58 NBA Draft Picks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The NBA draft is always full of surprises, and the 58th edition was no different. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this year’s draft.

The Good

The Good: The top ten NBA Draft Picks of All Time
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) select new players. It is one of the most keenly anticipated events on the NBA calendar, as each team hopes to find the next superstar who will help lead them to glory.

Every year, there are a few players who stand out above the rest and are almost guaranteed to be successful at the next level. These are the players who are drafted in the top ten picks of the first round and go on to have stellar careers in the NBA.

In this article, we will look at the top ten NBA draft picks of all time. We will see how they fared in their rookie seasons and beyond, and what impact they had on their teams and the league as a whole.

1) Lebron James – Cleveland Cavaliers (2003)
2) Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs (1997)
3) Shaquille O’Neal – Orlando Magic (1992)
4) Magic Johnson – Los Angeles Lakers (1979)
5) Larry Bird – Boston Celtics (1978)
6) Wilt Chamberlain – Philadelphia 76ers (1959)
7) Bill Russell – Boston Celtics (1956)
8) Oscar Robertson – Cincinnati Royals (1960)
9) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Milwaukee Bucks (1969)
10 Hakeem Olajuwon – Houston Rockets (1984)

The Bad

The Bad
Oftentimes, a player will hear their name called on draft night, and their career will be defined by that one moment. For every Kobe Bryant or Lebron James there are several players who don’t live up to the hype. Here are some of the biggest draft busts in NBA history

• Sam Bowie (1984): Drafted ahead of Michael Jordan Charles Barkley and John Stockton
• Darko Milicic (2003): Drafted ahead of Carmelo Anthony Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh
• Hasheem Thabeet (2009): Drafted ahead of Stephen Curry Demar Derozan and Jrue Holiday
• Anthony Bennett (2013): Drafted ahead of Victor Oladipo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert

The Ugly

The ugly: these are the picks that lit up the “WTF” meter on draft night. These are the picks that make you wonder what the front office was thinking, or if they were thinking at all. These picks can be described with words like “reach”, “head-scratcher”, and “bust”. In some cases, the player chosen turned out to be good (or even great), but they were still a reach at the spot they were taken. In other cases, the player chosen was so bad that they didn’t even make it in the league for more than a cup of coffee. Here are some of the most infamous draft reaches in NBA history

--Kwame Brown 1st overall by the Washington Wizards in 2001
-Darko Milicic, 2nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2003
-Jonny Flynn, 6th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009
-Ekpe Udoh, 6th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 2010

The Good: Part 2

Whether it’s because of great potential, good college production, or a combination of both, these players look like they could be future All-Stars.

Zion Williamson (Duke, PF) – The first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft is a 6’7″, 285-pound physical specimen who can flat-out score. He averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 68.0% from the field and 33.8% from three in his one season at Duke. Williamson is an elite athlete with a jaw-dropping combination of size, strength, power, explosiveness, and agility. He is an excellent finisher around the basket and has a soft touch on his jump shot Williamson is also a very good rebounder and an outstanding Defensive Player He has the potential to be an All-Star caliber player and a future superstar in the NBA.

The Bad: Part 2

In this second part of our series on the bad NBA Draft picks, we take a look at some more of the worst picks in recent years From reach picks to busts, these are the players that teams wish they could have back.

2013 – Anthony Bennett (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Bennett was supposed to be a franchise player for the Cavaliers, but he turned out to be a major bust. He averaged just 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season, and he was out of the league after just four seasons.

2014 – Noah Vonleh ( Charlotte Hornets)

Vonleh was supposed to be a key piece for the Hornets, but he failed to live up to expectations. He averaged just 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his three seasons with the team before being traded away.

2015 – Kevon Looney (Golden State Warriors)

Looney was supposed to be a key part of the Warriors’ future, but he has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He has played in just 54 games over the last two seasons, and it remains to be seen if he will ever be able to reach his full potential.

The Ugly: Part 2

In the NBA Draft there are always a few picks that stand out as being particularly bad. In this article, we will take a look at some of the worst picks in recent history, including a few busts and some players who just never lived up to their potential.

Xavier Henry (12th pick in 2010): A highly touted prospect out of Kansas, Henry was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies 12th overall in 2010. He played just two seasons with the Grizzlies before being traded to the New Orleans Hornets, and he lasted just one season with them as well. In total, Henry played four seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.1 points per game before he was out of the league for good.

has been out of the NBA for several years now.

Markieff Morris (13th pick in 2011): Markieff Morris was drafted by the Phoenix Suns 13th overall in 2011 after a successful college career at Kansas. He looked like he might be a solid player for the Suns, but he was never able to develop into anything more than a role player He was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards where he had a couple of decent seasons before falling out of favor and getting traded again, this time to the Toronto Raptors He spent just one season with the Raptors before getting waived and signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder He was recently bought out by the Thunder and is now a free agent

Greg Monroe (7th pick in 2010): Greg Monroe was drafted by Detroit Pistons 7th overall in 2010 after a solid college career at Georgetown. He became an immediate starter for the Pistons and had some success early on in his career. However, his production began to decline in his third season and he has never really recovered since then. He is still with the Pistons but is no longer considered an important part of their team.

Tyler Honeycutt (35th pick in 2011): Tyler Honeycutt was drafted 35th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2011 after a successful college career at UCLA. However, he was never able to make an impact in the NBA and played just two seasons with Kings before getting waived. He briefly caught on with Houston Rockets but was waived after just six games. He has not been seen in the NBA since then and his career appears to be over

The Good: Part 3

In this series, we will be looking at the 58 NBA Draft picks from the 2017-2018 season We will be dividing them up into three categories: the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this final installment, we will be looking at the good.

These are the players that teams should be excited about. They have the potential to make an immediate impact and be a key piece for years to come. They may not all be superstars, but they have a chance to be very good players in this league.

TheGood:

1)Marvin Bagley III Duke: He is an elite rebounder with a ton of upside. He has the potential to be a star in this league.
2)Mohamed Bamba- Texas: He is one of the best shot blockers in recent memory. He has great size and length and could develop into a very good player
3)Luka Doncic Slovenia: He is one of the most polished prospects in recent memory. He has a High Basketball IQ and can do it all on the court. He has a chance to be a special player in this league

The Bad: Part 3

In Part Three of our three-part series on the baddest of the bad NBA draft picks, we take a look at the years 2007 and 2008.

These were two particularly weak drafts, highlighted by such total busts as Greg Oden Yi Jianlian, and Joe Alexander. In fact, many of the players taken in the top 10 of these drafts are no longer even in the league.

2007:
-1. Greg Oden (Blazers): After injuries derailed his career, Oden played in just 82 games over five seasons. He is now out of the league.
-2. Kevin Durant (Sonics): A total stud, and one of the best players in the league today. The only player from this draft that can be considered a true success story.
-3. Al Horford (Hawks): A very good player, but not someone who has lived up to being a top three pick.
-4. Mike Conley (Grizzlies): A serviceable point guard but nothing special.
-5. Yi Jianlian (Nets): Another total bust, Jianlian played just four seasons in the NBA before heading back to China, where he remains today.
-6. Brandon Wright (Warriors): Wright has had a decent career as a role player off the bench, but certainly nothing special.
-7. Corey Brewer ( Timberwolves): Another role player who has had a solid but unspectacular career thus far.
-8.. Joakim Noah (Bulls): A very good player and two-time All-Star, but someone who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.
-9.. Spencer Hawes (76ers): A journeyman who is currently on his ninth NBA team in 14 seasons.
10.. Acie Law (Hawks): Out of the league after just four seasons.

The Ugly: Part 3

In this final installment of our three-part series on the NBA draft we take a look at the ugly. These are the picks that made us cringe, the reaches that had us wondering what the front office was smoking, and the international prospects that disappeared without a trace.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to nitpick every single draft pick But some picks are so baffling in the moment that they deserve extra scrutiny. These are the picks that had us shaking our heads and asking, “What were they thinking?”

1. Anthony Bennett (2013, Cavaliers)
2. Darko Milicic (2003, Pistons)
3. Greg Oden (2007, Trail Blazers)
4. Hasheem Thabeet (2009, Grizzlies)
5. Jimmer Fredette (2011, Kings)
6. Jonathan Bender (1999, Raptors)
7.LaRue Martin (1972, Blazers)
8. Nikoloz Tskitishvili (2002, Nuggets)
9. Patrick Ewing Jr. (2008, Knicks)
10. Robert Traylor (1998, Mavericks)

Conclusion

It’s impossible to predict how any given player will perform in the NBA, but the draft provides a great opportunity for teams to improve their rosters. In the past 58 years, there have been some great picks (like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson), some good picks (like Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki), and some bad picks (like Sam Bowie and Darko Milicic). No matter how well a team does on draft night, there’s always a chance that their picks will turn out to be busts.