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The NBA draft is a yearly event, each year there is a new class of prospects that fans cannot wait to see them play on the big stage. The question as to who will go number one changes from year to year sometimes it is a no brainer, and sometimes there is a debate on who will get taken. Each year the pressure grows for players to live up to their hype, teams will make significant roster changes to get a particular player in the draft and have him develop into the player he is meant to be. That does not go as planned sometimes as players do not live up to the hype and become draft bust. Here five NBA players that could be considered draft busts.
5.Dante Exum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR5ORpdxFI8
Position: Point Guard
Draft: 2O14 Draft, 1st round pick 5 (Utah Jazz)
Current Team: Utah Jazz
Dante Exum was the first point guard taken in that draft class. It was planned that he would get the start over Trey Burke as time progressed, but the thing is he never really improved. In his first year at Utah, he averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 assists per game in 22 minutes and 82 games. In his draft report, he was compared to Penny Hardaway. It was said that he moves well without the ball, able to create for him and his teammates and that with his size, he can cover a lot of ground on the defensive side. Exum would not develop the way he wanted; he’s had some injuries that would keep from getting minutes, but he has not been the star that Utah wanted him to be.
4.Josh Jackson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hLRo5iQec
Position: Small Forward
Draft: 2017, 1st round pick 4 (Phoenix Suns)
Current Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Josh Jackson played one season at Kansas before declaring for the draft. Known for his athleticism and the defensive game he was on NBA teams radars. The thing was Jackson could not stay out of trouble off the court. Jackson was drafted to the Suns looking to take his game to the next level. He got selected to a team that did not know what direction it wanted to go in. Jackson could not develop the way he was supposed to. Jackson would average 13 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and a steal per game in his rookie year. But again he was on a lousy team that did not know what direction it wanted to go in and his off-court troubles are keeping him from being the player he is meant to be. His draft report labeled him as an edgy, explosive, emotional type of player. With an erratic jumper, he was traded to the Grizzlies and will look to have more of an impact there.
3.Dragan Bender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruLOeVBQpDo
Position: Power Forward
Draft: 2016, 1st round pick 4 (Phoenix Suns)
Current Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Dragan Bender was taken fourth in the 2016 draft, the 7-foot big man was said to be an improving shooter that can put the ball on the floor. His problems were that opposing big men would be able to bully him down low. He was expected to at some point be the starting power forward but did not develop the way the Suns needed him to grow. In his rookie year, he averaged 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on just 13 minutes per game and in 43 games. He still has not been able to grow into the player he can be as he did not average anything over 7 points per game. He was traded to the Bucks and will look to contribute there.
2.Jahlil Okafor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuV7PI4dIg
Position: Center
Draft: 2015, 1st round pick 3 (Philidelphia 76ers)
Current Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Jahlil Okafor was drafted to the 76ers who at the time were confused about their center situation. The 76ers had a log jam of centers taking three centers in three years. Nerlens Noel (2013), Joel Embiid (2014) and Jahlil Okafor (2015). The Sixers would put off that problem as Embiid was injured most for the first two years of his career, so he did not see minuets. But once he came back there was a battle as to who would be the cornerstone in the franchise as Embiid progressed, Okafor was starting to lose that edge he had. Okafor in his rookie year averaged an excellent 17.5 points per game and grabbing seven rebounds per game on 30 minutes a game in 53 games. Okafor would not put those numbers up again he would eventually get traded to Brooklyn where he still could not put up substantial numbers averaging about 6 points per game, and now the Pelicans will try to keep him.
1.Andrew Wiggins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uOZk1z-sxg
Position: Small Forward
Draft: 2014, 1st round pick 3 (Cleavland Cavaliers )
Current Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Andrew Wiggins was a part of the deal that gave the Cavaliers Kevin Love. Wiggins is on this list because he has been in the league six years and has not really done much for the Timberwolves. Wiggins has put up good numbers averaging 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. But has not really proven that he could change a franchise and help a team win. In the years that Wiggins has been there he the Timberwolves only made the playoffs once. Now the team is not stacked, and they are playing in the West, which is stacked with excellent teams. But Wiggins was given a five year $148 million extensions in 2017, and he has not shown he is worth that money. Wiggins is a great athlete, but his defense needs more work his jump shooting he is working on it, and there are talks about trading him.
