Ranking the Worst Busts in NBA History

NBA Busts, that word gets thrown around all the time to draft picks of past classes for many reasons. Injuries taking over their career that hindered their development, never being able to find your footing in the league, being drafted too high in hindsight and having unbelievable expectations being thrusted upon you. Among many many others. But as we’ve ended the 76 NBA Season, I think it’s time to look over 7 of some of the most infamous and weirdest highly touted recent draft picks, see why they became busts, and rank them on a tier list to see just who is the worst of the worst of the NBA Draft Busts.
Chapters:
0:00 - 1:13 Intro
1:13 - 4:27 Jahlil Okafor
4:27 - 7:40 Hasheem Thabeet
7:40 - 11:04 Derrick Williams
11:04 - 13:42 Wesley Johnson
13:42 - 17:00 Anthony Bennett
17:00 - 19:55 Michael Kidd Gilchrist
19:55 - 22:52 Dragan Bender
22:52 - 23:46 Conclusion
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[@Alvini_Linguine]

You know the drill, name me some more BUSTS to talk about if we reach the like goal! 😈 Follow Me On: Instagram: instagram.com/_alvini_/ Twitter: twitter.com/Alvini_Linguine Twitch: www.twitch.tv/alvini_linguine All Links: linktr.ee/Alvini_Linguine

[@BigJackMack]

wheres wemby?

[@mantistoboggan828]

@@BigJackMack He’s played 2 fuckin (summer league) games man chill lol

[@coinboy_coin]

James Wiseman...

[@BigJackMack]

Brick Simmons Zion Williamson Jan Vesley

[@BigJackMack]

@nickpaul241 try me

[@doesnotexist305]

Anthony Bennett is the wildest one. Everyone thought he was a bust the moment David Stern said his name on draft night.

[@FormalCarrot1]

He shouldn’t have been drafted that high. Nobody was expecting it, even himself.

[@CloakUnknown]

@@FormalCarrot1 The commentator yelling "Woah" after he got drafted

[@MoralesCorner]

I've never seen a number one pick come out of nowhere like that

[@doesnotexist305]

@@CloakUnknown Bill Simmons lol. Moment was so legendary that it made it on 2K 😂

[@Zaghzackio]

Nah FR I'm from Canada and followed Bennets Career closely and even I knew that was a Massive Reach 😂

[@EnTiempo824]

The Okafor one is crazy because it’s like the league didn’t want to give him a chance. I think he had a small stint with Brooklyn that showed potential with him coming off the bench, like a Montrez role when he was in LAC.

[@Romanus-]

Bad timing. If he was 10 years younger he’d prob have been a perennial all star. When he was drafted was when everyone was looking for spacing, mobile centers who could shoot and the back to the basket, offense only centers were dying out. Sucks for him but the timing was terrible

[@EnTiempo824]

@@Romanus- This isn’t anything new for me, because they were already saying this when I was watching, but again it’s like they didn’t even give him a chance. Considering that Montrez Harrell was also in the league but much smaller.

[@-Oval]

BABE WAKE UP NEW ALVINI LINGUINE 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@BigJackMack]

You don’t got no bitches

[@myrusEW]

“Nigha who???”

[@b-lavish6154]

🤖

[@jomantis5]

Thanks for waking me up my love 😘

[@DirtyDev]

I wonder where these type of comments originate from

[@crazyand2099]

Honestly Jahlil Okafor could be a serviceable NBA player, inside scoring is still needed and he provides a ton of that.

[@InfiniteCoreXD]

He had a good rookie year they just chose embiid

[@FilledWithDetermination]

Id love to see him make a comeback, cool to see top picks that are able to come back from getting humbled like that.

[@Ehloheim]

okafor to the nuggets

[@FilledWithDetermination]

@@Ehloheim That would be pretty cool, dont him and Jokix play the same position tho?? I'd wanna see what he could do with Jokic as his playmaker, with today's league im sure they could fit some twin towers lineups in, was he good on D? cuz ik Jokics D is his weakness.

[@Alvini_Linguine]

I could see him as a bench specialist. Like a Montrezl Harrell type when he was with the Clippers. All buckets, not a lot of defense. Just abuse 2nd units

[@nenish]

It truly amazes as a blazer fan how many busts the organization has chosen over all time talent, let’s hope scoot isn’t one of those busts Please 😂

[@alexnguyen1284]

hornets

[@cabriskus4700]

Nah scoot is nice

[@doesnotexist305]

To be fair the Sixers drafted Fultz, Okafor, traded for Nerlens Noel, and I’m willing to hear arguments on Ben Simmons being a bust too

[@mashii1]

i trust scoot will be good for yall. like dame, scoot has that dawg in him, so even if the development team isnt the best, he'll still get better and better cuz thats who he is

[@annaliseazura]

Scoot will be fine. Pretty sure Charlotte was sending the entire state of Oregon an early Christmas gift

[@onemanonevote4223]

Wesley Johnson should be higher. All these other guys got really one shot bc they were offensive specialist and they weren’t the number one guys in the nba. But Wesley got lots of runs and didn’t shine one time 😂 it’s crazy. Every time he went to a team I thought my maybe we are going to see why he was drafted 4th. You should do a video about the worst drafting teams or worst development team . T wolves have to be too 5.

[@annaliseazura]

I legit can't remember a single thing Wesley Johnson did in the NBA outside of Harden making him fall on his ass

[@jacobpintos6398]

Mt. Bustmore for me will always be Kwame, Darko, Bennet, Bender, and the Minnesota Timberwolves logo

[@andymancan_]

💀

[@saul-goodman]

I had Jahlil for ROTY before he got injured. It's a shame he never recovered since Embiid debuted the next season

[@janiskrumins9979]

Loved the video! btw Jahlil Okafor signed with Spanish ACB team Zaragoza (13th last season) 2 days ago.

[@rapgodreloaded9259]

I would put Jalil Okafor in the Greg Oden tier

[@vinceh1120]

Bro these videos are unbelievably gas. That ROLL IT on the intro gets me bricked up

[@Alvini_Linguine]

I don’t know whether to say thank you or report for sexual harassment (kidding ofc 😭😂)

[@matthewboyd4637]

I wanna see Jahlil Okafor go to the Euroleague and put up absurd numbers

[@Alvini_Linguine]

See he’d probably be cooked up there. You’d be surprised how a lot of NBA players don’t succeed up there.

[@leond.2147]

@@Alvini_Linguine Jahlil would be a pretty good euroleague player i think

[@EthanIzeta]

@@leond.2147 he could be something the same way he could have been something in the nba, saying that jahlil can just go to any european league much less the euroleague and put up absurd numbers is stupid not only because he's nothing special and there's lots of players just like him who have a better touch around the basket but because european basketball and american basketball are almost two different sports plays aren't made for players in europe they're made for the team so putting up absurd numbers is unheard of.

[@jomantis5]

He should go to the cba. He’d def put up crazy stats over there

[@velikikurac2237]

Euroleague is not the place to go put up absurd numbers. The best scorers in the Euroleague don’t even average 20 ppg

[@leo_wentzel]

Didn't Embiid not play basketball till he was 14? Crazy turnaround for him

[@theblacksoldier2725]

Embiid started at 15

[@amaze_z1953]

He plays in the playoffs like he's still 14

[@MalachiFlynnfan38]

@@amaze_z1953 Fraud MVP bro

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Honestly the fact he missed the first two seasons of his NBA career seems good in hindsight. The fact he was able to grow more as a player and train while getting himself back up would’ve probably been better than to throw him right into the NBA world immediately. Plus he had the motor to be better, which he talks about a lot in interviews

[@frankmerlino336]

He originally played soccer which probably translated well physically as he learned to be nimble with his feet

[@anthonytrevino3191]

Man Okafor drew the luck of coming into league at the same year the nba with change warriors/three point era where players like him were getting moved on from. Could say same for Drummond but he got there a bit before

[@ddotmargiela8285]

A drunk Alvini can guard Anthony Bennett 😂

[@therealmcromano319]

Common theme with all these players is they had a really bad assist to turnover ratio coming into the league. If you aren’t at least a competent passer teams will exploit that aspect of your game quickly.

[@Andarus]

MKG was the right pick for Charlotte at the time. I remember thinking "Damn, Charlotte finally picked the right guy.

[@coiler3927]

If you're doing past busts, Sam Bowie doesn't deserve to be considered one. He had a decade long career despite massive injuries and started for playoff teams. Drop him a few spots behind Jordan and no one would care.

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

17:21-17:23 is one of the better shot forms of his 🤣

[@Crionicsmasher]

There was an honest take on Jalil I respect the knowledge.

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Born at the wrong time man. Just straight up didn't fit the meta at all. If he went overseas he'd be a MONSTER in the Euroleague with his moves.

[@JayTeeAyy]

If only Wesley Johnson was on that Syracuse team with Jonny Flynn where they went 6 overtimes against Kemba Walker and Hasheem Thabeet

[@asahihardy962]

first time here, and that intro went hard

[@memeeater420]

You gotta make a part 2 for this. Don't forget Karme Brown, Greg Oden, Josh Jackson, and in my opinion, the worst draft bust (because it was no.2 in 2003 draft class), Darko Milicic.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

None of them are Frédéric Weis.

[@zache5486]

So we are talking 2010s, but I feel like you can’t do busts and not talk about 2003: 1) Lebron 2) Darko Milicic 3) Carmelo Anthony 4) Chris Bosh 5) Dwayne Wade Huge whiff by Detroit there.

[@Alvini_Linguine]

If we get to the like goal, I got you with older selections 🤫😈

[@neilbryanbucsit197]

The thing about MKG is that they tried to mold him to that lead man role which obviously isn't his game guys like Andrei Kirilenko and Ricky Rubio are also guys that if you put them at that lead role they will fail massively good thing their teams realized that

[@Harrison244]

I’m a hornets fan you could basically put any decision MJ makes on here

[@menso541]

Where in tf is Michael Olowwokandi? Where is Darko? Where is Adam Morrison? This should be titled busts from the last 10 years smh

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Part two 🤔🤫

[@niki8280]

About drafting players who only started playing basketball later in life, Tim Duncan turned out fine.

[@pv2639]

I think it kinda hepls for big men to go through their growth spurt before fully committing full time to baskeball. Imrpoves their overall balance and makes them less injury prone.

[@johnjones9901]

Damn never realized how trash the 2013 NBA draft was.

[@RomnysGonzalez]

If Okafor learned how to pass the rock from the post. He would be a beast DWill needed to become what AG turn becoming.

[@seanthompson1950]

Lets get it!

[@kevontesnop8770]

Worst bust of all time is a scretch for jahlil Okafor imo

[@Alvini_Linguine]

You’d be surprised how people talk about him for getting kicked out the league so soon 😭

[@FlashDust]

Where’s Ben Simmons?

[@skateboardinguitaris]

James Wiseman not being here is a crime Maybe i have recency bias... but how the FUCK can you be 7'1" and can't rebound?

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

Ay mane, you got the rank game on LOCK. Salute to you, a true inspiration for aspiring consumers such as myself.

[@alijahtucker4673]

your content gets me through these sport less months I stg

[@Alvini_Linguine]

I’m happy to hear that 🙏😁

[@gmon3y46]

You forgot Josh Jackson…and Alex Len…high draft picks that turned out horrible and barely staying in the league

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Don’t worry, a part two may happen 😈

[@aidendegoat890]

Drazen looks like he sells me gum at school for $1 and says its an investment

[@i_fuze_hostages6]

😂

[@RomnysGonzalez]

After remembering Hasheen the bust i can say with confidence. Wemby is 7'5 MKG always makes me laugh because i remember how the Hornets justified the pick saying they picked him because his leadership, his intangibles and how he does everything and dirty work on the court. He's a players stats can't comprehend and give a true value to the team. I was laughing and saying "NAH BRO. You lying. Stop with this bullshit excuses. You got scam and you just can't accept it just yet. He's cheeks. We all knew it. He's a late 1st round pick". And then he arrival to Charlotte/Hornets and what he did? NOTHING. He was the most reserved,quiet,chill and distant from the team player. He didn't talked with many, didn't set the tone, didn't got intensity, didn't got the dog attitude. Didn't lead inside or outside the locker room. he was invisible.

[@CashColorCannabis]

If you were drafted by Philly, you were not a bust. You were the victim of "the process"

[@terryscarborough2569]

Please expand the image to fit the entire screen!!

[@jmu76featuring61]

Jahlil was bad luck bad timing..imagine training your whole life to be the best growing up in the 2000s only for the game to change

[@guillermogutierrezarmenta7107]

Markhelle fultz is what Ben simmons could be if he took his situation and made something out of it,hell i can see Mark being a productive player,so i wouldnt say a bust,he is proving alot of haters wrong...

[@gugurupurasudaikirai7620]

Okafor was more a victim of being born in the wrong era and being drafted by Philly during the Process. He'd have been an All Star if he was drafted 15-20 years earlier

[@CommonTro]

I feel like twelves either draft really bad or they just can’t seem to develop good young talent. Twovles are always on these kind of lists lmao

[@FlibbenMcg]

Another guy that fits the Wesley Johnson mold of everything about them screams nba player but they just cant do it, Anthony Randolph. Every year he was finally going to figure it out, every Summer League, he absolutely dominated, and every year he was just disappointing.

[@grafail1946_]

Real ones remember how crazy Wesley Johnson was in 2k17

[@carltonjones3796]

#1 Simmons BUST #1 Fultz BUST #3 Okafor BUST

[@jordanjohnson1019]

Fultz is not a bust

[@i_fuze_hostages6]

Fultz is reviving his career in Orlando

[@EthanIzeta]

@@jordanjohnson1019 Fultz is a much bigger bust than Simmons is

[@jacobpintos6398]

@@EthanIzeta Idk, Simmons had a better early career, but it didn't last too long and Shenghai is calling his name if he doesn't turn things around by the end of his contract. Fultz is still a pretty decent player nowadays, and his problems were due to an injury that the 76ers mishandled.

[@YeTi_Payne]

New Alvini Linguine 😢

[@bloodorange6713]

Wembanyama will be on this list soon

[@PardonMyGenius]

Hakeem Olajuwon also started playing basketball at 15 so it’s really not that much of a red flag

[@badmontad]

Only remember wesley Johnson for getting crossed by james harden

[@jonathansykes4986]

Do we rank it based on their draft pick? If so, Anthony Bennet

[@noneofyourbusiness8349]

Arguable Anthony Bennett not a bust. Media already called it alltime weak draft. That rookie of the year michael carter williams out of the league. Giannis tool couple years to avg 20. Josh jackson and okafor were probably the worst busts. Compared to kawhi and tim duncan by media. Potential bust right now is chet holmgren. Media compared him to KD/AD. They made a fair comparison in banchero (randle).

[@jonathancarter5629]

Why this man putting his 🗑️ highlights in the intro 😂😂😂

[@bandjolyn]

Holy crap, Bennett only started 4 games? That's just sad.

[@Alvini_Linguine]

The beginning of the end came fast 😭

[@bandjolyn]

@@Alvini_Linguine Yea, no kidding. That pick was just profoundly bad lol.

[@pc3nation]

Jahlil Okafor lied to us all

[@Alvini_Linguine]

The NBA failed him 😔

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Um, Frédéric Weis? Greg Oden? Darko Milicic?

[@wesleyprince3465]

I'm a Boston fan so it might be blasphemy for me to admit this but I Lowkey almost feel bad for Philly fans. Look at their recent history post-Embiid draft, granted hindsight is obviously 2020 but still, they took: Okafor over Booker and Porzingis Simmons over Jaylen Brown and Ingram (can't argue it wasn't technically the right pick at the time but still) And Fultz over Tatum, Mitchell, D. Fox, or even Lauri Markannen....so in a perfect world, and if they signed Butler over Harris they coulda had: Embiid Butler And practically almost any 3 out Booker, Tatum, Porzingis, Brown, Ingram, Fox, etc. Particularly a lineup of Embiid, Butler, Tatum (or maybe Spida), Ingram (or maybe even Simmons still for that matter), and Porzingis probably would've won a title or two already depending on who they had initiating plays or running the point.

[@rastarecordsent]

Derrick Williams was always just a great dunker to me dets all

[@leoh1191]

Can we add Zion to the list

[@jacobway468]

No

[@i-work-at-enron]

Jahlil needs to get picked up by the Mavericks or Warriors, who desperately need a big man and inside scoring.

[@jacobway468]

Fuck no keep him away from Dallas

[@taylorpeck5517]

Could do this strictly from wolves players

[@taylorpeck5517]

Edit im 11 minutes in and we're at 2 already 😆

[@jakebesser1155]

Jahlil Okafor was picked 1st and d lo and kat were not even in his draft class

[@xDreMack]

Bro what draft did you watch in 2015 because Kat definitely went #1 and D Lo was #2

[@tcllnsfmly]

Path to become an NBA bust 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@fleyedd1479]

Bro…MKG couldn’t stay healthy. So where’s Oden?

[@Jacob-gz8jt]

Timberwolves keep taking L’s, damn

[@IssaiahFAZO]

why is ben simmons not on this list

[@triton423]

Probably because he was the ROTY, he’s been a 3x all star, and he’s still only 26

[@Chris-ve7gy]

How can you make a draft bust video wothout mentioning the GOAT NBA draft bust Chris Washburn. He was drafted 3rd overall and was out of the league after 2 seasons. After that, he was eating out of trash cans and selling drugs. He went to prison and he was playing on the BENCH for his PRISON team.

[@RandomShowerThoughts]

Bennett is the biggest bust in nba history

[@austinneveau9387]

ben simmons s tier bust

[@jacobway468]

How

[@yasesannnn]

Cody Zeller?

[@Chrisp707-]

Jhalil technically wasn’t a bust. The nba literally didn’t give him a chance.

[@jacobway468]

Yes he was

[@queenville2527]

where is lonzo ball?

[@johnnydepp4866]

Will Sam Bowie be here

[@jacobway468]

No

[@subzerofromny735]

You forgot to add Ben Simmons

[@cyberpsykoh6686]

He just lost his conference bro, it’s a mental thing.

[@jacobpintos6398]

​@@cyberpsykoh6686 Even before the Atlanta series, he never improved as a player from his rookie year, and scouts noted that he lacked a motor. It just seems like he was only interested in becoming a good enough basketball player to get rich and famous, and he's coasting because he accomplished what he came for. I don't knock him for working a job strictly for the paycheck, but I doubt he's going to become a better basketball player in the future.

[@rayrayschnapps8217]

hakeem didnt play basketball till he was 15 either that clearly doesnt matter at all.

[@Alvini_Linguine]

He also has a background in soccer (footwork), and actually wanted to play. Thabeet and Olowakandi both said they didn’t care for the sport like that and it was mainly a job to support their people, so ofc getting better wasn’t the objective. Recent example in Tacko Fall quite literally said he’d rather work at Google than a basketball player. But obviously basketball pays the bills more. There are levels to this, but obviously I don’t want to go too in-depth on that issue. Just a general rule of thumb, and there is always exceptions to the rule.

[@rayrayschnapps8217]

@@Alvini_Linguine Olowakandi played soccer too... when they started basketball is mostly irrelevant. Embiid also started at 15. giannis at 13 or 14

[@jamesbridgewater9195]

wouldn't these be the BEST busts?

[@Postoasted]

Ben Simmons?

[@xOneCinema]

1:14

[@longride7234]

2-3 yrs later.. wemby bust on the way

[@kietdo1997]

Where is kwayme brown

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Part two 🤔🤫

[@user-oi1iq6tt4j]

Big men were slower in the past ? 😆 No

[@Ace-sd2ez]

ben simons is a fucking bust

[@08C6PaceCar]

Kwame Brown, Greg Oden

[@rjamestorres717]

Okafor better than simmons 10000x

[@lyn5165]

Hello

[@samuelmorris1461]

😅

[@brotjack]

My #1 all-time bona fide SCRUB is BEN SIMMONS

[@matthewjackson9908]

Darko

[@notacat7127]

Just tired of regular people talking about athletes being bust when none of y’all made it anywhere

[@Alvini_Linguine]

Played college basketball if that means anything 😂

[@notacat7127]

@@Alvini_Linguine hey I didn’t mean you just regular people that don’t cover sports or are rich as hell you know? You got this whole media aspect

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

This is such a childiah attitude. You don't have to be able to play basketball at a high level to see some people can't play basketball at a high level.

[@axelmercedes]

Ben Simons is SSS tier

[@rockstar42021]

Derrick Williams was trash dark time for my Knicks

[@nbarealtalker]

Ben Simmons the late bloomer bust is #1.

[@isilveri1528]

Let’s not forget Anthony bennett was a god in the summer league 😭

[@christianwoodward1695]

i do feel that many of these players could have had much better careers had they been drafted later and not stuck with the "bust" tag

[@Alvini_Linguine]

It doesn’t help that the organizations saw something in them to draft them that high in the first place 😭. But you’re absolutely right

[@happypencil333]

Ben Simmons ?

[@jacobway468]

Not a bust

[@happypencil333]

@@jacobway468 man’s astronomically ass how is he not a bust

[@bwareist]

@@jacobway468 He is absolutely a bust, what are you talking about?

[@jacobway468]

@@bwareist 3x all star, steal leader, all nba, 2x all defense