NBA Rookie of the Year (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for TNT )
The NBA Rookie of the Year award is ultimately not worth anything. It’s rarely an indicator of meaningful impact, nor does it tend to reflect winning in any way. It’s usually a reward for the player who racks up the most combined points, rebounds and assists.
Then why does it matter? Because even though it seems meaningless, it’s actually been very accurate for identifying future success. Out of 71 players to win the award, 38 (53 percent) have either been named to the Hall of Fame or are on track to make it. Players who win the award are suddenly good bets to have superstar careers.
That being said, there are plenty of bad players, or at least those with mediocre careers. Players who were one-hit wonders, with their rookie seasons the best in their careers. Years where future Hall of Fame players had slow starts or injuries that opened the door for a player with a low ceiling to earn an award. These are the players who will populate a list of the worst to ever win the Rookie of the Year award.
Yet to get to 25, we had to eventually start picking from really good players. These are not Hall of Fame guys, but they are multi-time All-Stars and NBA champions. This illustrates the depth of this award’s winners. To make it off the list, you either had to be an active, young player with multiple All-Star selections, or have accrued over 100 win shares or at least five All-NBA selections. This award self-sorts and tends to hit more often than not.
For the purposes of this exercise, we are evaluating the entire career of a player, not their rookie season. Which players who won the Rookie of the Year award went on to have the worst careers? We did not include Ja Morant (2020) or the 2020 Draft class as it is too soon to make a call.
Elton Brand, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derrick Rose and Ben Simmons are our “first four out” for the list. Maurice Stokes, Dave Bing, Amar’e Stoudemire and Buck Williams are the next four out. That’s how good the list of players is that avoided this list. Now we begin our walk of shame with a Phoenix stalwart.
NBA Rookie of the Year award is ultimately not worth anything. It’s rarely an indicator of meaningful impact, nor does it tend to reflect winning in any way. It’s usually a reward for the player who racks up the most combined points, rebounds and assists.</p>
<p>Then why does it matter? Because even though it seems meaningless, it’s actually been very accurate for identifying future success. Out of 71 players to win the award, 38 (53 percent) have either been named to the Hall of Fame or are on track to make it. Players who win the award are suddenly good bets to have superstar careers.</p>
<p>That being said, there are plenty of bad players, or at least those with mediocre careers. Players who were one-hit wonders, with their rookie seasons the best in their careers. Years where future Hall of Fame players had slow starts or injuries that opened the door for a player with a low ceiling to earn an award. These are the players who will populate a list of the worst to ever win the Rookie of the Year award.</p>
<p>Yet to get to 25, we had to eventually start picking from really good players. These are not Hall of Fame guys, but they are multi-time All-Stars and NBA champions. This illustrates the depth of this award’s winners. To make it off the list, you either had to be an active, young player with multiple All-Star selections, or have accrued over 100 win shares or at least five All-NBA selections. This award self-sorts and tends to hit more often than not.</p>
<p>For the purposes of this exercise, we are evaluating the entire career of a player, not their rookie season. Which players who won the Rookie of the Year award went on to have the worst careers? We did not include Ja Morant (2020) or the 2020 Draft class as it is too soon to make a call.<br>
Elton Brand, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derrick Rose and Ben Simmons are our “first four out” for the list. Maurice Stokes, Dave Bing, Amar’e Stoudemire and Buck Williams are the next four out. That’s how good the list of players is that avoided this list. Now we begin our walk of shame with a Phoenix stalwart.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-368999 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F1004040222.jpeg" alt="Walter Davis" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1004040222.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1004040222-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Walter Davis (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 25. Walter Davis</h2>
<p>If this top-25 list was compiled by residents of Phoenix, Arizona, it’s probable that Walter Davis avoids it altogether. The 6’6″ wing was drafted by the Suns fifth overall in the 1977 NBA Draft, and he would play 11 seasons with the Suns all together before traveling around the Western Conference at the tail end of his career.</p>
<p>Davis had a great career overall, even if it lacks the high-end distinction to make it off of this list. He played 15 seasons and made six All-Star teams. That included four-straight to start his career, which started with a bang right out of the gate. The man known as “Sweet D” for his soft touch around the basket averaged 24.2 points per game as a rookie, a number that would prove to be a career-high.</p>
<p>The former University of North Carolina Tar Heel never faded into a bad player, but he did start at his peak and slowly glide down from there. He made two All-NBA teams in his first two seasons and never again; he finished top-10 in PER, as an example metric, over each of his first three seasons, but then never higher than 18th after that.</p>
<p>Davis was a worthy Rookie of the Year winner, although fellow rookie Marques Johnson totaled more win shares that season. Behind them in voting, future Hall of Famers Bernard King and Jack Sikma had slower starts but would eventually compile more impressive careers. Davis was a really good basketball player and sets the bar high to make it off this list.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-428533 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_961,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1155768397.jpeg" alt="Terry Cummings" width="1600" height="961" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1155768397.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1155768397-768x461.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1155768397-268x162.jpeg 268w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Terry Cummings #34 (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 24. Terry Cummings</h2>
<p>The players ranked on either side of Terry Cummings spend the bulk of their careers with one team. Cummings is at the other end of the spectrum, playing for seven teams across an 18-year career. That includes six seasons each for the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/milwaukee-bucks/">Milwaukee Bucks</a> and San Antonio Spurs over his prime.</p>
<p>Cummings began his career in San Diego, where the Clippers drafted him second overall in the 1982 NBA Draft. It was a big adjustment for the Chicago native who stayed close to home for college, starring at DePaul. He went from a consensus first-team All-American his final season of college to Rookie of the Year for San Diego in 1982-83.</p>
<p>He earned that award by filling up the stat sheet from day one, taking as many shots as he could handle on a bad Clippers team. He averaged 23.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game; all of those numbers would prove to be career highs. The interior scorer continued to pound inside for the next decade for three different teams, putting up good numbers and making it on two All-NBA teams.</p>
<p>A knee injury in 1992 robbed him of nearly an entire season, and when he returned he was a shell of himself. Even so, he hung on and played until his late 30s, racking up 91.1 win shares over 1,183 games, and his 19,460 points still rank 58th all-time.</p>
<p>Cummings won Rookie of the Year in a landslide, with numbers more dominant than any of his compatriots. Yet looking back, two future Hall of Fame players joined him on the All-Rookie first team: James Worthy and Dominique Wilkins. Cummings’ career was not to their level, but you don’t stick around the league for 18 seasons by being terrible.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427620 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1102,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F113118316.jpeg" alt="Brandon Roy" width="1600" height="1102" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/113118316.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/113118316-768x529.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Brandon Roy, Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 23. Brandon Roy</h2>
<p>Brandon Roy’s place on this list comes for the opposite reason of Terry Cummings, ranked just below him. Cummings played nearly 1200 games at a sub-elite level, with a strong start and longevity keeping him to the bottom of this list. Roy is here for the reverse reason: he was one of the league’s best players by his second season, but severe injuries ended his career prematurely and kept him from improving himself further.</p>
<p>The first few years were transcendent. Roy was taken sixth overall in the 2006 NBA Draft and immediately became the lead wing on a <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/portland-trail-blazers/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> team led by Zach Randolph on the block. He averaged 16.8 points per game as a rookie, then, with Randolph gone the following year, increased that to 19.1 points as he earned his first All-Star berth. He would make three teams total and two All-NBA teams.</p>
<p>Roy’s knees did not hold up after that, resulting in multiple surgeries and ultimately just 326 games total across five seasons. Roy fought back the end of his career one last time in the 2011 playoffs, with a memorable 18-point fourth quarter in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs. He would play just five games total after that season.</p>
<p>Roy was the obvious choice for Rookie of the Year, totaling 127 of the 128 first-place votes. He was joined on the All-Rookie first team by teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who went on to have a better and longer career. The same could be said for Paul Millsap, who finished second to Roy in win shares that year. Second-team selection Rajon Rondo didn’t look like a future Hall of Fame point guard as a rookie but has a decent shot at making it when he retires.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-422289 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1272,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F02%2F51613993.jpeg" alt="Chris Mullin" width="1600" height="1272" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/51613993.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/51613993-768x611.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chris Mullin (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 22. Mark Jackson</h2>
<p>For many players on this list, a strong rookie campaign earned them Rookie of the Year honors above other players who would go on to have better careers. Most of them were deserving of the award based on the one season, but can’t lay claim to the crown of the best player from that class.</p>
<p>Mark Jackson is the poster child for this path to the list, as he was prolific as a ball-distributing point guard right out of the gate. Drafted 18th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft, Jackson wasted no time proving himself to the league and the 17 teams that passed on him. He dropped 13.6 points and 10.6 dimes per game his rookie year, the latter number checked in at third in the entire league that season.</p>
<p>The following year, Jackson would earn his first and only All-Star nod, as point guards who excelled on passing and defense weren’t highly sought after for end-of-year awards. Jackson did lead the league in assists in 1996-97, boosted by a half-season running the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/denver-nuggets/">Denver Nuggets</a>‘ fast-paced offense before returning to the Indiana Pacers. In the end, Jackson played 1,296 games in his career, 26th-most all-time, and ranks fourth in career assists with 10,334.</p>
<p>Jackson dominated the Rookie of the Year race, with 77 of a possible 80 points. Of the players to make the All-Rookie first team (the second team didn’t come along until the following season) Jackson had by far the best career. Yet his draft class is actually populated with future Hall of Fame players: Scottie Pippen and Reggie Miller started slowly as rookies, while David Robinson was serving his two years with the United States Navy. Horace Grant and Kevin Johnson both accrued more end-of-year accolades during their careers. Jackson earned the award, but his standing in that class quickly slipped from there.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427638 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1070,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1930112.jpeg" alt="Steve Francis" width="1600" height="1070" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1930112.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1930112-768x514.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Steve Francis – Photo by: Brian Bahr/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 21. Steve Francis</h2>
<p>Steve Francis was one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. His crossover dribble was deadly, freeing him for silky jumpers or opening seams to flash to the rim and throw down highlight dunks. For him to emerge from a <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/03/steve-francis-talks-about-his-tough-upbringing-dealing-nba-career" target="_blank" rel="noopener">troubled background</a> to make a name for himself in the league is impressive on its own, even before considering his career accolades.</p>
<p>Francis was drafted second overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, but refused to play for them and was traded to the Houston Rockets. He immediately made his mark, averaging 18 points and six assists — and perhaps just as importantly, finished second to Vince Carter in a great Slam Dunk Contest.</p>
<p>He became a fan favorite very quickly and made his first All-Star team in 2001-02, his first of three-straight. Yet as much as Francis could fill up the stat sheet or impress fans with his rim attacks, he struggled to help teams win games. Over a 10-year career, he made the playoffs just once, playing five games with the 2003-04 Houston Rockets. A few years later injuries and waning athleticism saw him fade out of the league entirely.</p>
<p>Francis won co-Rookie of the Year honors along with Elton Brand that first season and Brand just made it off this list. They were joined on the All-Rookie first team by Lamar Odom and Andre Miller, both of which had similarly solid careers. It was the second team that probably had this rookie class’ best player, do-it-all forward Shawn Marion.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427640 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2194,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F72209729.jpeg" alt="Larry Johnson" width="3200" height="2194" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/72209729.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/72209729-768x527.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Larry Johnson (Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 20. Larry Johnson</h2>
<p>The two top contenders for Rookie of the Year in 1992 were like fire-and-water. Fans of offense were intrigued by the high-flying Larry Johnson, whose dunks were legendary. Fans of defense loved the rim protection of Dikembe Mutombo, who even as a rookie, averaged three blocks per game. Johnson won out, winning Rookie of the Year over Mutombo in a race that ultimately wasn’t all-that-close.</p>
<p>Johnson made a name for himself at UNLV, leading them to two consecutive Final Four appearances and the 1990 National Championship. He didn’t lose any momentum after the Charlotte Hornets drafted him first overall, dropping 19.2 points and 11 rebounds as a rookie. The following year he led the league in minutes and put up a career-best 22.1 points per game. Following that season, he made his first (and only) All-NBA appearance.</p>
<p>In five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, he would make two All-Star teams and average 19.6 points. He played another five seasons with the New York Knicks as he faded into more of a role player but still kept those rim attacks in his arsenal to unleash from time to time. Despite playing just ten seasons overall he made the postseason six different times and played in a total of 66 postseason games, reaching the NBA Finals in 1999.</p>
<p>Between Johnson and Mutumbo, the finger-wagging defensive mountain had the better career. After Dikembe, however, Johnson has a reasonable case for the second-best player in his rookie class, alongside longtime NBA veterans Steve Smith and Dale Davis.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-428538 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1296449391.jpeg" alt="Portland Trail Blazers logo " width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1296449391.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1296449391-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Portland Trail Blazers logo (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 19. Sidney Wicks</h2>
<p>After starring under John Wooden at UCLA and winning three NCAA championships, Sidney Wicks was a hot commodity in 1971. He was taken by the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA, and the Portland Trail Blazers paid the Cleveland Cavaliers $250k not to take him so he would fall to them with the second pick (Cleveland took Notre Dame star, Austin Carr).</p>
<p>Wicks did not waste time, as is the case with so many on this list, dropping 24.5 points per game to go with 11.5 rebounds; also like many on this list, that would be the apex for his production in both categories. He made the All-Star team in that year and each of his first four seasons, all with the Trail Blazers.</p>
<p>Across a ten-year career with three different teams, Wicks only made the postseason once, in 1976-77 with the Boston Celtics. Painfully, he had to watch his former Portland team win the title in his absence. Otherwise, the 6’8″ power forward was filling up the stat sheet on mediocre teams during his 10-year career.</p>
<p>There was very little competition for the Rookie of the Year award, with Wicks topping Carr and Buffalo’s Elmore Smith by a substantial margin. The best player from that draft class, Artis Gilmore, chose to start his career in the ABA. Despite a career in the good-not-great category, Wicks has probably had the best career from that rookie group.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-193311 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1983,w_3000/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F2832908-76ers-v-clippers.jpg" alt="Derrick Coleman" width="3000" height="1983" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/2832908-76ers-v-clippers.jpg 3000w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/2832908-76ers-v-clippers-768x508.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3000px;">Derrick Coleman, Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 18. Derrick Coleman</h2>
<p>The 1990 NBA Draft wasn’t loaded with talent. Only two players ever made an All-NBA team, and just six made an All-Star squad. Toni Kukoc might be one of the most recognizable names from this class simply because of his connection to the Michael Jordan Bulls. That is why Derrick Coleman can be the second-best player from his class and still appear at 18 on this list.</p>
<p>Coleman starred for the University of Syracuse before the New Jersey Nets took him first overall in the 1990 NBA Draft. He provided solid production right off the bat for the Nets, putting up 18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game at power forward. He put up five straight seasons around that level, helping to propel the Nets into the postseason in three of his first four seasons.</p>
<p>Both of Coleman’s All-NBA nods and his lone All-Star appearance came in those first four seasons, the high watermark of his career. In 1995 he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and he had a more up-and-down career from there.</p>
<p>The best player to come out of that 1990 NBA Draft was Gary Payton, the class’ lone Hall of Famer. Payton’s quiet rookie year meant that Lionel Simmons of the Sacramento Kings was in fact the runner-up to Coleman, who received 69 of a possible 96 first-place votes. Simmons was a flash-in-the-pan, while Coleman stuck around for a long 15-year career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 17 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-428539 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1313448515.jpeg" alt="Detroit Pistons logo" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1313448515.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1313448515-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Detroit Pistons logo (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 17. Terry Dischinger</h2>
<p>The very first year that the NBA started selecting an All-Rookie team was after the 1962-63 season. The inaugural five-man team included four Hall of Fame players: John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics, Dave DeBusschere of the Detroit Pistons, Zelmo Beaty of the St. Louis Hawks and Chet Walker of the Syracuse Nationals. While Beaty played some of his best seasons in the ABA, all four were high-level players with strong careers.</p>
<p>Yet it was the lone player not destined for a Hall of Fame career who won Rookie of the Year that season. Terry Dischinger was a two-time All-American at Purdue and was a starter on the famed 1960 Olympic team that won gold at the Rome Olympics. The Chicago Zephyrs took him eighth overall in the 1962 NBA Draft.</p>
<p>As many players of that era did, Dischinger came into the league from college fully formed and ready to score. He put up 25.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for the Zephyrs, who would move to Baltimore the following season and become the Bullets. Dischinger’s points-per-game decreased each of the following four seasons, interrupted by two years of military service in 1966 and ’67. An All-Star in each of his first three seasons, he would never come close in the remaining years of his career.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-269639 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1961,w_2855/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F09%2F673704656-milwaukee-bucks-v-toronto-raptors-game-five.jpg.jpg" alt="Malcolm Brogdon" width="2855" height="1961" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/09/673704656-milwaukee-bucks-v-toronto-raptors-game-five.jpg.jpg 2855w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/09/673704656-milwaukee-bucks-v-toronto-raptors-game-five.jpg-768x528.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2855px) 100vw, 2855px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2855px;">Malcolm Brogdon, Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 16. Malcolm Brogdon</h2>
<p>In 1958, the Rookie of the Year winner, Woody Sauldsberry, was taken 60th overall in the previous year’s draft (more on him later). Only two other times has the Rookie of the Year not been taken in the first 12 picks.</p>
<p>In 1988 Mark Jackson won after being taken 18th, and in 2017, Malcolm Brogdon won after going 36th in the 2016 NBA Draft.<br>
Brogdon was a do-it-all guard at the University of Virginia, a consensus All-American and one of the country’s best defenders to boot. He had also finished a master’s degree in public policy by the time he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. No big deal.</p>
<p>The 6’5″ guard stepped in right away for the Milwaukee Bucks and earned a role on a team bound for the postseason, eventually taking over as the starter. He shot over 40 percent on his 3-pointers, played elite defense and filled his role admirably.</p>
<p>When it came time to vote, many media members were vocally torn. Joel Embiid fit the traditional archetype of a Rookie of the Year award winner: future star, who scored in bunches. Yet he played just 31 games that season, compared to 75 from Brogdon, and on a bad team. Ultimately, Brogdon came out ahead in a three-way race with Embiid and Dario Saric.</p>
<p>At the time of writing, Brogdon is wrapping up his fifth season in the league and has competed in the playoffs each of the first four seasons in his career. While he hasn’t been named to an All-Star team, he has been in the mix each of the past two seasons, and his steady two-way play arguably makes him more valuable than some All-Stars. His career is unlikely to climb much higher than where it is now, but he has proven himself a strong starting guard in the league, even if Embiid is clearly the better pick from that rookie class.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332705 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1088,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F94457083.jpeg" alt="Suns logo" width="1600" height="1088" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/94457083.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/94457083-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Suns logo Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 15. Alvan Adams</h2>
<p>One of the greatest players in Oklahoma basketball history, Alvan Adams earned a similar distinction for a Phoenix Suns franchise he played all of his career games with. After the Suns took him fourth overall in the 1975 NBA Draft, Adams would play 13 years with the team, and still ranks highly on the franchise leaderboards for many statistics.</p>
<p>Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Adams’ highest-scoring season was his rookie one. He certainly wasn’t a one-hit wonder, as he would average at least 14 points per game in nine of his first ten seasons. That rookie year was special, however, as Adams earned his sole All-Star nod and was a part of a Suns team that made a surprise run to the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>While he would settle in as more of an above-average starter than a star, he was still an important part of nine playoff teams in his first ten years before Adams and the Suns began to fade later in his career.</p>
<p>Adams received 92 percent of the vote in a landslide Rookie of the Year victory. The runner-up was Gus Williams, who had a roughly similar career in quality to Adams. Darryl Dawkins, known by many as “Chocolate Thunder,” had a tumultuous career after joining the league straight out of high school. The only player with a clearcut better case than Adams to being the best player of this draft class was David Thompson, the first overall pick, who chose to join the ABA instead of the NBA.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427652 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1088,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F485700465.jpeg" alt="Mike Miller" width="1600" height="1088" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/485700465.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/485700465-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Mike Miller, Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 14. Mike Miller</h2>
<p>The 2000 NBA Draft is known among draft analyst circles as one of the worst drafts in league history. Only three players from the entire class made an All-Star game, one each (all in 2004!) for Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire and Michael Redd. Redd also brought home the class’ only All-NBA nod.</p>
<p>Mike Miller thus stands representative for the class as the 2001 Rookie of the Year award winner. He played for the University of Florida and was taken fifth overall, following three picks who all fell well short of expectations. While no superstar, Miller at least made a return on his draft pick, including a strong rookie year for the Orlando Magic team that took him.</p>
<p>Playing alongside Tracy McGrady on the wing, Miller hit over 40 percent of his 3-pointers and scored 11.9 points per game. His ability to start for a playoff-bound team and put up solid numbers was enough to earn him the ROY award. He would have some strong seasons down the road, and spent seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies as a fan favorite. He would win two titles as a bench player for the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.</p>
<p>Miller certainly saw the most team success of this rookie class, although Hedo Turkoglu (2001 second team All-Rookie) was a key part of some deep runs with the Orlando Magic after Miller had left. Kenyon Martin’s defensive impact and success with the New Jersey Nets establishes him as the best player from this class, but it’s not a standout honor.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-428543 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2137,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1310950513.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks logo" width="3200" height="2137" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1310950513.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1310950513-768x513.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">New York Knicks logo (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 13. Ray Felix</h2>
<p>In the early 1950s, a fledgling National Basketball Association was figuring out how to walk and slowly began introducing things such as league awards. The Rookie of the Year award was first given out in 1953. A few months later Ray Felix was drafted first overall, and he became the first “Rooke of the Year favorite” and ultimately became its second winner.</p>
<p>Felix played college basketball at Long Island University before the Baltimore Bullets selected him in the 1953 NBA Draft. He put up 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds as a 23-year-old rookie, earning an All-Star nod, becoming just the second black player to do so.</p>
<p>The following season, Felix joined a solid New York Knicks team and made the playoffs but saw his role slowly reduced from there. By his early 30s, he found his way to the Los Angeles Lakers where he played on two title contenders, In 1961 losing in the Western Conference Finals to Bob Petit and the St. Louis Hawks, and in 1962 in the NBA Finals to a Boston Celtics dynasty that was cruising through 11 titles in 13 seasons.</p>
<p>Felix won Rookie of the Year in 1954, and while he wasn’t the clear-cut best player from that rookie class, it’s not immediately clear who was. Players such as Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan were drafted with Felix, but Ramsey served a year with the military and Hagan went back to Kentucky for another season. Of the rookies playing alongside Felix, George Yardley and Clyde Lovellette both had solid careers, but both had poor rookie seasons.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427653 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1093,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F102552087.jpeg" alt="Geoff Petrie" width="1600" height="1093" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102552087.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/102552087-768x525.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Geoff Petrie, Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 12. Geoff Petrie</h2>
<p>In 1971 members of the media decided who would win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. Five players would end up receiving votes for the award, four of whom would go on to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In the end, the vote was tied: both Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie received 36 of the 98 first-place votes, and became co-winners of the award.</p>
<p>Petrie was not an undeserving pick for the award, even if his career would be very different from Cowens, or from Pete Maravich who finished in third. Petrie made two All-Star games in his career, including that rookie season.</p>
<p>After the Portland Trail Blazers took him eighth overall in the 1970 NBA Draft, Petrie became their leading scorer overnight. He averaged 24.8 points as a pure scorer, jacking up 21.6 shots per game. He would continue in that mold for the next six seasons, scoring in bunches but never once being a part of a winning team.</p>
<p>In 1976 he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that saw Portland receive Maurice Lucas, a key part to their title run the following year. Petrie tragically suffered a career-ending injury and would never play for the Hawks. His 21.8 points per game is 39th all-time, but it came with not much else in a career cut short.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427654 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F494111364.jpeg" alt="Phil Ford" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/494111364.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/494111364-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Phil Ford, Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 11. Phil Ford</h2>
<p>The top five picks in the 1978 NBA Draft could be known for a number of things. They could be known for Phil Ford winning Rookie of the Year, or Mychal Thompson going first overall and being an important role player for the Showtime Lakers. They could be about Michael Ray Richardson leading the league in both assists and steals as an NBA sophomore, or Purvis Short being one of the league’s early sixth men. Instead, they are known for being the chumps taken before Larry Bird was selected sixth overall.</p>
<p>Bird returned for his final year of college, however, leaving an open door for Rookie of the Year. Phil Ford sprinted through that door. The 6’2″ point guard was drafted second overall after playing for Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. He joined the Kansas City Kings and averaged 15.9 points and 8.6 assists as a rookie. The Kings vaulted up the standings, winning their division and making the postseason.</p>
<p>For his work Ford earned an All-NBA berth and the Rookie of the Year Award. He even earned a few MVP votes, finishing eighth. He followed that year up with two more very similar seasons, even increasing his scoring output, but the influx of new talent into the league and Ford’s team playing games in Kansas City likely held him out of any award races. Starting in 1981 his career began to unravel, and he was a low-usage guard for the next few seasons before ending his career in 1985.</p>
<p>Ford finished well ahead of the field in Rooke of the Year voting, with only Reggie Theus receiving any first-place votes. Of that 1979 rookie class Theus and Mike Mitchell both had solid careers, while wing stopper Michael Cooper was one of the best defensive players of the 1980s. The true star of that rookie class, however, was Maurice Cheeks, who put together a Hall of Fame career are the Philadelphia 76ers’ defensive maestro at the point.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427655 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1120,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F93053835.jpeg" alt="Emeka Okafor" width="1600" height="1120" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/93053835.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/93053835-768x538.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Emeka Okafor, Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 10. Emeka Okafor</h2>
<p>There is a common thread among many of the players on this list. They are college standouts, players who not only were productive in college but on successful teams, often earning a level of fame before entering the league. When you ask the media to vote on an award, they may (even unknowingly) gravitate towards players they have covered.</p>
<p>Whether or not that happened to Emeka Okafor, he certainly follows the trend. The Texas native was a dominant force at UConn, winning National Defensive Player of the Year, Big East Player of the Year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player as he and the Huskies won a title his junior year. He then declared for the 2004 NBA Draft, where he was taken second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats.</p>
<p>Okafor picked up where he left off in college, averaging 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game as a rookie. If you’re ready for a surprise, those 15.1 points would be the high watermark for his career. Okafor continued to toil away on losing teams, unable to change their fates. In a better ecosystem, there is a version of his career where he is an anchor on winning teams, fitting into his role; unfortunately, he never found that version.</p>
<p>The Rookie of the Year race saw Okafor beat out Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Gordon, Okafor’s old Connecticutt teammate, would go on to have a solid career, as would other players in the mix such as Luol Deng, J.R. Smith, Al Jefferson and Jameer Nelson. Howard is the clear best player of this class, followed by the versatile Andre Iguodala.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427656 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1075,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F491873.jpeg" alt="Damon Stoudamire" width="1600" height="1075" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/491873.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/491873-768x516.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Damon Stoudamire, Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 9. Damon Stoudamire</h2>
<p>It can be easy to frame the discussion of the worst players to win Rookie of the Year in a way that reflects negatively on these players. Yes, their careers were not up to the standard one expects from an award like this. In almost every case other players from their rookie class have had better careers. Yet what we should be doing is giving them respect for playing above their talent level and beating out other candidates for the award. It is, at the end of the day, an accomplishment that has to be earned.</p>
<p>Damon Stoudamire absolutely earned his award, even in the midst of a strong field, strong in-the-moment and from a full-career perspective. Stoudamire was an All-American at Arizona under legendary coach Lute Olson and was drafted seventh overall in the 1995 NBA Draft. “Mighty Mouse” as he was called on account of being just 5’10” took over as the starting point guard from day one for the expansion Toronto Raptors.</p>
<p>Stoudamire got all the shots he could handle, and he poured in 19 points and 9.3 assists running the show north of the border. Although he was inefficient on 2-pointers he did hit 39.5 percent of his 4.8 3-pointers per game. Stoudamire would win Rookie of the Year that season, but would never have a better season. He was a longtime starting point guard who had to settle into roles with fewer shots involved.</p>
<p>The best player in the rookie class long-term has been Kevin Garnett, now in the Hall of Fame, but as one of the first players ever to make the leap from high school directly into the NBA it took him a while to catch his stride. He would have won Sophomore of the Year more-than-likely. Garnett received just one first-place vote and finished sixth in voting.</p>
<p>The true competition came from grown man Arvydas Sabonis, eligible for the award at 31, who received 17 first-place votes. First overall pick Joe Smith also received votes, as did scoring phenom Jerry Stackhouse of the Philadelphia 76ers. For Stoudamire to put forward a season strong enough to beat out all of them was impressive to saw the least.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427657 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F136139019.jpeg" alt="Tyreke Evans" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/136139019.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/136139019-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tyreke Evans, Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 8. Tyreke Evans</h2>
<p>We are in a string of Rookie of the Year winners here all with a common theme: future superstar has so-so rookie season, opens door for another rookie to get hot and bring home the award. In 2010 we had a prime example in duplicate, with Tyreke Evans filling up the stat sheet while James Harden waited on the bench and Stephen Curry had to wrest the basketball away from Monta Ellis.</p>
<p>Evans developed from a wing to a point guard under John Calipari at the University of Memphis, leading the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament. He declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season, and the Sacramento Kings took him fourth overall in 2009. He was handed the reigns immediately, and Evans did not disappoint.</p>
<p>As a 20 year-old rookie Evans filled up the box score. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, and the roundness of that 20-5-5 gave his award candidacy a verve that helped him even further. In one of the closer Rookie of the Year award races, he received 491 points to Curry’s 391.</p>
<p>It took Evans a long time to find something he could excel at outside of “take bad shots and rebound well for a guard.” It didn’t help the Sacramento Kings win games and it didn’t help the New Orleans Pelicans win games. After battling injuries he found his niche with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017-18, but drug issues washed him out of the league soon after. Evans had the look of a good player, but he never brought the winning contributions necessary.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427658 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1138667034.jpeg" alt="Andrew Wiggins" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1138667034.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1138667034-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Andrew Wiggins, Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 7. Andrew Wiggins</h2>
<p>The fastest way to winning Rookie of the Year, or probably for earning an All-Star berth, is scoring points. If you lead your rookie class in points per game, you have a great chance at winning the award. If you also have draft capital and name recognition, your chances are even higher. Andrew Wiggins brought all of the cheat codes to the table his rookie season.</p>
<p>A top recruit who played his freshman year at Kansas, Wiggins was taken first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the season for All-NBA big man Kevin Love. Wiggins had space to score at will, and the smooth athlete did just that, averaging 16.9 points per game as a rookie.</p>
<p>The rest of his rookie class had nothing to compete with at that point. Fellow Kansas alum Joel Embiid missed the entire season with an injury. Second overall pick Jabari Parker played just 25 games before a knee injury of his own struck. No one seemed to want to challenge Wiggins for the award, which he won handily with 110 of 130 first-place votes.</p>
<p>The story of Wiggins’ career is still being written. After years developing bad habits in Minnesota he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he has been unleashed as a wing stopper. If he can grow as an efficient scorer while keeping up the defensive impact, Wiggins might climb down on this list and even avoid the top-10 by the end of his career. Anything more is likely a pipe dream for the consistently underwhelming forward.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427659 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1079,w_1306/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51684909.jpeg" alt="Chuck Person" width="1306" height="1079" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51684909.jpeg 1306w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51684909-768x635.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1306px) 100vw, 1306px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1306px;">Chuck Person, HENNY RAY ABRAMS/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 6. Chuck Person</h2>
<p>The 1985 All-Rookie first team included Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley. The 1986 All-Rookie first team included Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and Joe Dumars. Then the hailstorm of Hall of Famers subsided, and a break in the clouds allowed Chuck Person to win Rookie of the Year in 1987.</p>
<p>Like the aforementioned Barkley, Person played college basketball at Auburn University, passing Barkley to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. He was selected fourth overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, who needed an infusion of offensive talent. Person provided that right away.</p>
<p>The 6’8″ forward averaged 18.8 points per game as a rookie to go along with 8.3 rebounds. He led the Pacers in scoring that season as they fought their way to a .500 record and a spot in the playoffs. He led them again the next two seasons as Reggie Miller began to develop, and ceded the top role to him when he was ready.</p>
<p>Person played 13 total seasons in the NBA, the first six with the Pacers before bouncing around the league. He was a solid scoring threat, but he was also likely to foul or turn the ball over, and his low efficiency on the back half of his career meant he wasn’t much of a winning player.</p>
<p>That rookie year was special, however. There was no true competition for the Rookie of the Year award, with Ron Harper the only other player receiving votes. Harper had a better career than Person, but the difference wasn’t staggering. Jeff Hornacek, Brad Daugherty and Mark Price all put together more successful careers but weren’t up to snuff that rookie season, when Person took the grand prize.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427660 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F500857646.jpeg" alt="Darrell Griffith" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/500857646.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/500857646-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Darrell Griffith, Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 5. Darrell Griffith</h2>
<p>Dr. Dunkenstein was the king of Louisville, Kentucky. Darrell Griffith, as he was known to his family, was a high school phenom who turned down an offer from the ABA in order to star at his hometown University of Louisville. He led the Cardinals to the title in his senior year, winning the Wooden Award as the nation’s best player.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz recently relocated from New Orleans, took the aerial acrobat second overall in the 1980 NBA Draft. At first, he was the king of Salt Lake City as well, with his high-flying antics a delight for fans getting a taste of NBA basketball for the first time in their lives.</p>
<p>He averaged 20.6 points per game as a rookie, pairing with forward Adrian Dantley as one of the highest-scoring duos in the league; together the pair averaged 51.3 points per game. The Jazz wasn’t much good that season, but they were fun, and the combination earned Griffith Rookie of the Year honors in 1981.</p>
<p>It was one of the closest races in the award’s history, with Griffith earning 19 first-place votes to Kelvin Ramsey’s 18. Larry Smith and Kevin McHale also received double-digit votes. For what it’s worth, if Ramsey had won the award he would have finished even higher on this list. McHale is the true gem of this rookie class.</p>
<p>Dr. Dunkenstein’s career was cut short by injuries, and he didn’t do much for his teams other than score and excite fans. He totaled just 22 win shares for his entire career; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar twice cleared that number in a single season. It wasn’t until the franchise added John Stockton and Karl Malone that it turned the corner and began winning. At that point, Griffith’s body was breaking down, and he settled into a reserve role for the remainder of his career. In total, he played 765 games over 10 seasons, all for the Utah Jazz.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-427661 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1051,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F469417625.jpeg" alt="Michael Carter-Williams" width="1600" height="1051" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/469417625.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/469417625-768x504.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Michael Carter-Williams, Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 4. Michael Carter-Williams</h2>
<p>When most modern NBA fans think of the worst player to ever win Rookie of the Year, they likely think of Michael Carter-Williams. He has become the poster child for what is wrong with the award: giving the player with the most combined points, rebounds and assists with no thought to winning impact or career trajectory.</p>
<p>Carter-Williams was a good college player, but he wasn’t exceptional. He didn’t accumulate many accolades while at Syracuse, averaging just 11.9 points per game as a sophomore before declaring for the 2013 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers took him 11th overall, and it was expected he could compete for a guard spot in the rotation for a team that had stripped away most of its proven talent.</p>
<p>Carter-Williams did more than compete; he positively stuffed the stat sheet, memorably recording nine steals in his season debut against the defending champion Miami Heat, then racking up a triple double a month later. He would go on to average 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.</p>
<p>He also shot just 40.5 percent from the field, 26.4 percent from deep, and averaged 3.5 turnovers per game. The 76ers won just 19 games, and Carter-Williams was -12 points per 100 possessions on the season. It was clear to most watchers that his stats were volume-based, and other players were much more likely to develop into winning players. Yet he won the Rookie of the Year award in a landslide.</p>
<p>Carter-Williams would never have a better season, with his scoring dissolving year-by-year as he went from starter to role player to nearly out of the league. For his career, he has earned just 6.7 win shares, which ranks a shocking 28th among his draft class, behind such luminaries as Jeff Withey and Shabazz Muhammad. In 2014, Carter-Williams finished ahead of Victor Oladipo for the ROY award, with a young Giannis Antetokounmpo only just starting to show the image of what he would become.</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 3. Monk Meineke</h2>
<p>In 1952 the Fort Wayne Pistons took a forward out of Dayton named Don Meineke; he went by “Monk.” Monk was born in Dayton, he played college basketball in Dayton, and in 2013 he passed away in Dayton. Going to play in Fort Wayne, Indiana was not so far of a drive.</p>
<p>Most of the players on this list won the Rookie of the Year award because they put up huge counting stats in their first season. That was not so for Monk Meineke, who averaged just 10.7 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from the field. He managed to lead the league in personal fouls as a rookie, and he was disqualified 26 times, still the NBA single-season record. Yet he won the Rookie of the Year award. What happened?</p>
<p>No one else stepped up in the fledgling NBA to seize the award. Danny Finn and Dick Groat (what names there were in the prehistoric NBA) averaged more than Meineke, but neither more than 11.9 points per game. Eddie Miller had a similar 10.5 points per game but had a beefy 9.6 rebounds. Jim Baechtoid shot a comparatively scorching 39 percent from the field. Mark Workman had the most lunch-pail name in American history. Zeke Zawoluk got some playing time.</p>
<p>Sorting through the incredible names and mediocre stats, it’s not clear why Meineke won out over his compatriots. The Fort Wayne Pistons did make the postseason that year and won a series before losing in the maximum five games to the Minneapolis Lakers.</p>
<p>As far as career stats, that rookie class doesn’t look any more impressive. Meineke’s five career seasons actually ranks third among the class, with Jack McMahon leading the class with eight years and 524 games. This was an entire class peddling in mediocrity, and Meineke managed to earn the hardware.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-428542 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/15/nba-25-worst-players-ever-win-rookie-year/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1310623086.jpeg" alt="An official Spalding basketball" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1310623086.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1310623086-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">An official Spalding basketball (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 2. Ernie DiGregorio</h2>
<p>The NBA faced a swoon in popularity and national relevance during the 1970s, with a few superstars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just islands in the midst of a sea of uncaring populace and dismissive television networks. A major reason for this was the leeching of talent from the NBA by the ABA, which was luring young players away by early contracts and a high-flying style of play. There also weren’t as many star players coming through the ranks overall.</p>
<p>This was the landscape into which Ernie DiGregorio stepped in 1973. After the Rhode Island native starred at Providence College, earning All-American honors, he was the third overall pick of the Buffalo Braves in the 1973 NBA Draft, a franchise that would eventually make its way to the opposite coast and become the LA Clippers.</p>
<p>DiGregorio put up 15.2 points and a league-leading 8.2 assists as a rookie for the Braves, running the point for a playoff team. Not only would those numbers be the high-water mark for his career, but by a significant margin. His next-best numbers were 10.7 points and 4.9 assists, respectively. He played only 312 games total in his career over five seasons.</p>
<p>No one else was there to make an opposing claim on the Rookie of the Year award. DiGregorio earned 94 percent of the vote for the honor. Doug Collins was a bit player his rookie year but developed into a multi-time All-Star and is probably the best player from this rookie class by default. Overall they are known more for producing coaches than players; Collins, Mike D’Antoni, Kermit Washington and George Karl were all drafted together, although Karl elected to play in the ABA.</p>
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<h2>NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 1. Woody Sauldsberry</h2>
<p>There are a variety of ways to determine which player is the “worst” in NBA history. One could try to find the least talented player to ever play an NBA minute, but they likely had a very marginal role and washed out of the league quickly. Another way would be to find the player who played enough minutes to prove their lack of excellence and how they actively hurt the teams they are on.</p>
<p>That is the question before us in evaluating the career of Woody Sauldsberry. Not simply whether he is the worst player to win the Rookie of the Year award, as he clearly is, but whether he is the worst player in NBA history. By one statistical measure, he was the most damaging player with an all-time NBA-worst -7.9 career win shares. Not only did Sauldsberry fail to help his teams win, but he harmed them to the tune of eight wins overall.</p>
<p>After a college career without distinction at Texas Southern, Sauldsberry was taken 60th overall in the 1957 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. He then somehow found his way into the rotation, averaging 33.5 minutes per game as a rookie and averaging 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds. In his second season, he actually made the All-Star team with the Warriors.<br />
All told, he played seven seasons in the NBA, and only as a rookie did he put up positive win shares (0.3). He was actively harmful to his team’s winning games, to the point that a replacement player would have been a significant improvement. While he may not have been the least talented or least-capable player in league history, or the least prolific as he averaged double-digit points in four separate seasons. Yet he may be the most harmful, which could also mean the worst.</p>
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<p>Either way he was the worst player ever to win Rookie of the Year. Woody Sauldsberry gains the distinction as one of the least-known players in league history to ever win a significant award. He is joined on this list by 24 of his fellow players from NBA history, an ignominious distinction by some of the greatest athletes in world history. From Walter Davis to Woody Sauldsberry, these are the worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">