NBA Draft - Worst #3 Picks Since 1980

Worst #3 Picks since 1980

3.  Dennis Hopson, New Jersey Nets, 1987, from Ohio State (5 seasons, 10.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg) - The #3 pick has generally been solid, so it may be a surprise to see Hopson appear on the list.  He could always score, but his NBA career fizzled out after 5 seasons and he played overseas from that point on.  The Nets were looking for a shooter in their backcourt in 1987 and the correct answer would have been Reggie Miller from UCLA.

2.  Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats, 2006, from Gonzaga (161 games, 7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg) - The next Larry Bird?  Well, we are still waiting on that.  When he fell to the floor in tears after his last collegiate game, we did not realize he was crying about his upcoming NBA career.  Morrison shot an un-Bird like 37% from the field and shot himself right out of the league.  Rudy Gay of Connecticut would have been the better selection in hindsight. 

1.  Chris Washburn, Golden State Warriors, 1986, from North Carolina State (72 games, 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.3 apg) - The 1986 NBA Draft was chalk full of troubled individuals - Len Bias, Washburn, William Bedford, Roy Tarpley - all selected in the Top 7.  Washburn's career started off with knee problems and cocaine abuse manifested itself and took him straight out of the league when he was banned for life in 1989 after a 3rd failed drug test.  The positive news is that Washburn is now clean and owns Washburn's Wings and More in Hickory, North Carolina.