barton
Teague was drafted to be a backcourt running mate for Derrick Rose, but never amounted to anything. After a successful career at Kentucky, Teague never found his footing in the league. He would hang around until 2017 but never averaged more than 3.7 PPG.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Anthony Bennett (2013, R1 Pick 1)
Career Totals: 658 PTS, 472 REBS, 151 GP
Passed On: Literally everyone
Here's where it gets ugly. Not only was Bennett the worst pick in Cavs history, but he is also one of the worst picks of all time. It was a questionable pick from the start and Bennett did nothing to prove himself. He only averaged 4.2 PPG as a rookie and just never looked ready for the NBA. Unfortunately, Bennett goes down as one of the biggest busts ever.
Dallas Mavericks: AJ Hammons (2016, R2 Pick 46)
Career Totals: 48 PTS, 36 REBS, 22 GP
Passed On: Nobody really
The Mavs really didn't have many busts in the last decade, but Hammons is one that fits the profile. While he wasn't expected to do much he somehow fell short of those expectations. He only appeared in 22 games for the Mavericks and would never see an NBA court again.
Denver Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay (2015, R1 Pick 7)
Career Totals: 3299 PTS, 1143 AST, 302 GP
Passed On: Devin Booker, Terry Rozier, Myles Turner
Denver has drafted their core of Jokic, Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray in the past decade. However, they missed the chance to add to that with a lottery pick in 2015. While Mudiay was somewhat productive in his time in Denver, he never amounted to what the Nuggets hoped. Mudiay has only shot 40.1% for his entire NBA career , essentially driving him out of the league.
Detroit Pistons: Henry Ellenson (2016, R1 Pick 18)
Career Totals: 342 PTS, 206 REBS, 83 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon, Pascal Siakam
In another year this might be Killian Hayes, for now, its Ellenson. The big man out of Marquette never found his way in Motor City. Ellenson only played in 57 games for the Pistons, mostly garbage time minutes. They missed out on a collection of players who would become stars in the league today. Detroit missed on this one, but has gotten a lot of chances to redeem themselves.
Golden State Warriors: Jacob Evans (2018, R1 Pick 28)
Career Totals: 168 PTS, 66 REBS, 59 GP
Passed On: Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent Jr., Mitchell Robinson
Golden State has rightfully earned the title of the best drafting team in the league. They have either hit on their picks, or had such a late pick that it didn't really matter. In this case, any pick at 28 for a championship is likely a longshot. Evans was just not an NBA-caliber player and it showed. He played only 57 games with the Warriors, and 59 total for his career.
Houston Rockets: Royce White (2012, R1 Pick 16)
Career Totals: 0 PTS, 0 REBS, 3 GP
Passed On: Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Will Barton
Yes, those stats are correct. The near-lottery pick never played in a game for the Rockets, and played just 3 for the Kings. It's not surprising that White didn't have much NBA success, but never even scoring a point is pretty tough. Let's hope the Rockets just erase this from their memory.
Indiana Pacers: TJ Leaf (2017, R1 Pick 18)
Career Totals: 477 PTS, 283 REBS, 146 GP
Passed On: OG Anunoby, Jarrett Allen, Kyle Kuzma
Leaf was in Indiana for three seasons and never had any luck. His draft stock was inflated due to playing with Lonzo Ball in college, and Leaf was over his head in the NBA. He never averaged over 3.9 PPG or 9 MPG. The 2017 Draft held a lot of great rotational players that the Pacers would love to have.
LA Clippers: Jerome Robinson (2018, R1 Pick 13)
Career Totals: 514 PTS, 208 REBS, 21 GP
Passed On: MPJ, Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent, Etc
The Clippers have only selected and kept six draft picks since 2012, so it was slim picking here. Either way, Jerome Robinson qualifies as a bust. The 2018 NBA Draft Lottery could go down as one of the best ever, and Robinson was one of the few players who did not pan out. He saw decent minutes in LA, but just wasn't able to do enough with them. The Clippers regret this one.
LA Lakers: Lonzo Ball (2017, R1 Pick 2)
Career Totals: 2995 PTS, 1563 ASTS, 252 GP
Passed On: Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo
I'll start by saying Lonzo still has a chance, and likely will end up having a solid NBA career. He is a great passer and is improving as a shooter. But, his time in LA was a failure. The Lakers were hoping for Ball to be the face of their rebuilding franchise, the new era of Laker basketball. He wasn't bad, but he just never quite found his groove on or off the court in LA. The Lakers have to be kicking themselves everytime they see Jayson Tatum now.
Memphis Grizzlies: Wade Baldwin (2016, R1 Pick 17)
Career Totals: 174 PTS, 69 REBS, 56 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon, Pascal Siakam
Baldwin could never find a rhythm in the NBA. He only managed to shoot 31% from the field in limited minutes as a rookie. He would be out of the league by 2018-19, and has not returned since. The Grizzlies can join the list of teams that drafted a bust in 2016.
Miami Heat: Justise Winslow (2015, R1 Pick 1)
Career Totals: 2720PTS, 1668 REBS, 326 GP
Passed On: Devin Booker, Terry Rozier, Myles Turner
Miami has only made 6 draft selections in the past decade, making the options pretty limited here. Winslow has been able to hang around the league and have a decent career. He was in Miami for five years including a couple seasons averaging in double figures. Still, he wasn't quite what they were hoping for out of a top-10 pick.
Milwaukee Bucks: Thon Maker (2016, R1 Pick 10)
Career Totals: 1216 PTS, 726 REBS, 263 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon, Pascal Siakam
Maker was an extremely hyped prospect coming into the NBA. He showed some flashes, but was never able to make a difference. He hung around the league until 2020-21. This huge risk/reward is what we often see with international prospects.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kris Dunn (2016, R1 Pick 5)
Career Totals: 1995 PTS, 815 REBS, 245 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon, Pascal Siakam
Kris Dunn was supposed to be the fourth piece to a KAT, Wiggins, and Lavine led team. He just never got it going in Minnesota and was soon traded to Chicago. He had a bit of success there, averaging 13.4 Points at once. Even so, Dunn has not been able to return the top-5 value for which he was drafted.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. (2020, R1 Pick 13)
Career Totals: 484 PTS, 110 REBS, 78 GP
Passed On: Tyrese Maxey, Desmond Bane, Tre Jones
New Orleans has mostly had success over the last decade of drafting, getting the likes of Zion, Herb Jones, Buddy Hield, and Anthony Davis. They had a chance at another lottery pick in 2020, and went with Kira Lewis out of Alabama. He has still only played 78 games for New Orleans mostly due to injury. I'm not classifying this as a bust yet, lets hope Kira can get healthy and start playing well.
New York Knicks: Frank Ntilkina (2017, R1 Pick 8)
Career Totals: 1395 PTS, 497 REBS, 270 GP
Passed On: Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Kuzma
The Knicks have had a pretty rough go at it the last few years in the draft. They have had 3 lottery picks in Porzingis, Ntilkina, and Knox not pan out. Ntilkina stayed in New York for four years and could never find his way. His limited offensive ability made it hard to play him. He has been with the Mavs the last two years in a limited role.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Mitch McGary (2014, R1 Pick 21)
Career Totals: 227 PTS, 183 REBS, 52 GP
Passed On: Nikola Jokic, Clint Capela, Jordan Clarkson
McGary was the classic dominant college big man who's game just didn't translate to the NBA. Similar to guys like Luka Garza, or even Oscar Tsciebwe. McGary only played in 52 games for OKC and never did anything of note. He was out of the league within 2 years.
Orlando Magic: Mario Hezonja (2015, R1 Pick 5)
Career Totals: 2284 PTS, 1026 REBS, 330 GP
Passed On: Devin Booker, Terry Rozier, Myles Turner
Hezonja had an okay rookie season with Orlando, but was dissapointing after that. He never averaged in double figures on a bad team. Hezonja was a big bust as a top-5 pick. Perhaps the most memorable moment of his NBA career was his dunk over Giannis which provoked a massive celebration. He has been out of the league since 2019-20.
Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor (2015, R1 Pick 3)
Career Totals: 2566 PTS, 1169 REBS, 247 GP
Passed On: Devin Booker, Terry Rozier, Myles Turner
This pick made sense at the time. Okafor was a standout at Duke and looked primed for a solid NBA career. He was great as a rookie, averaging 17 and 7. Then he basically fell off the face of the earth. He was in Philly for one more year, and hopped around the league before finally exiting in 2020-21. This is one of the more curious player developments we have seen in a while.
Phoenix Suns: Dragan Bender (2016, R1 Pick 4)
Career Totals: 1014 PTS, 720 REBS, 187 GP
Passed On: Dejounte Murray, Caris Levert, Malcolm Brogdon, Pascal Siakam, Jamal Murray
Once again, another international player who never found their way in the NBA. It's always a risk taking a non-college player in the lottery, and Bender is another example. He was in Phoenix for three uninspiring years and left the league in 2019-20. Bender never averaged more than 9.0 PPG.
Portland Trail Blazers: Meyers Leonard (2012, R1 Pick 11)
Career Totals: 2502 PTS, 1737 REBS, 447 GP
Passed On: Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Will Barton
The Blazers did not have too many picks that fit the criteria here, but Leonard is close. He had a decent career as a backup center, but never returned lottery pick value. He played alongside fellow draft-class teammate Damian Lillard for six years before going to Miami. Leonard is currently out of the league.
Sacramento Kings: Marvin Bagley (2018, R1 Pick 2)
Career Totals: 2276 PTS, 1223 REBS, 152 GP
Passed On: LUKA DONCIC, TRAE YOUNG
This is definitely one of the more heartbreaking picks on the list. Not for the fact that Bagley has been horrible, he's been underwhelming but is a decent rotational player now. It's because of who was selected right after Bagley. The Kings missed out on a collection of franchise players including Luka Doncic and Trae Young. The 2018 class was absolutely loaded, and the Kings took the one guy that did not really pan out. Vlade Divac loses sleep over this one every single night.
San Antonio Spurs: Luka Samanic (2019, R1 Pick 19)
Career Totals: 138 PTS, 78 REBS, 36 GP
Passed On: Jordan Poole, Brandon Clarke, Kevin Porter Jr
Samanic only appeared in 36 games for the Spurs and was extremely unimpressive in those games. He only averaged 3.8 PPG on a rebuilding team. The Spurs are in rebuild mode now and need to hit on some draft picks soon.
Toronto Raptors: Bruno Caboclo (2014, R1 Pick 20)
Career Totals: 442 PTS, 268 REBS, 105 GP
Passed On: Nikola Jokic, Clint Capela, Jordan Clarkson
Caboclo only played in 25 games for Toronto over four years. He never averaged more than 2.2 PPG, and Toronto moved on. He then bounced around to a couple of teams and never saw much improvement. He has been out of the NBA for the last two years.
Utah Jazz: Dante Exum (2014, R1 Pick 5)
Career Totals: 1389 PTS, 441 REBS, 245 GP
Passed On: Nikola Jokic, Zach Lavine, Marcus Smart
Exum was a player who looked like he had potential all throughout his career. He fought some injuries early on and could never produce at a high level. He stayed in Utah for six years before moving on to Cleveland. Exum never averaged in double figures and played his last year in 2021.
Washington Wizards: Troy Brown Jr. (2018, R1 Pick 15)
Career Totals: 1512 PTS, 892 REBS, 232 GP
Passed On: Jalen Brunson, Gary Trent Jr., Mitchell Robinson
The Wizards don't have many options here, yet. Hachimura, Kispert, Avdija, and even Johnny Davis have all had less than encouraging starts to their NBA careers, but are still young. Troy Brown Jr is a decent player and I wouldn't really categorize him as a bad pick just yet. He averaged in double figures in his second year and is now doing ok in LA.
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