As teams are getting ready for the NBA draft, it is a good time to remind ourselves that the No.1 pick doesn’t always end up a great player. Sometimes, there is plenty of hype for players, but they end up with an average career. Now, that doesn’t mean they are not good players. For example, if Ben Simmons was drafted 20th overall, we would be talking about him in a whole different light. But being the No. 1 overall adds a lot of pressure and expectations. With that in mind, here are the most disappointing No.1 NBA picks in recent years in no particular order.
Stars Turned Average: Most Disappointing No.1 NBA Picks
When teams get the No.1 pick, they often expect a difference maker, a star that will change the fortune of the franchise. But as we can see, that is not always the case. Even a player who has star potential can turn into one of the most disappointing No.1 NBA picks. We are not talking about busts like Kwame Brown here. He was never projected as a star player, or Anthony Bennett, who was a surprise No.1 pick. This list is about players who were projected to be huge stars, but several factors contributed to their having a disappointing career.
Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz was considered a great college player. Playing for the Washington Huskies, he took over when Dejounte Murray declared for the 2016 NBA draft. During the 2016-17 season, Fultz had one of the best freshman seasons in all Pac-12 conference history. His team went 9-22, but he averaged 23.2 points, good for second in Huskies history. With the way the league was going towards guards, many executives viewed him as a surefire star.
Fultz’s full averages during his freshman season were 23.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 35.7 minutes. Those numbers are star material. Scouts were drawn by his athleticism, creative scoring instincts, and playmaking skills. So, the Philadelphia 76ers jumped on the opportunity to draft him. After two years, they couldn’t wait to get him out of town.
Fultz enjoyed a brief revival during his sixth season in the league with Orlando when he averaged 14 points in 29 minutes of action. It is not only that the Sixers drafted Fultz. The biggest disappointment is that they could have had Jayson Tatum. The Sixers had the third overall pick, but they made a trade with Boston to get the guard they wanted. Talk about a bad business decision. The Sixers sent a future draft pick to get Fultz and missed on Tatum.
Ben Simmons
This might hurt Sixers fans, but they could have had the Boston Celtics’ championship core. Instead, they drafted Ben Simmons and Fultz in consecutive years. To be fair, Simmons was widely regarded as the best player in the 2016 draft. People around the league praised his passing ability and court vision, as well as his size and defensive ability. The problem with Simmons is that he never added new skills. Some people viewed him as a light version of Magic Johnson with his passing ability.
Simmons is maybe the best example of the most disappointing No.1 NBA picks who could have had a great career without the pressure. Think of Simmons as the 20th pick in that draft. His defensive ability and passing could have led him to a decent career. But because he was drafted No.1 overall, he had to face the pressure of carrying a franchise. Simmons made three All-Star teams with the Sixers before shockingly declining in the 2021-22 season.
Greg Oden
Greg Oden had one of the most unfortunate careers in league history. His body gave up on him way, way too soon. During his college years, he was a legit center who would have been a real force in the paint in the league. Even Steve Kerr, now a coach for the Warriors, called Oden “a once-in-a-decade player”.
The biggest problem for Oden was who he was drafted before. Similar to how people remember Sam Bowie for being drafted before Michael Jordan, many look at Oden as the guy drafted before Kevin Durant. Notably, Oden and Durant were the first freshmen voted to the All-American First team since 1990.
Here is another aspect of how dominant Oden was projected to be. Throughout his high school and college career, he never lost a home game. Due to injuries, he played 105 games in the league, never reaching his full potential. One more interesting fact about Oden. During his college career, he was a teammate with Mike Conley at Ohio State. Conley is still playing in the league.
DeAndre Ayton
DeAndre Ayton has been in the league for seven years. In each year, he has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds. Yet, he has never made an All-NBA team, All-Star, or anything similar. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. In what might be the deepest draft in the last several years, the Suns used their No.1 pick on a center who hasn’t been as impactful.
That draft class also had Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and even Jaren Jackson Jr. We cannot say Ayton is a bust, but for a No. 1 pick, he has had a disappointing career so far.
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson is only 24 years old. He has more than enough time to regain confidence and turn his career around. Up until now, however, that hasn’t been the case. Leading up to the draft, people considered him the top player. What was so special about Zion was that there was no perfect comparison for his skill set. His ball handling, footwork in the paint, strength, power, and finesse make him a dangerous offensive player. Sadly, Zion looks like he hasn’t been fully devoted to his NBA career.
When an NBA team puts a weight clause in your contract, things are not looking great. But there is still more than enough time for Zion to turn things around. That might be the reason why the Pelicans are reluctant to trade him, they are afraid they might miss a great player. If Zion can stay healthy, he’ll surely won’t be on this list for much longer.
Michael Olowokandi
Let’s go a bit back in time with this one. Michael Olowokandi might be one of the worst No.1 picks ever. For now, let’s put him on the most disappointing No.1 NBA picks. However, there is a perfectly logical reason why he was selected Number one overall.
Olowokandi came into the league when Shaquille O’Neal was changing the game. Leading up to the 1998 draft, Shaq was in peak form and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Standing at 7-foot-1 and averaging 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks as a senior, Olowokandi looked like someone who could guard Shaq. So, the Clippers used their No.1 pick to get someone who can go against Shaq. That was never the case, as Shaq dominated the matchup.
Olowokandi never averaged more than 12.3 points per game in his career, finishing with a career average of 8.3 points. In that same 1998 draft, there were players like Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Andrea Bargnani
The 2006 draft is widely considered the worst in the last 25 years. Here is everything you need to know about that draft class. Six of the top 10 picks didn’t play more than eight years in the league. Two of them lasted only three years.
Even still, Andrea Bargnani remains one of the worst No. 1 overall picks in league history. He was a 7-footer who allowed guards to outrebound him. Andrea played no defense and only had a good jump shot in his prime. Notably, he never averaged more than 6.2 rebounds per game. His scoring numbers are skewed because he played on bad teams, and all he had was scoring.
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