Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, has cleared waivers and will sign with the Raptors. Toronto will be Bennett’s third team in as many seasons, which is highly unusual for a player selected so high. So far, he’s clearly one of the worst No. 1 picks in NBA history. But is he the worst?
5. Andrea Bargnani, Raptors: Drafted in 2006
Bargnani was expected to be the next Dirk Nowitzki. He was a seven-foot shooter from Italy whom the Raptors expected to create matchup nightmares for years to come.
Bargnani wasn’t completely useless for them. He averaged 21 points in 2010-11, and has been a double-digit point scorer for every season of his career. He was billed as a long-range sniper though, and in that respect he’s been sorely disappointing. He’s shot 35 percent from deep in his career, bottoming out two seasons ago when he hit just 27 percent with the Knicks.
He has also been a train wreck defensively, and never averaged more than 6.2 rebounds. Maybe his career wouldn’t be viewed so negatively if he didn’t get taken first overall. But he did, and he has to be compared to the likes of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, so he’s on this list.
4. Michael Olowokandi, Clippers: Drafted in 1998
The Kandi-man was drafted ahead of the likes of Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, and Dirk Nowitzki. That was unwise. Olowokandi spent five seasons with the Clips, and never shot better than 43.7 percent, an embarrassing figure for a player so large. He averaged 9.9 points and eight rebounds over those five, disappointing seasons, while Jamison became one of the NBA’s most reliable players, Carter had fans remembering Michael Jordan, and Nowitzki was re-imagining the power forward position.
Oh yeah, Paul Pierce was drafted in ’98 too.
3. Anthony Bennett, Cavaliers: Drafted in 2013
Bennett got on this list quickly, and he’s been so bad a strong argument can be made for him at No. 1. He’s started three games in two years, and has shown he can’t shoot well enough to play on the outside, and isn’t capable enough to score or defend on the inside.
Bennett was born in Toronto, so the Raptors represent his best chance to turn his fortunes around. The reason he’s not the top name here is because he is so young that it’s possible for him to get better.
2. Kwame Brown, Wizards: Drafted in 2001
Brown was taken out of high school by Michael Jordan, and as eventually –and infamously – brought to tears by him. Brown’s athletic gifts were obvious, but he was unprepared for the NBA’s physicality. He was also too raw to take advantage of his gifts.
Brown averaged double-digit points in just one season of his 13-year career, which was mostly spent as a bench big. He averaged 5.5 rebounds for his career, a small number for someone who stood seven feet tall.
Brown was also notable for being part of a draft class in which three of the first five picks were taken straight from high school. Brown and Eddy Curry were considered major busts, while Tyson Chandler eventually evolved into an All-Star.
Greg Oden, Trailblazers: Drafted in 2007
This is a tough one, because when Oden played he showed true promise. Taken 1st overall Oden was immediately an impactful defensive player, averaging just a hair fewer than two blocks per game in his second year. Injuries derailed his career and forced him to miss three full seasons from 2010 to 2013, before a brief, ineffective comeback in 2013-14.
What makes the Oden bust particularly painful for the Blazers is that Kevin Durant, a four-time scoring champion at 26 years old, went second. He’s won an MVP and been the NBA Finals already, while the Blazers have struggled to recover from losing out on Oden, and shooting guard Brandon Roy before him, to injury.
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