It is a common notion that the NBA draft is a crapshoot. You may draft the next superstar, or you may draft the next bust. But being able to manage draft capital is what separated the title contenders from the fodder in the NBA. No draft encapsulates this notion more than the 2013 NBA draft.
From the get-go this was not a highly touted draft class. There was no clear #1 pick and their international players all seemed to reach who would take years to develop.
Usually in the build-up to the draft players start to separate themselves into teirs during team workouts. This was not happening for the 2013 draft class. GM's and team staff were as confused as fans as to who would go where. The top pick was especially concerning. It was hard to stay up to date when reports of players' workouts were coming in so fast.
Eventually, rumors started to circulate that the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the top pick, were likely going to settle on one of three players; Indiana's Victory Oladipo, Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr, or Michigan's Trey Burke. It looked like things were set, but as the draft kicked off and the Cavs made their first pick they threw a curveball to everybody: They drafted UNLV's, Anthony Bennet.
The selection of Bennet first overall pretty much sums up this draft, especially the lottery. Overall it and Bennet were terrible.
Bennet would go on to be the worst bust in NBA history. It took him until January to score in double figures and after just one season the Cavs traded him to Minnesota. Three years later after stints with the Wolves, Nets and Raptors, Bennet was out of the league having career averages of 4 points and 3 rebounds.
The Magic had better luck with the second pick, they selected Oladipo. Oladipo, like Bennet, was traded after his rookie year. He saw some minor success his second year with the Thunder but was again traded to the Indiana Pacers. He saw success with the Pacers and actually made the all-star team, but a major knee injury has pretty much sidelined his career.
Porter Jr was taken third by the Wizards, and while he put up some solid offensive numbers early in his career, they were mostly empty numbers on bad teams. He lately has struggled just to stay relevant in the NBA.
Picks 4-14 have for the most part been solid contributors, but nothing spectacular and none would be worthy of lottery picks in most other drafts. Every player drafted 4-14 has been traded at least once, and several have been flat out waived. Yet, with the exception of the 14th pick Shabazz Muhammed, all are still in the NBA 9 years later.
Michael Carter-Williams was selected 11th overall by the Sixers and had a solid rookie year earning ROTY honors, but since has seen his career flounder.
Probably the best mid lottery pick of the draft was Steven Adams, who became a key guy for the Thunder, but he too was a waste of an asset considering the Thunder got the pick in the terrible James Harden deal
Injuries have also played a huge role in the careers of all the lottery picks. As mentioned before, Oladipo has been injured a lot, but so has the 6th pick Nerlens Noel, and others such and Ben McLemore.
The 15th pick is where this draft's saving grace comes in. The Bucks used the 15th pick to draft Giannis Antetokoumpo. Giannis would go on to win two MVPs and lead the Bucks to their first title in 50 years. The rate he is going he will likely finish as a top 10 all-time player. But he fell because he was an international player who was not immediately ready for the NBA.
The picks after Giannis are more of average players who have somehow held on as solid role players. Players like Tony Snell, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Dennis Schroder have all had roles on good team.
The second round is where this draft gets really bad. Of the 30 picks in the second round, 8 never played in the NBA and only Mike Muscala and Raul Neto are still in the league.
The 2013 draft may not rank up there with the 1986 or 2000 drafts in terms of terribleness, but it nonetheless was a draft that set teams back. Cleveland would have been in dire straights had Lebron James not decided to return. The Cavs were so bad in fact that they got the #1 pick the next year as well. Charlotte, Washington, Detroit, Sacramento all had top 10 picks and all continue to struggle today.
Conversely, the few teams who drafted well in that draft seem high rewards. The Thunder may suck today, but when they had Adams manning the middle they saw a lot of success. The Bucks have won an NBA title, and the Jazz is one of the best teams in the NBA.
The draft provided only 3 all-stars and only 2 all-NBA players. Take out Giannis and Gobert and this draft is up there with the classes of 86 and 00 as being just bad.
The 2022 draft is right around the corner and we should see some promising talent come out of this class. Make sure to keep up to date with all the latest NBA odds and scores throughout the season. The season has seen many surprises so far and the usual names leading the way. When looking at the latest NBA odds and scores, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren is the early favorite to picked 1st being favored at -105. Make sure to check out the draft which will take place on July 29, 2022
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