With another NBA Draft recently taken place, I thought what better time to take a look back at some of the biggest mistakes that have ever been made on draft day. While I've already looked at this topic not once, but twice, there are still draft day moments that, in hindsight, have GMs kicking themselves over the decisions they made. With that out of the way, here are 5 more NBA draft day mistakes.
Drafting Michael Olowokandi (1998)
Back before Anthony Bennett pretty much became everyone's favorite punching bag, few would argue that the title of the worst #1 draft pick in NBA history belonged to Michael Olowokandi. Opting to enter the 1998 NBA Draft after a junior year where he averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. While Pacific's schedule was rather weak (they had a strength of schedule rating of -0.56), those are still impressive stats. So impressive that the Los Angeles Clippers decided to use the top pick in the draft to select him, passing on all-time greats in Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce among others. Based on how the Kandi Man's career panned out, there's no doubt they made the wrong choice.
While he did have a decent enough rookie season and was selected to the All-Rookie 2nd Team, Olowokandi never progressed past "reliable big man" status. That's fine, but it's not worth the #1 pick when they could've had one of the best stretch bigs of all-time in Nowitzki. During his just nine-year career, Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field. Olowokandi showed signs of potential, especially in his last two seasons with the Clippers where he averaged 11.4 points and 9 rebounds per game, but that seemed to be as high as his ceiling went. What could have possibly contributed to that was an unwillingness to take criticism and advice from coaches. According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was hired by the Clippers to mentor Olowokandi, called the Kandi Man "talented, but uncoachable" and said that he refused to his advice on improving his game. Whether he just didn't have what it took to play in the NBA or he was too stubborn to listen to people just trying to help him, Michael Olowokandi has gone down as one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history.
Drafting Jahlil Okafor over Kristaps Porzingis (2015)
Here we have the most recent example of a team that clearly made a huge mistake, as they passed on a future all-star for a player who would go on to become benchwarmer who struggled for minutes. Heading into the 2015 NBA Draft, the Philidelphia 76ers were in the middle trusting the process when they received the #3 pick. Considering how their pick last year Joel Embiid had missed the entire season and would end up missing the next season as well, the Sixers decided to select Jahlil Okafor from Duke. Okafor was coming off his freshman year with the Blue Devils when he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 66% from the field and was named ACC Player of the Year. One pick later, the New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis, a Latvian player who last played in Spain. While Knicks fans weren't too keen on Porzingis on draft day, they're probably more than happy now with how he's done, and Sam Hinkie probably regrets passing on him for Okafor.
Things looked fine at first, as Okafor put up an impressive 17.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field. However, Okafor regressed the next season, dropping down to 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and a block per game. Frequent injuries caused the Sixers to reduce Okafor's playing time, even after Embiid went down with another injury and Nerlens Noel was traded. By the 2017-18 season, Philidelphia seemed to have completely given up on Okafor, opting instead to build around Embiid and Ben Simmons. This prompted Okafor to publicly vent about wanting to leave the team and ended up being traded to the Brooklyn Nets during the season, where he continued to underperform and finished the year with just 6.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game. On top of injuries, Okafor has become notorious for his poor defense, something that was highlighted as his biggest weakness coming out of college. Not anything specific about defense, just...defense.
Okafor has a career defensive plus-minus rating of -0.8 and has had multiple instances where it seemed like he wasn't trying on defense at all, such as this one.
Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis has gone on to become one of the best big men in basketball today. Before he went down with a torn ACL last season, Porzingis was playing at an all-star level, averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field and 40% from three-point range, all while earning an All-Star selection. Porzingis currently holds career averages 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. And to think people booed this guy draft night. Especially when they could've ended up with Jahlil Okafor instead.
Drafting Jay Williams (2002)
Jay Williams is a player that I've already talked about in my list of NBA careers ruined by injuries, but he fits in perfectly with this list. Williams was coming off a junior year at Duke where he averaged 21.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from three-point range and was named the 2002 National College Player of the Year when he declared for the 2002 NBA Draft. Based on well his achievements in college, it's no surprise that the Chicago Bulls jumped at the opportunity to take Williams with the 2nd overall pick. It looked like the right decision considering the draft class. However, an accident one year later ended making their selection a bad move.
Williams rookie year was marred by inconsistency. While he did show signs of greatness (even dropping a triple-double against the New Jersey Nets in just the seventh game of his career), he struggled to consistently put up big numbers and finished his rookie season with averages of 9.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40% from the field and 32% from three-point range. Williams did make the All-Rookie 2nd Team that year, but that season would be the end of his NBA career. During the offseason, Williams got into a motorcycle accident which severed the main nerve in his leg, a fractured pelvis, and three dislocated ligaments in his left knee. The Bulls ended up waiving him almost a year later and despite an attempt to make a comeback in the D-League, Williams would never play another NBA game. Williams situation was unfortunate, and the Bulls likely regret using their pick on Williams instead of a future all-star like Amar'e Stoudemire or Caron Butler or a reliable role player like Nene or Mike Dunleavy.
Drafting Adonal Foyle over Tracy McGrady (1997)
"Drafting who over Tracy McGrady?" you might ask. Exactly my point. While doing research for this list, it kind of surprises me how Adonal Foyle seems to escape the bust tag that players who are arguably better than him have received over the years. Especially considering how was drafted just one pick after him. In the 1997 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors used the 8th overall pick to select Foyle out of Colgate University, the college who's athletes have the freshest breath of any Division I team. It seemed like a good move, as Foyle was coming off a junior year where he averaged 24.4 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 6.1 blocks per game. Then again, Colgate is in the Patriot League, had a strength of schedule rating of -6.42, and went 4-12 in non-conference play, so maybe this wasn't the smartest idea from the start. One pick later, the Toronto Raptors would select Tracy McGrady straight out of high school.
Foyle, while a strong defender, was nothing more than a role player for the majority of his 12-year career, playing for three different teams during that team. For his career, Foyle averaged just 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, a far cry from the monster stats he had in college. Of course, as I said before, he put up those stats in the Patriot League when he was playing teams like Holy Cross and Army, so putting up stats like that in the NBA was probably asking a bit much. Foyle officially retired after missing the 2009-10 season following arthroscopic knee surgery.
Meanwhile, the man they passed on for Foyle carved out quite the commendable career for himself. Playing for six different teams over his 15-year career, Tracy McGrady became one of the top players during the 2000s. Holding career averages of 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44% from the field and 34% from three-point range, McGrady collected several accolades during his career, including seven all-star selections, two All-NBA 1st Team selections, two scoring titles, the Most Improved Player award in 2001, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. While he never found success in the playoffs and played way past his prime, few can argue McGrady was a fantastic player during his time. And no one will try to argue that the Warriors made a big mistake drafting Adonal Foyle over him.
Trading Kawhi Leonard for George Hill (2011)
And finally, we have what has to be the most recent example of a draft day trade that backfired big time for one team. In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers used the 15th pick to select Kawhi Leonard, who was coming off a sophomore season at San Diego State where he averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and led the Aztecs to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. However, Leonard's time on the Pacers would be very brief, as the team shipped Leonard over to the San Antonio Spurs (along with Davis Bertans & Erazem Lorbek) for point guard George Hill. Hill is by no means a bad player, but based on how Leonard's career panned out, the Pacers probably regret making this move...and it really makes Larry Bird's Executive of the Year Award for the 2011-12 season kind of laughable in hindsight.
Like I said, George Hill is not a bad player. Hill would spend five seasons in Indiana and put up perfectly respectable numbers. Averaging 12.3 points, 3.9 assists, and a steal per game while shooting 45% from the field and 38% from three-point range. While initially starting his career with the Pacers backing up Darren Collison, Hill quickly moved into the starting lineup and had some of the best seasons of his career. Hill ended up being traded in 2016 to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade, and while his time in Indiana wasn't bad, it certainly wasn't worth what they gave up for him.
Meanwhile, the Spurs pulled off a huge steal by getting Leonard, as the Claw has gone on to become one of the best players in the NBA today. For his career so far, Kawhi Leonard has averages 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Additionally, Leonard is a two-time all-star, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time member of the All-NBA 1st Team, a three-time member of the All-Defensive 1st Team, and the 2014-15 steals champion. To top it off, Leonard was a key part of the Spurs championship victory in 2014, averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game and shooting 61% from the field and 58% from three-point range on his way to winning the Finals MVP. While his relationship with the Spurs has soured this past season, few will argue that Pacers made a big mistake giving up Leonard for George Hill.
Davis Bertans is alright, too.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to share if you enjoy!
Comments
Post a Comment