It’s no secret that a lottery pick might swing the fortunes for an NBA franchise. Selecting the right guy can go a long way for a team. That kid might turn out to be the next LeBron James or Michael Jordan.
The lottery is also full of prospects who will fail to meet expectations and falter in the league. For every Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum, there will also be a bunch of Kwame Brown, Anthony Bennett, and Hasheem Thabeet.
Whether it is the wrong team, limited playing time, injury woes, or lack of skill, the only guarantee when a player gets selected in the lottery is that he’ll be given generational wealth.
Each NBA team has its hits and misses while selecting within the lottery. Our focus in this list is on the selections from one to fourteen picks in the draft. Here are all 30 NBA teams’ worst lottery selections ever.
Who are the worst lottery pick selections for each NBA team?
Atlanta Hawks: Marvin Williams
The Hawks had their fair share of lottery misses, but Marvin Williams takes the cake in this infamous list. After coming off the bench at UNC, Atlanta made the baffling choice of selecting Williams as the second overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft over the likes of Chris Paul and Deron Williams. While Williams was a good pro, he was mostly a role player throughout his career.
Boston Celtics: Jerome Moiso
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Granted that the 2000 NBA Draft was one of the weakest ones in history, it’s unsurprising that most of the lottery selections ended up as misses. UCLA’s Jerome Moiso, the 11th pick of the draft, only lasted 24 games in a Celtic uniform. The 6-foot-10 big man out of France never had any stable home in the league and was out of it entirely at just the age of 26.
Brooklyn Nets: Ed O’Bannon
Winning the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player doesn’t guarantee immediate stardom at the NBA level. That’s what happened to Ed O’Bannon. Selected as the 9th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, the Nets hoped that O’Bannon would become their star for the next ten years. Well, the total opposite happened. The UCLA big man only lasted one and a half seasons with the Nets and was out of an NBA job in just two years due to a plethora of off-court issues.
Charlotte Hornets: Adam Morrison
It was really a toss-up between Morrison and Kidd-Gilchrist, but Morrison takes the cake because the 2006 3rd overall pick only lasted three years in the league. As we can all recall, Morrison was once dubbed the next Larry Bird. The resemblance was uncanny, and their game was somewhat similar. Morrison actually had a good rookie year, but fell from grace as quickly as his ascent happened.
Chicago Bulls: Jay Williams
After winning the second overall pick in the NBA draft lottery in 2002, everyone knew that the Bulls would select Williams. After all, Williams was a Duke Blue Devil star. He was the best point guard in college. Williams showed some promise in his rookie season, but a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2003 cut short his NBA career.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Anthony Bennett
There’s no sugarcoating this one. Bennett is the worst lottery pick in NBA history. The Cavs selected him first overall in 2013, which entitles him to that claim. His subpar performance during his brief NBA career makes Kwame Brown, another notable lottery bust, look like prime Kevin Garnett when we compare those two. That’s how bad it is for the 6-foot-7 Canadian’s career.
Dallas Mavericks: Samaki Walker
In the legendary 1996 NBA Draft, the Mavericks fumbled with their lottery selection by taking Louisville’s Samaki Walker at the 9th spot over the likes of Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojakovic, and Kobe FREAKING Bryant. Walker did last 10 years in the league, but he was a career journeyman and far from being a star.
Denver Nuggets: Nikoloz Tskitishvili
You couldn’t blame the Nuggets for taking Tskitishvili at five in the 2002 NBA Draft. After all, the league was scrambling to find the next Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol back then, and the Georgian big man looked like he was next in line to become the next Euro great. Until he wasn’t. Tskitishvili only lasted two and a half seasons with the Nuggets and was out of the league after just four years.
Detroit Pistons: Darko Milicic
Another big-time NBA lottery miss in the early 2000s while searching for the next big thing from Europe. Selected second overall in 2003, Milicic was taken ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Milicic’s lone career highlight was winning an NBA championship in his rookie season, all while sitting on the bench for Detroit and giving high-fives to his teammates.
Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman
The Warriors could have had Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, or Tyrese Maxey. Instead, they went for James Wiseman with the 2nd overall pick in 2020. Ouch. Wiseman never fit coach Steve Kerr’s vision for the team in the first place. Plus, he was injured halfway through his rookie campaign. Still 23 years young, Wiseman’s career in the association might never take off, ever.
Houston Rockets: Eddie Griffin
Before entering the 2001 NBA Draft, Griffin was a monster in his lone season at Seton Hall. As a result of his dominance in the NCAA, the Rockets traded three of their first-round selections for a chance to get inside the NBA lottery to select Griffin. Well, Griffin’s game never truly translated well at the NBA level. He only lasted five seasons in the league. Griffin tragically died in a vehicular accident at the age of 25.
Indiana Pacers: Rick Robey
While most Pacers fans directly point to Jonathan Bender as their biggest NBA lottery bust, Rick Robey takes the cake here. Technically, Bender wasn’t even drafted by the Pacers. Toronto made that pick. Now back with Robey. Indiana was enamored with his collegiate accolades and was selected 3rd overall in 1978. He was a good pro, playing eight years in the league, but only lasted 43 games with the Pacers.
Why is he on this list? Your eyes might be hurt reading this part, but a certain man from the town of French Lick, Indiana, named Larry Bird was available for the taking, but passed on him in favor of Robey.
Los Angeles Clippers: Melvin Ely
The Clippers have a long history of the worst NBA lottery selections, but Ely is by far the worst of the bunch. After a stellar career at Fresno State, the 6-foot-10 forward/center was selected 12th overall in 2002. He only lasted a couple of underwhelming seasons with the Clippers before embarking on a journeyman career in the league.
Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball
While Lonzo Ball is a high-IQ player, in hindsight, he wasn’t worthy of the second overall selection in 2017. Injuries hampered much of his career, much of it due to the weird Big Baller Brand shoes his father, Lamar, forced him to wear on a basketball court. This was a rare miss by the Lakers in the NBA draft lottery.
Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet
First of all, this was a questionable selection by the Grizzlies in 2009 since they had Marc Gasol balling out at the center spot for the team at that time. There’s no denying that Thabeet was a defensive behemoth at UConn. At 7-foot-3, opponents feared going up against him inside the painted area. However, when the Tanzanian-born Thabeet came to the NBA, he was overwhelmed with the speed of the game and never came close to what he was in college.
Miami Heat: Michael Beasley
The 2008 NBA Draft was widely known as the “Derrick Rose Sweepstakes,” but that doesn’t mean it was devoid of talent after the top pick. Beasley went second after a stellar year at Kansas. He definitely had all-star potential, but never became one. The Heat could’ve had Russell Westbrook or Kevin Love instead of Beasley.
Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander
As the 8th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, Alexander was expected to make a splash for the rebuilding Bucks. They even freed up their power forward spot in the ’08 offseason to accommodate the West Virginia stud. Sadly, Alexander’s athleticism never translated well at the NBA level. He only lasted two forgettable seasons in the league.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams
Make no mistake, Williams once looked like the next big thing after a stellar career in Arizona. Of course, equipped with the second overall selection in 2011, the Wolves pounced on the chance to draft a potentially franchise-altering talent like Williams – or so they thought. The former Arizona standout never came close to reaching his potential and flamed out of the league in just seven seasons.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr.
Kira Lewis Jr. was supposed to become the Pelicans’ point guard of the future when the team selected him as the 13th pick in 2020. At just 6-foot-1, Lewis Jr. struggled to play alongside much faster and bigger guards in the NBA. New Orleans became increasingly frustrated with his lack of development, and Lewis was out of an NBA job at just 22.
New York Knicks: Jordan Hill
Steph Curry wanted to play for the Knicks, but the Warriors unexpectedly scooped him at the 7th spot of the ’09 draft, leaving the Knicks’ draft room in shambles for a few minutes before eventually selecting Jordan Hill with the 8th pick. Hill’s stint with the Knicks only lasted half a season. Oh, what could have been if Curry fell to New York? Brutal outcome for all Knicks fans out there.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Cole Aldrich
OKC usually knows how to draft well, especially in the lottery, but they truly fumbled big-time with the Cole Aldrich selection in the 2010 NBA Draft. Right from the get-go, it was fairly obvious that Aldrich was overwhelmed by other NBA players’ physicality and athleticism. Had the Thunder selected Eric Bledsoe or even Avery Bradley in 2010 instead of Aldrich, perhaps the Durant-Harden-Westbrook trio would’ve won a title together.
Orlando Magic: Fran Vázquez
You might wonder why Mario Hezonja or Mo Bamba gets a pass in this spot. That’s because of Spanish forward Fran Vazquez. The Spanish big man gets the nod not because he was a bust but because he never really came to the NBA from Europe after the Magic selected him 11th overall in 2005. He promised the Magic that he would go straight to the NBA after the draft, but reneged on the deal and signed an extension with his Spanish club.. Perhaps the former lottery pick never entertained the idea of playing in the NBA in the first place.
Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz
The Boston Celtics truly scammed the Sixers on this one. The Celtics won the lottery even though they were already one of the best teams in the East, thanks to a previous deal they made with the Nets. Boston wanted to trade out of the number one selection, and Philly was happy to swap places with them. The Sixers went to select Markelle Fultz, and the Cs happily settled in with Jayson Tatum. Yikes.
Phoenix Suns: Dragan Bender
While Alex Len is a legitimate contender for the title as the worst lottery selection for the Phoenix Suns, Bender gets named here because the former lasted longer in the NBA than the latter. To say that the 4th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft underwhelmed in the pros is an understatement. Bender was borderline unplayable. The Croatian big man only lasted four years in the association.
Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Oden
Oden’s inability to stay on the court due to multiple freak injuries was the main reason for his demise in the NBA. Had he stayed healthy, he could have been the next great big man in the late 2000s era. Blazers fans might point out Sam Bowie as the team’s worst lottery selection due to the fact that he was selected before Michael Jordan, but at least Bowie played ten seasons in the NBA. Oden only lasted three.
Sacramento Kings: Marvin Bagley III
In Bagley’s defense, he had three solid seasons with the Kings, in which he averaged around 14 points per game. However, when we take a look at his draftmates, the entire picture gets tainted. The Kings passed on Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Trae Young to select Bagley as the 2nd overall pick in 2018. Where’s Bagley today? Well, the former lottery pick is on his way to becoming an NBA journeyman.
San Antonio Spurs: Jeremy Sochan
If you are thinking that I’m saying that Sochan is a bust, then no, you are wrong. He’s a good role player for the Spurs. Not a star, but a good player nonetheless. However, this list is all about the worst lottery for each team, technically not NBA busts. The Spurs are rarely in the lottery; that’s why Sochan gets the nod here. San Antonio could’ve gotten Jalen Williams or Jalen Duren instead of Sochan. Just imagine if either of those guys is playing alongside Victor Wembanyama right now.
Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani
To be selected first overall, you can expect that there will be lofty expectations for you. It’s safe to say that Bargnani never lived up to the hype as a member of the Raptors. He’s a seven-footer who shies away from contact under the basket, doesn’t crash the boards, and often settles for an outside jumper instead. He was not a bust, per se, but he wasn’t a star either. The Raptors should have gone for LaMarcus Aldridge with this pick.
Utah Jazz: Enes Kanter
Kanter, the 3rd overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was more interested in voicing his political views than taking care of his basketball career. Sure enough, he had some good years while playing for OKC and New York during his prime, but his overall time in the association was largely forgettable. The former lottery pick was out of an NBA job at 29.
Washington Wizards: Kwame Brown
We could probably write a separate list about all the underwhelming lottery selections this NBA team ever had, but let’s save that for another time. No doubt or whatsoever that Kwame Brown’s name is included in this one. He’s widely considered one of the worst first overall selections in NBA history. Surprisingly, despite Brown’s incompetence, he lasted 12 seasons in the league.
