Mount Rushmore Of Biggest NBA Busts
The 2024 NBA Draft has arrived, and it's a thrilling period. Particularly in drafts, there are players who excel and succeed and others who turn out to be complete busts. This led me to ponder who the biggest bust in NBA history might be. I have four players who make my Mount Rushmore of the biggest NBA busts.
1. Anthony Bennett - 1st Overall, 2013 NBA Draft, Cleveland Cavaliers
Anytime fan thinks of the biggest NBA draft bust in history, the immediate name that comes to mind is Anthony Bennett. Looking back at this pick, it was such a weird pick as Bennet wasn't even projected to go that high at the time. The Cavaliers took a chance on him, and it backfired so much.
He only played one full season in Cleveland and averaged 4.2 points per game, 3 rebounds per game, and .3 assists per game as a Cavalier. He was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that also did not work out for him either. Especially with the nagging ankle injury he had to deal with all season.
Bennett played for the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, but it did not last long. After 4 seasons in the NBA, he was out of the league entirely. For a 1st overall pick, to appear in the G-League it's not a great sign.
In the case of Anthony Bennet, you can't blame injuries or off-the-court issues with Bennet. He was a straight-up scrub when he played basketball. He was so bad that his biggest weakness in the NBA was basketball in general.
2. Adam Morrison - 3rd Overall, 2006 NBA Draft, Charlotte Bobcats
A Mount Rushmore of the biggest NBA busts would be incomplete without a pick from Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is one of the poorest drafters in basketball history. Jordan's misses on draft selections have been more frequent than his strikeouts in minor-league baseball. Out of all the selections he made, the one on Adam Morrison is easily the worst.
Morrison was one of the greatest college basketball players in Gonzaga University Basketball history and it was expected that level of play would transfer into the NBA. Well, it did not transfer.
Morrison showed flashes during his rookie season as he had 11.8 points per game, but it was clear that he was not close to the same player in Gonzaga. Especially with how slow he was to create his own shot in the NBA, struggling to adapt to the NBA, and how sloppy he was playing most games, it wasn't a good look.
Once the injuries kicked in for Morrison including a Torn ACL in his sophomore season Morison's career declined hard. Morrison was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and did even win 2 NBA Championships with them, but he was mainly a benchwarmer at that point. He did play internationally but decided to announce his retirement at the age of 25. With the hype this man had coming into the NBA and flaming out like that is a tremendous example of an NBA bust.
3. Chris Washburn - 3rd Overall, 1986 NBA Draft, Golden State Warriors
The 1986 NBA is remembered for the tragedy of Len Bias. One of the greatest What-Ifs in NBA history. Another tremendous what-if in this draft class is Chris Washburn who was the 3rd overall pick in this draft class.
Chris Washburn is one of the clear examples of wasted potential ever in NBA history. He had a ton of the skills that you want in an NBA prospect, and he was really great in college. As a center in North Carolina State University, Washburn dominated, and he even was averaging 17.6 points per game at one point. The Golden State Warriors decided to take a chance on Washburn and selected him 3rd Overall.
It was a disaster as on the court he did not play well at all. In his three-year career, he only played 72 games where he had a career average of 3.1 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, and 0.4 assists per game.
Off the court, Washburn was a full-blown drug addict. He was hooked on crack cocaine and even admitted that he played NBA games while on a bunch of cocaine. Washburn got suspended multiple times and even got a lifetime ban from the NBA due to how bad his drug addiction was.
Washburn has also had such a crazy life full of insane moments that you can legit make a Dark Side of the Ring-style documentary on his life. Luckily Washburn is in a much better place today and very open to the mistakes/problems he made during his basketball career.
Washburn is easily the biggest draft bust in Golden State Warriors History. It also hurts knowing some of the talents the Warriors passed on in this draft including Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Dell Curry, Arydas Sabonis, Mark Price, etc.
4. Darko Milicic - 2nd Overall, 2003 NBA Draft, Detroit Pistons
Milicic is another player who is often regarded as the biggest bust in NBA history. Especially with how stacked the 2003 NBA draft was. It had LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, etc. Darko Milicic was drafted 2nd overall ahead of those players, excluding Lebron who went 1st overall.
Milicic came in with a lot of hype as the next big international big man coming into the league. This was at a time when Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol were dominating the league. Milicic kind of dominated, as a benchwarmer.
Milicic may have had a 10-year career, but he never managed to get over 9 points per game. He was scrub-level bad as a piston as he only played 96 games for them and only averaged 1.6 points per game, 1.2 rebounds per game, and 0.2 assists per game.
Milicic acknowledged his excessive stubbornness during his NBA tenure and criticized the league's system for young players as cruel. Additionally, and I mentioned this earlier, he was surrounded by players who would later be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, which further highlights the contrast of his career. Despite these challenges, Milicic can claim an NBA Championship in his list of achievements.
So, that is my Mount Rushmore of the biggest busts in NBA history. Do you agree? I would love to hear your choices for the NBA's biggest busts. Please share your thoughts in the comments and remember to like the article as well.
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