The NBA Draft is a fickle process. The promise of top prospects gives fans and teams around the league hope, but inevitably a few of those promising young prospects end up as busts. This year is no different. Here are three top prospects that will end up as busts:
Skal Labissiere, Fr., PF/C, Kentucky Wildcats
6'11", 225 lbs - 6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg
All of Labissiere's weakness were exposed during his lone season at Kentucky, but he is still a lottery pick because of his potential. He has a reliable mid-range jumper and soft touch around the rim - unfortunately, those are his only assets. Labissiere is extremely soft and routinely got pushed around on the block, something that will only become more of an issue in the NBA. He's awful on the glass because of that, and isn't a reliable defender.
Jaylen Brown, Fr., SF, Cal Golden Bears
6'7", 225 lbs - 14.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 apg
Brown is a virtual lock to be a top 5 pick, yet he's the kind of player that will struggle to make an impact in the league. Teams love his elite size, but that doesn't outweigh the negatives that come with his game. He's an absolute non-shooter (29.4 percent from three-point range at Cal), lacks soft touch around the rim, and often pre-determines where he wants to go on drives - which gets him into trouble (3.1 turnovers per game).
Brown can develop into a very good defender because of his size and strength, but he won't become an impact player.
Deyonta Davis, Fr., PF/C, Michigan State Spartans
6'10", 230 lbs - 7.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Davis is the kind of prospect that always gives me pause. He wasn't a real impact player at Michigan State, but is projected to be a lottery pick because of his potential. Davis is an excellent athlete, which should give him an advantage over other big men in the NBA, yet it will take him a while to see significant playing time because he's still extremely raw. He also faded out of games way too often offensively, showing a lack of aggression.
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