NBA Draft busts: The worst picks of the last decade

A star during his time with the Washington Huskies in college, Chriss landed with the Phoenix Suns after a draft day trade from the Sacramento Kings. After finishing in the top-10 of NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 2016-17, he just didn’t pan out. Phoenix ultimately moved on from him after less than three full seasons. He’d spend time with the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks before seeing his final action in the Association in 2021-22. Chriss averaged 7.6 points throughout his career. Fellow big man and All-Star Domantas Sabonis was taken just a few picks after him in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Culver landed on the Minnesota Timberwolves after a trade from the Phoenix Suns. It did not work out for the former Texas Tech standout in Minneapolis with the wing averaging 7.8 points on 41% shooting in two seasons. He’d ultimately spend 2021-22 with Memphis, averaging just 3.5 points before seeing action in 10 games with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2022-23 campaign. Culver was selected just one pick after Darius Garland went to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s a big ouch. It also makes him one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the past decade.

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A top-10 recruit in the Class of 2013, most figured Vonleh was destined to become a star at the NBA level. It’s why the Indiana product went off the board in the top-10 of the annual event. The big man responded by averaging 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in parts of eight seasons before last suiting up with the Boston Celtics in 2022-23. The Charlotte Hornets would certainly love to have this one back.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see the Philadelphia 76ers exhaust the first pick in the 2017 Draft on Fultz. Most had anticipated that Lonzo Ball or Jayson Tatum would be the first player off the board. Due to a combination of injuries and an inability to shoot the ball, Fultz played 33 games with Philadelphia before being dealt to the Orlando Magic. What makes him one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the past decade is the fact that the likes of Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo were among those selected after him. Ouch!

The fourth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bender was seen as a potential generational prospect. The 7-foot big seemed to have the tools that it took for his game to transition to North America. It did not come close to happening. Bender ultimately averaged 5.4 points on 44% shooting in parts of four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. For Phoenix, Bender being a major bust was magnified by the fact that Jamal Murray and Domantas Sabonis were selected behind him in the lottery that year.

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Jabari Parker’s one-year run with the Duke Blue Devils (19.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG) seemed to set him up well for success at the professional level. That’s why the Milwaukee Bucks made him the No. 2 overall pick back in 2014. Fast forward a decade, and we’re left wondering what might have been for one of the biggest NBA Draft busts in recent memory. Injuries and inconsistency plagued Parker throughout his career. That included averaging a mere 5.0 points in 11.1 minutes of action over his final two seasons. Immediately after the Bucks took Parker at two, the 76ers’ process continued with Joel Embiid. That’s a big ouch.

Some say that Okafor got a raw deal with the Philadelphia 76ers after finishing fifth in the 2015-16 NBA Rookie of the Year voting. He started 33 games in less than two more seasons with the team before Philadelphia pulled the plug. Unfortunately, a lack of defense led to Okafor’s demise after just six seasons in the Association. He finished by averaging just 7.3 points in his final four seasons. It was a terrible end for what seemed to be a promising career in college at Duke.

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Continued injuries. A complete lack of scoring and shooting. Being seen as an enigmatic figure. It’s amazing just how far Simmons has fallen since earning three consecutive All-Star appearances. He’s played in just 45 games since the start of the 2021-22 season, averaging 6.7 points per. We know all about Simmons’ issues with the Philadelphia 76ers before he was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2021-22 season. But it has not been much better in the Big Apple. Considering he headed a class that also included Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray and Domantas Sabonis, Simmons is certainly one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the past decade.

The Golden State Warriors could very well look back at the 2020 NBA Draft as a major missed opportunity. Sure, they would win the title within a couple years. But taking Wiseman with the second pick in the annual event could prove to be an all-time mistake. The 7-foot big man appeared in just 60 games with the Warriors (27 starts) before being dealt to the Detroit Pistons during the 2022-23 season. Golden State took him over the likes of LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t a great look.

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Anthony Bennett is one of the biggest NBA Draft busts ever. It’s not really in question. The No. 1 pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2013, he appeared in just 52 games with the team (4.2 points per game). Cleveland admitted its mistake after just one season. Other teams did, too. He appeared in all of 151 games in four seasons in between four teams. The former UNLV star averaged 4.4 points per game in his career. Did we mention Giannis Antetokounmpo went No. 15 in that year’s draft?