The players drafted from 2020 to 2022 are still young and have plenty of time to turn things around if their career hasn’t started off well. So I’m asking you to go out a limb: which player drafted in that span are you willing to 100% take it to the bank say is a bust? You have to be willing to eat your words if you’re wrong and that player turns it around. I’m not including 2023 because it seems wrong to call a player a bust before they’ve played a single regular season game.
I guess the most obvious answer to this James Wiseman. He already busted for the Warriors, he was terrible in a few injury plagued seasons for them and they didn’t even get a lot by trading him away. Especially considering they could have had LaMelo Ball. He could turn it around in Detroit, but it’s not been a good start for him.
Which player are you 100% certain is a bust already? And are you willing to eat crow if you’re wrong?
There are quite a few players, including Bouknight and Jones, Keon Johnson, Leandro Bolmaro, Isaiah Todd. Nobody in 2022 because one year is not enough to judge.
Primo obviously is a bust for the Spurs. No way around that.
Jalen Smith was a horrendous pick for where he was drafted with what was behind him and with the fact Ayton was already a Sun, but isn’t a bust.
Jalen Smith is the worst crime as of yet attributable to James Jones’ experience-oriented draft policy. JJ only wants to bring in guys who are ready to contribute on day 1, typically older, polished prospects with defined skills and roles.
But passing up on Vassell and Haliburton for Jalen Smith bordered on negligence. Looks even worse now then it did then, and it looked plenty bad then.
Jones sort of lucked out with Cam Johnson in 2019, amid a pretty poor talent pool at the back end of the lottery.
As soon as the Suns Durant-era is over and we start drafting again, JJ is cooked.