The Best and Worst Draft Prospect on Every NBA GM's Resume
With the 2020 NBA draft on Wednesday, how confident should you be in your favorite team's ability to make the right pick?
For every selection a general manager gets right, there's likely far more that ultimately don't work out.
For the purpose of this exercise, a rookie acquired on draft night via trade is just as much a part of a GM's resume as a player drafted with the team's original pick. The package traded should always be considered, but nobody is going to tell the Atlanta Hawks GM he didn't draft Trae Young—even if he'll always be reminded of the player he sent away first.
While the vast majority of GMs have been in their position for years, six will be making their first career picks and thus not included:
- Marc Eversley, Chicago Bulls
- Calvin Booth, Denver Nuggets
- Troy Weaver, Detroit Pistons
- Rafael Stone, Houston Rockets
- Monte McNair, Sacramento Kings
- Brian Wright, San Antonio Spurs
For the remaining 25 general managers, these are the best and worst picks of their careers.
Travis Schlenk, Atlanta Hawks
1 of 24
Best Pick: PG Trae Young
While the Dallas Mavericks technically drafted Young, an agreed-upon draft-day trade meant that Schlenk gets credit for his selection here.
Some will (fairly) point to the fact that Schlenk selected Luka Doncic at No. 3 overall in 2018 and should have kept the Slovenian phenom instead, but Young has enjoyed a spectacular start to his career as well.
An All-Star starter already in year two, Young averaged 29.6 points and 9.3 assists as a sophomore, making him one of the league's best offensive talents already at age 22.
Worst Pick: PF Omari Spellman
Spellman, 23, could still carve out a long-term role as a reserve big, but his stay with the Hawks lasted just one season before Schlenk traded him to the Golden State Warriors.
His lone year in Atlanta consisted of 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game, primarily as a reserve.
With the final pick of the 2018 first round, the Hawks passed on Mitchell Robinson, Gary Trent Jr., De'Anthony Melton and Shake Milton for Spellman.
Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics
2 of 24
Best Pick: SF Jayson Tatum
Ainge has made a lot of smart selections since he took over the Celtics' front office in 2003, but the 2017 draft may be his best work to date.
Winning the No. 1 overall pick thanks to a previous trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Ainge traded the selection to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 pick and a 2019 first (Romeo Langford).
Tatum has blossomed into an All-Star in his third year, looking very much the part of a No. 1 scoring option on a championship-caliber team.
Worst Pick: SG James Young
With the 17th overall pick in 2014, Young was taken ahead of players like Nikola Jokic, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Spencer Dinwiddie.
While Young was billed as a scorer with size coming out of his freshman season at Kentucky, he struggled with his shot mightily for three years as a Celtic and was out of the league altogether after four.
With career averages of just 2.3 points on 36.7 percent shooting, Young was a bust and Ainge's worst pick in 17 years.
Sean Marks, Brooklyn Nets
3 of 24
Best Pick: C Jarrett Allen
Marks has done a masterful job of building one of the best teams in the East after inheriting a Brooklyn roster with few draft picks or young talent in 2016.
Allen, a dynamic shot-blocker who has developed into a high-efficiency finisher on the offensive end, was a fantastic value at No. 22 overall in 2017. Last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks and converted 64.9 percent of his shots.
While he may never be a diverse scorer or three-point shooter, Allen looks like he could anchor the Nets defense for the next decade.
Worst Pick: G/F Dzanan Musa
It's too early to write off Musa as a real contributor to an NBA roster at age 21, but he's done little in his first two professional seasons thus far.
Even if Marks didn't want to take Mitchell Robinson at 29th overall in 2018 after selecting Allen a year earlier, players like Devonte' Graham, Gary Trent Jr. or Shake Milton look like they would have been the smarter picks.
Musa has hit just 22.7 percent of his 88 career three-pointers to date, and it's hard to envision him getting a lot of playing time with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant back next season.
Mitch Kupchak, Charlotte Hornets
4 of 24
Best Pick: C Marc Gasol
Kupchak was the Los Angeles Lakers GM for 17 years before joining the Hornets in 2018, making mostly late first- and second-round picks thanks to L.A. regularly reaching the postseason.
While he selected players like Brandon Ingram, D'Angelo Russell, Andrew Bynum and others, getting Gasol in the second round (48th overall) in 2007 helped propel two franchises.
Gasol never played a game for the Lakers, instead serving as a centerpiece in a 2008 trade that brought brother Pau Gasol to L.A. The Lakers would win a pair of titles, while Kupchak's second-round pick would go on to become the best player in Memphis Grizzlies history.
Worst Pick: SG Javaris Crittenton
Now serving a 23-year sentence for pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2015, Crittenton was the 19th overall pick in the 2007 draft.
He spent just 22 games with the Lakers before being traded as part of the deal that brought Pau Gasol to L.A., spending time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards before being out of the NBA altogether after just two seasons.
Koby Altman, Cleveland Cavaliers
5 of 24
Best Pick: SG Kevin Porter Jr.
Altman has only made four total picks since taking over the Cavs' front office from David Griffin, with what appears to be two hits and two to be determined.
Collin Sexton looks like a smart selection at No. 8 overall in 2018, as he's already a 20-plus point-per-game scorer with a great work ethic.
If we're talking pure value, however, getting Porter 30th overall in 2019 was an absolute steal. The 6'4" wing showed off his scoring and playmaking chops last season, averaging 10.0 points on 44.2 percent shooting off the bench.
Worst Pick: N/A
Darius Garland had a disappointing rookie season after Altman took him fifth overall in 2019, but his vision and outside shooting mechanics could mean a nice bounce-back sophomore campaign.
We can't know if Dylan Windler was a bad pick or not, but the 26th overall selection in 2019 missed his entire rookie season because of injury. Already 24, he's yet to play in an NBA game for a Cavs team that needs floor-spacing wings.
Regardless, the jury is still out.
Donnie Nelson, Dallas Mavericks
6 of 24
Best Pick: PG Luka Doncic
Doncic is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, so getting him with the third overall pick in 2018 was an absolute steal.
The Mavericks agreed to trade up two spots from No. 5 by including a 2019 first-rounder for Doncic in a draft-day trade. Of course, the 2018 first-rounder was Trae Young.
Averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.0 steal in his first two seasons, Doncic is already one of the NBA's best players at age 21.
Worst Pick: SG Justin Anderson
Anderson has bounced around four teams in his five pro seasons after being selected 21st overall by Nelson in 2015.
Playing just 106 games for the Mavericks, Anderson put up 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in his 12.8 minutes.
Larry Nance Jr., Josh Richardson and Montrezl Harrell were all still on the board for Dallas at the time.
Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors
7 of 24
Best Pick: PF Draymond Green
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were already on the roster by the time Myers took over as GM, and he completed the team's core by taking Green in the second round (35th overall) in 2012.
Even after holding the No. 7 overall pick (Harrison Barnes) in the same draft, Green would end up being the best pick Myers has ever made.
A three-time All-Star, three-time champion and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, Green is one of the best second-round picks of the decade.
Worst Pick: SG Jacob Evans
Evans was a first-round pick in 2018, going No. 28 overall out of Cincinnati.
Although he's just two years into his career, shooting marks of 33.7 percent overall and 31.5 percent from three have been disappointing.
Lasting just a season-and-a-half in Golden State, Evans was part of the trade that sent D'Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Chad Buchanan, Indiana Pacers
8 of 24
Best Pick: PG Aaron Holiday
While running three total drafts, Buchanan has never picked above 18th overall. This hasn't stopped him from finding value, however, as evidenced by getting Holiday 23rd overall in 2018.
After an uninspiring rookie season, Holiday averaged 9.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists and shot 39.4 percent from three this past year, starting 33 games for the Pacers.
Although Buchanan was instrumental in the scouting of Damian Lillard back in 2012 as Portland's interim general manager, Neil Olshey technically gets to claim the No. 6 pick.
Worst Pick: PG Nolan Smith
Following a successful four-year career at Duke, Smith was Buchanan's 21st overall pick with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2011.
The NBA game proved to be a little too much, however, as Smith lasted just two seasons and averaged 3.3 points and 1.2 assists in his 84 games.
Michael Winger, Los Angeles Clippers
9 of 24
Best Pick: PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Winger arranged for a draft-day trade to acquire Gilgeous-Alexander from the Charlotte Hornets, a move that would later set the table to land both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals as a rookie starter for the Clippers before being traded for George last offseason in a deal that would convince Leonard to sign as a free agent.
The 22-year-old has since bumped his scoring to 19.0 points per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder and looks like one of the league's best young guards.
Worst Pick: SG Jerome Robinson
Taken just two spots after Gilgeous-Alexander in 2018 at No. 13, Robinson has yet to make a similar NBA impact.
He averaged just 3.4 points per game as a rookie and was traded in a three-team deal to the Washington Wizards this past season that brought Marcus Morris Sr. to the Clippers.
Perhaps getting a bigger role with the Wizards will help, but L.A. passing on Michael Porter Jr., Kevin Huerter, Lonnie Walker IV and others still stings.
Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers
10 of 24
Best Pick: N/A
There isn't a single standout pick on Pelinka's resume, as he's mostly shined as a free-agent recruiter who has traded away the few draft selections that he's made.
Mo Wagner may qualify here as the 25th overall pick in 2018, but the former Michigan star averaged just 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds during his rookie season before being sent to the Washington Wizards prior to the Anthony Davis trade.
Worst Pick: PG Lonzo Ball
While Ball's Lakers career was short-lived, Pelinka passed on Jayson Tatum, De'Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo for the UCLA star.
Including any of those four in a deal for Davis would have meant having to give up far less overall, likely letting the Lakers keep extra first-round picks that they could be using now to further upgrade the team.
Ball lasted just two seasons in L.A. before being traded.
Zach Kleiman, Memphis Grizzlies
11 of 24
Best Pick: PG Ja Morant
Landing the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft completely changed the future for Kleiman and the Grizzlies, who had an obvious choice with Zion Williamson off the board.
Morant was the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year after averaging 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists and shooting 47.7 percent from the field. He's one of the most athletic guards in the league who nearly got the young Grizzlies in the playoffs in his first season.
Morant got Kleiman's front-office experience off to a perfect start.
Worst Pick: N/A
Kleiman has orchestrated just a single draft in Memphis, with Morant and Brandon Clarke as his only career picks. Both look like home runs.
He won't have much of an opportunity to make a bad pick in 2020, either, with the Grizzlies' first-rounder owed to the Boston Celtics and just the 40th overall pick left to use.
Andy Elisburg, Miami Heat
12 of 24
Best Pick: C Bam Adebayo
Elisburg has mostly nailed his draft picks in his seven years with the Heat.
From Adebayo to Tyler Herro to Josh Richardson (in the second round), the Heat have continued to nail whatever picks they actually end up keeping.
Adebayo, a first-time All-Star, gets the nod over Herro for now after averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 blocks. Elisburg somehow got him with the 14th overall pick in 2017.
Worst Pick: PG Shabazz Napier
Following a tremendous four-year stay at UConn, Napier was selected 24th overall in 2014 and traded to the Heat on draft night.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that Miami was trying to appease soon-to-be free agent LeBron James, who called Napier his favorite player in the draft at the time.
The selection was a failure on all accounts, as Napier averaged just 5.1 points on 38.2 percent shooting as a rookie before Miami traded him to the Orlando Magic after one season. James never even played with Napier, leaving the Heat for the Cleveland Cavaliers just weeks after the draft.
Jon Horst, Milwaukee Bucks
13 of 24
Best Pick: SG Donte DiVincenzo
Horst has only been in Milwaukee for two drafts, with his picks yielding different results.
DiVincenzo looks like the Bucks' shooting guard of the future, a 6'4" three-level scorer who Horst took 17th overall in 2018.
He improved his outside shooting quite a bit from year one to year two (26.5 percent to 33.6 percent), an area DiVincenzo will need continued growth.
Worst Pick: PF D.J. Wilson
Despite also being a 17th overall pick (in 2017), Wilson hasn't had the same impact on the Bucks as DiVincenzo, even with an extra year in Milwaukee.
Wilson has started just four games in three seasons, averaging 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds on 41.4 percent shooting. By selecting Wilson, Horst passed on John Collins, Jarrett Allen, OG Anunoby and Derrick White.
Scott Layden, Minnesota Timberwolves
14 of 24
Best Pick: SF Bryon Russell
Layden has been a GM dating back to 1989, leading the front office of the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite decades of experience, he hasn't made many notable picks.
Getting Russell with the 45th overall pick in 1993 was probably his best (apologies, Greg Ostertag), as the famous Michael Jordan victim ended up playing 13 years in the NBA.
Worst Pick: PF Michael Sweetney
Layden made Sweetney the ninth overall pick in 2003 after the 6'8", 275-pound center dominated at Georgetown.
Sweetney battled depression his rookie season, however, and would only end up playing four years in the NBA and just two with the Knicks.
In a legendary 2003 draft class at the top, Layden picked Sweetney over David West, Josh Howard, Kyle Korver and Mo Williams.
Trajan Langdon, New Orleans Pelicans
15 of 24
Best Pick: PF Zion Williamson
Langdon was named Pelicans GM in 2019, meaning he and David Griffin have only run one draft together.
Landing the No. 1 overall pick was a blessing in a year with a clear No. 1 talent, so Williamson was the obvious choice even with Ja Morant and RJ Barrett on the board.
While his rookie season lasted just 24 games because of injury, Williamson showed plenty of star potential with his explosiveness, strength and scoring ability by averaging 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting.
Worst Pick: G/F Nickeil Alexander-Walker
It's a toss-up here between Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes, as neither had a particularly impressive rookie season. However, both are still plenty young enough to develop into NBA starters.
Alexander-Walker averaged just 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds on 36.8 percent shooting from the floor, starting a single game for the Pelicans.
Scott Perry, New York Knicks
16 of 24
Best Pick: C Mitchell Robinson
RJ Barrett had a strong end to his rookie season, but he was supposed to be great after being selected No. 3 overall in 2019. Robinson was a diamond in the rough and a steal for Perry and the Knicks at No. 36 overall in 2018.
Robinson is coming off a season when he set the NBA record for field-goal percentage (74.2 percent), adding 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 23.1 minutes.
While still not a full-time starter yet, Robinson has been one of the better second-round picks of the past few drafts.
Worst Pick: F Kevin Knox
Perry passed on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr. and Mikal Bridges for Knox, arguably one of the NBA's worst players this past season.
Knox averaged 6.4 points on 35.9 percent shooting and could never carve out a consistent spot in New York's rotation and is dangerously close to getting the bust label already at age 21.
While his environment to grow in isn't ideal, Knox hasn't shown much potential to this point, either.
Sam Presti, Oklahoma City Thunder
17 of 24
Best Pick: SF Kevin Durant
No general manager has mastered the draft as well as Presti, possibly in league history.
Despite not ever owning a No. 1 overall pick, Presti has drafted three MVPs (Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden) and plenty of quality starters (Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka, Domantas Sabonis) since he took over operations in 2007.
While Durant wasn't a difficult choice at No. 2 in 2007, he'll ultimately go down as one of the best players of all time, an MVP, two-time Finals MVP and four-time scoring champion.
Worst Pick: PF Mitch McGary
Although Presti is close with the draft, no GM is perfect.
McGary, a 6'10" bruising power forward who was supposed to complement Durant in the frontcourt, was the 21st overall pick in 2014.
Instead, McGary lasted just two years in the NBA, missing time for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He averaged 4.4 points over 52 games.
John Hammond, Orlando Magic
18 of 24
Best Pick: PF Giannis Antetokounmpo
Before joining the Orlando Magic, Hammond served as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks for nine years.
Getting Antetokounmpo outside of the lottery in an incredibly weak 2013 draft class will go down as one of the all-time great selections, as the two-time MVP has since developed into one of the best players in the NBA.
Coming into the league as a lanky teenager who averaged 6.8 points per game as a rookie, Antetokounmpo's development has been nothing short of remarkable as he's put on nearly 50 pounds of muscle.
Worst Pick: F Joe Alexander
Before Antetokounmpo came to Milwaukee, Hammond took Alexander eighth overall in 2008.
By doing so, the Bucks missed out on drafting Brook Lopez, Serge Ibaka, Goran Dragic and George Hill.
Alexander would last just a single season in Milwaukee and just two before leaving the NBA altogether, averaging 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds over 67 games.
Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers
19 of 24
Best Pick: SG Matisse Thybulle
Despite a flurry of trades and free-agent signings orchestrated by Brand, the former NBA power forward has not actually made many picks so far.
Thybulle is one of the best young defenders in the NBA with his 6'5", 201-pound frame. While he may not ever contribute much on the offensive end, his 1.4 steals as a rookie were good for 17th overall in the league.
Worst Pick: SG Marial Shayok
Shayok played just 28 minutes all season after being taken 54th overall in 2019.
Already 25, Shayok will find minutes tough to come by on a 76ers team featuring a ton of talent and veterans ahead of him.
James Jones, Phoenix Suns
20 of 24
Best Pick: F Cameron Johnson
Jones agreed to trade back from No. 6 to No. 11 with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019, picking up Dario Saric in the process.
Johnson was already 23 at the time but showed promise this season as a floor-spacing forward next to center Deandre Ayton. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 50.0 percent in the Orlando bubble, helping Phoenix go 8-0.
Worst Pick: G Ty Jerome
There was hope Jerome could one day take over the starting point guard job from Ricky Rubio, but nothing in his rookie season looked that promising.
The 24th overall pick in 2019, Jerome averaged just 3.3 points and 1.4 assists as a rookie off the Phoenix bench.
Neil Olshey, Portland Trail Blazers
21 of 24
Best Pick: PG Damian Lillard
Olshey's first pick with the Blazers after previously running the Clippers front office became one of the best players in Portland history.
Getting Lillard at No. 6 overall in 2012 was a steal, especially when teams passed on him for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dion Waiters and Thomas Robinson.
Now a five-time All-Star and All-NBA member, Lillard is one of the NBA's best players.
Worst Pick: F Al-Farouq Aminu
While Aminu has carved out a solid NBA career thanks to his defense, picking him at No. 8 overall in 2010 was a reach.
Paul George, Gordon Hayward and Eric Bledsoe were all available at the time, and a George/Blake Griffin combo would have been one of the league's most exciting.
Bobby Webster, Toronto Raptors
22 of 24
Best Pick: C Dewan Hernandez
Webster and the Raptors have made just one selection overall the last two years, grabbing Hernandez with the 59th overall pick in 2019.
With veterans Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol already on the roster, Hernandez only saw action in six games (28 total minutes). He got much more court time in the G League, averaging 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes.
Worst Pick: N/A
Justin Zanik, Utah Jazz
23 of 24
Best Pick: PG Justin Wright-Foreman
Much like Bobby Webster with the Toronto Raptors, Justin Zanik has made just a single selection to date for the Jazz.
Taking Wright-Foreman with the 53rd overall pick in 2019 was the only selection the Jazz had following the trade for Mike Conley Jr.
The four-year guard from Hofstra was one of the nation's best scorers, a skill that he didn't have much time to show off for Utah in just 45 minutes over four games this past season.
Worst Pick: N/A
Tommy Sheppard, Washington Wizards
24 of 24
Best Pick: PF Rui Hachimura
Armed with the No. 9 overall pick in his first draft with the Wizards last year, Sheppard took the Gonzaga star to be Washington's new power forward.
It was a successful first year, as Hachimura averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 46.6 percent shooting overall.
With no other first- or second-round pick, Hachimura has been a great first start on Sheppard's resume.
Worst Pick: N/A
