Teams that end up in the draft lottery obviously have the best chance of picking the best players in the draft class, but there's no guarantee the players they pick end up being worth it. The players on this list fit that bill perfectly. Now before I begin, there are a few things I want to layout. First off, all of the players eligible for this list were drafted after the NBA lottery was introduced, so there are no players on this list drafted before 1985. Second, where these players were drafted doesn't factor in. Obviously, someone like Anthony Bennett is considered a bigger bust than probably everyone on this list, as he was the #1 pick in his draft class. However, compared to these guys, he's not even close to the worst pick ever. And third, players who never ended up playing in the NBA won't count, so don't expect to see Fran Vazquez or Len Bias on this list. With all that out of the way, these are the 10 worst lottery pick in NBA history.
Chris Washburn
The story of Chris Washburn is not a fun one. A standout at North Carolina State, Washburn was coming off a sophomore year with the Wolfpack where he averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field before declaring for the draft. The Golden State Warriors jumped at the opportunity to select Washburn with the 3rd pick in the 1986 draft, but would quickly come to learn that this decision was a mistake. As I wrote about in my list of people banned from the NBA, Washburn would struggle big time during his rookie season, which was only made worse in January when he checked into rehab for an addiction to cocaine. That cocaine addiction would end up costing him his career, as after his second season in the league (during which he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks) Washburn was banned for life from the NBA following his third failed drug test. He ended his NBA career after just two seasons and just 72 games played with career averages of 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from the field and only 44% from the free throw line.
Jerome Moiso
As a member of the Bruins, Jerome Moiso proved to be a valuable player for UCLA for two seasons. After his sophomore season with the Bruins where he averaged 13 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field, Moiso declared for the 2000 draft. In a draft with a historically weak player pool, Moiso was selected with the 11th pick by the Boston Celtics. His rookie season was nothing short of terrible, as he played in just 24 games and averaged just 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the field. Moiso would play a total of five seasons with six different teams. During his final season in the league, the 2004-05 season, Moiso would play for three different teams, being waived twice by the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets (who would end up signing him to a 10-day contract after waiving him) before ending his NBA career on a four-game stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Moiso, having only played more than 50 games in a season once, played in just 145 games during his career and averaged 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and shot 49% from the field.
Luke Jackson
Storytime: I started really paying attention to basketball when I was in the third grade, so like 2006. Since I live in Cleveland (well, the greater Cleveland area), I obviously watched a lot of Cavaliers games. That being said, Luke Jackson was on the Cavs for two years, and I can't remember seeing him play once. Jackson played collegiate basketball at Oregon for four years, ending on a senior year where he averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game shot 49% from the field and 44% from three-point range, and was named to the All-American 2nd team. Jackson declared for the 2004 draft and the Cavaliers used the 10th pick on the former Oregon Duck standout. Jackson would play in just 46 games with the Cavaliers over two seasons where he averaged 7.8 minutes per game. During his time in the wine & gold, Jackson averaged 2.7 points and a rebound per game while shooting just 35% from the field and 38% from three-point range. Jackson would play for two more seasons with three different teams before ending his NBA career in 2008. Jackson would play a total of four seasons and 73 games for his career and holds averages of 3.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game while shooting 36% from the field and 36% from three-point range.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili
You're going to see a trend on this list of teams drafting giant European players in the hopes of finding the next Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol. First off, we have Nikoloz Tskitishvili. After one season playing for Benetton Treviso in the EuroLeague, Tskitishvili was selected in the 2002 NBA Draft. Despite only playing in 11 professional games in Europe, the Denver Nuggets were high on Tskitishvili and used the 5th pick in the draft to select the 7-foot tall, 19-year old Georgian. Tskitishvili received a decent amount of playing time in his rookie season but put up numbers so bad the Nuggets probably wished they hadn't given him as much as they did. For the 2002-03 season, Tskitishvili averaged 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting an awful 29% from the field and 24% from three-point range. Tskitishvili would play one more full season with the Nuggets before being traded in the 2005-06 season to the Golden State Warriors. Tskitishvili would play one more season in the league with both the Minnesota Timberwolves & the Phoenix Suns before returning to Europe. Despite getting signed by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015, Tskitishvili would never play another game in the NBA, likely ending his career with 172 games played, averages of 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, and shooting percentages of 30% from the field and 24% from three-point range.
Marcus Haislip
Sticking with the 2002 draft, we have Marcus Haislip. Haislip would begin his journey to the NBA at the University of Tennessee, where he would play for three seasons. After a junior year with the Volunteers where he averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 52% from the field and 33% from three-point range, Haislip would forego his last year of eligibility and declare for the 2002 draft. Haislip would end up being selected with the 13th pick by the Milwaukee Bucks, and his two year run there would be less than memorable. Haislip would play in just 70 games over those two years and averaged just 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the field and 29% from three-point range. Haislip would play one more season with the Indiana Pacers before leaving to play in Europe. After four years overseas, Haislip would return to the NBA for one more season, signing with the San Antonio Spurs in 2009 and playing in just 10 games before being waived midway through the season. Haislip would end his NBA career with 89 games played, averages of 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, and 44% shooting from the field and 35% from three-point range.
Hasheem Thabeet
Hasheem Thabeet was a hard player to pass up on going into the 2009 draft. Standing at 7'3, Thabeet spent three years attending the University of Connecticut and playing with the Huskies. Thabeet ended his college career after his junior year at UConn where he averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and a ridiculous 4.2 blocks per game, shot 64% from the field, was selected as a member of the All-American 2nd team, and won the Big East Player of the Year. Opting to leave college early, Thabeet entered the 2009 draft and was selected with the 2nd pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, one pick ahead of future MVP and multiple time all-star James Harden. As I've written about already on one of my lists of draft day mistakes, Hasheem Thabeet was an absolute bust if you've ever seen one. Thabeet would end up playing with the Grizzlies for a season and a half where he averaged just 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the field. Not to be mean, but how can you be 7'3 and average less than 3 rebounds per game? Thabeet would be traded midway through his sophomore season to the Houston Rockets, where he'd finish out the year before being traded halfway through the next season to the Portland Trail Blazers. In total, Thabeet would play five seasons and 224 games, during which he averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57% from the field.
Aleksandar Radojevic
Going from one 7'3 giant to another, Aleksandar Radojevic is another example of a giant European dude an NBA team thought could be the next big star from overseas. The Bosnian big man would spend two years playing basketball at Barton County Community College (he originally was going to attend Ohio State, but a scandal involving payment he received to play for a EuroLeague team made him ineligible) for two years. In his final year with the Cougars, Radojevic averaged 15.4 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 61% from the field. Following that season, Radojevic would declare for the 1999 draft and would end up being selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 12th pick. Radojevic's rookie season was a complete disaster, as he would only play three games before he went down with a season-ending injury. In those three games, Radojevic would average just 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 29% from the field. Mounting injuries (combined with bad form) resulted in Radojevic missing the entire next season, during which he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. After being traded again to the Milwaukee Bucks before the next season, Radojevic was released and played overseas for three years. Radojevic was given one last chance in the NBA when he signed with the Utah Jazz in 2004, playing 12 games and averaging 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 32% from the field. Raojevic would play just 15 games in the NBA, averaged 1.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, and shot 31% from the field.
Mouhamed Sene
The 2006 draft was not a good one. While it did have future all-stars in Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rajon Rondo in the player pool, it also produced some legendary draft busts like Adam Morrison & Tyrus Thomas. Among the worst players the draft brought into the league was Mouhamed Sene, a 6'11 Senegalese center. Sene played one season in the Belgian League with Verviers-Pepinster and averaged 4 points, 5.2 rebounds and a block per game before declaring for the 2006 draft. Sene would be drafted with the 10th pick in the draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Sene would play two and a half seasons with the Sonics and would split his time between the team and the D-League. Sene would play in just 46 games with the Sonics (who eventually became the Oklahoma City Thunder) and averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field. Midway through the 2008-09 season, Sene was waived by the Thunder and picked up by the New York Knicks. In total, Sene would play just six minutes in one game with the Knicks, recording 3 points, 5 rebounds, and a block. Sene's NBA career ended after that season, with 47 games played on his resume and career averages of 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field.
Patrick O'Bryant
Sticking with the 2006 draft, we have the man drafted one spot ahead of Sene in Patrick O'Bryant. O'Bryant first caught the attention of NBA scouts while he was attending Bradley University. During his sophomore year, O'Bryant led the Bradley Braves to the Sweet Sixteen in a season where he averaged 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field. O'Bryant would forego his last two years of eligibility and declared for the draft, where the Golden State Warriors would take the Notorious P.O.B (yes, that's his actual nickname, apparently) with the 9th pick. Unfortunately, O'Bryant's NBA debut would be put on hold after fracturing his right foot, a possible sign of things to come with O'Bryant. O'Bryant would play two seasons with the Warriors for a total of 40 games, averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game and shot 43% from the field. By that point, he had fallen out of favor with head coach Don Nelson and the team would not pick up his third-year option. O'Bryant would go on to play two more seasons with two different teams and ended his NBA career following the 2009-10 season. O'Bryant played a total of just 90 games over four seasons, had career averages of 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, and shot 49% for his entire career.
Yaroslav Korolev
And finally, we have yet another attempt to find the next big European star. In the 2005 draft, the Los Angeles Clippers opted to use the 12th pick to select Yaroslav Korolev, a Russian player who had turned 18 just a month before the draft who had apparently wowed the team so much during the European Junior (U-18) Championships where he averaged 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game that they selected Korolev despite him being projected as a late-round first round pick. Korolev would play two seasons with Clippers, and both of them were absolutely abysmal. His rookie season saw him play in 24 games and averaged just 1.1 points and 0.5 rebounds per game while shooting 30% from the field and 29% from three-point range. The next year was even worse, with Korolev playing in just 10 games and averaging 1.2 points and 0.3 rebounds per game while shooting 25% from the field and 20% from three-point range. Following the 2006-07 season, the Clippers and Korolev parted ways and Korolev would return to Russia to play with Dynamo Moscow. Korolev ended his NBA career with a total of 34 games played, career averages of just 1.2 points and 0.5 rebounds per game, and career shooting percentages of just 28% from the field and 25% from three-point range. He might not be the biggest draft bust ever, but it's hard to argue that Yaroslav Korolev isn't the worst player ever drafted with a lottery pick.
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