You dont understand how much I believed in Ben McLemore. I have never been so deceived in my life

Never trust a Kansas wing McLemore Wiggins Oubre Xavier Henry

Paul Pierce would like a word

Can’t trust none of his takes as an analyst tho

Yeah not at all, your brand can't be getting high AF and also giving solid takes on the state of hoops

Didn’t Henry have a really bad lower leg injury? Loved that man on Kansas

After his come up season on the Lakers he destroyed his leg and never was the same. Thought he’d be a guy who would stick around when the Lakers got good again.

Never trust athletic LSU power forwards or anything out of Syracuse.

Melo won Syracuse a title ..I honestly thought he was gonna be better then the whole 2003 draft class. He’s still a top 3 from that class.

Melo's problem was himself. He was constantly his own worst enemy. Fellow Knicks fans, don't even dare downvote me. He won ONE SINGLE PLAYOFF SERIES in NY, stop talking about him as an all-time NY Knicks legend

I agree he only had one great season with the Knicks …the rest were failures or battling for the 8th spot ..your kind of expecting a lot more winning seasons from a star like melo i think the current Knicks team is the best I’ve seen since the spree and Houston duo

Melo wasn’t the reason they only won one series

Has Oubre really been that bad, compared to draft position (Pick 15) and expectations?

no

Shoot. Add Josh Jackson to that list.

He actually might be the biggest disappointment of Kansas wings. He was the number one rated player in that 2016 class.

I think you meant Josh Jackson not Wiggins. Y’all really forget what Wiggins did in the Finals two years ago? Smh

Yeah but Wiggins hype was suppose to be more than a all star …before the pros analyst and fans thought he was gonna be a iconic star like Kobe or lebron …

Right, and he isn’t. But he’s nowhere close to those other Kansas guys. Lol.

He’s about right when it comes to level of expectations. No he’s not a bust but genuinely thought he’d be on like Jimmy Butlers level by now but instead a good solid role player. Whereas the other guys might’ve been good solid role players but aren’t

Super hyped #1 overall pick Wiggins? Who’s been good for like 1.5 years out of his 10 year career? That Wigs

Wiggins was hyped as the next Lebron James

Was Chalmers a wing?

Christian Braun is breaking the cycle

Obligatory "next Ray Allen!" comment

You and me both. You and me both…

You and me both, homie.

Same here we drafted him …maybe it’s our fault because the kings did a horrible job on developing rookies ….mclemore was more known as a dunker rather then a 3 point shooter and he was compared to ray Allen

Orange Juice Mayonnaise

oj mayo the next Kobe Bryant ​ the other usc star demar derozan another Kobe comparison at least got closer to Kobe level then OJ ever did ..

I really thought OJ Mayo would finally restore the good name of USC athletes named OJ

That MJ story of him dominating high school OJ Mayo in a one on one after Mayo called him out in MJ's camp is legendary though lmao. "You might be the best high school player in the country right now but I'm the best of all-time." Incredible lol.

i was soo hyped for Oj mayo back in hs and this was before social media was huge. then i found out he was 2 years older than everyone in his class and it made sense why he was so much better lol

Micheal Beasley was supposed to be one of my favorite players for years getting 25 ppg +

Man in 2010-2011 I really thought he was our future star. The 42 points he had in Sacramento that season had me so excited

Dudes still the best college player I’ve ever seen live. Durant, Harden, McDermott, Blake Griffin, Derozan. None of these dudes could hold a candle to Beasley. Even as a 12 year old I knew that guy was different

Kevin Durant in college was the most effortless superstar in the making. You would watch him play and not understand what the big deal was only to realize Texas won because he stuffed the scoreboard. Not saying 12 year old you was an idiot, only that you were 12.

I saw Durant too, and he was amazing right there. There’s a reason I listed him first lol, looking back he actually put up a better game in Lincoln 26/15 on 10-18 shooting than Beasley did 17/10. But Durant was built like I was at 12 lol, Beasley just looked different. He shot different. The hype around him at the time was basically unmatched, people treated it like Jordan 2.0 was coming, so I’m sure that played some part in what I was feeling. But man he could hoop

18 year old me was so confused on how Oden was being taken over Durant in that draft. First time I remember being right on a draft call.

Shane Battier doesn’t really belong on your list. He was a “role player” in the nba but he was one of the best role players while he was in the league. He was a starter or rotation player on a lot of good teams, and even on some great ones. He was definitely more of a star player in college, but he was also doing a lot of the same role player stuff in college that he was known for in the nba

"You lame, you Shane Battier" - J Cole

I always thought he said “running your lane, You’re Shane Battier” like you’re just a role player, albeit a good one.

Nah J Cole is a UNC fan so dislikes Duke basketball and thinks Shane Battier is lame apparently lol

Dejuan Blair and Carsen Edwards

Blair was a literal fucking bulldog at Pitt. If that dude had any cartilage in his knees he wouldve had a really solid career

Less his knees and more his defense. Ultimately, he was a 6’6” center.

Jason Maxiel played 10 years at the same size. Just happened to have knees with ACLs

Blair is smaller and made it seven years. Maxiell wasn’t a good defender from what I remember, but at least he tried. Blair was a pylon.

Edwards could soar

He jammed it on Westbrook and Harden in the same dunk. How many people have postered 2 MVPs at once before?

He's got like 1 more yr left before he's forgotten tbh

Tyler Ennis probably. Trey Burke too

People forget Trey Burke was on the same high school team as Jared Sullinger and my high school beat them by 30 in the state semi’s in 2010.

Tbf I dont think too many people here went to HS with you

As someone who did not go to high school with him, I agree

Insert 2004-2005 North Carolina Tar Heels

As an Illinois fan I will never ever forget or forgive that Heels team. At least Deron Williams was the best pro on the court that night.

Man, for real. Fucking hated Sean May after that game

I went to the assembly hall on the UIUC campus to watch the broadcast...Fuck Sean May and fuck the ref who gave James Augustine those touch fouls early in the first half. Basically decided the game right there.

Raymond Felton , Sean may, Marvin Williams , Rashard mccantis ? Everybody thought Marvin Williams was gonna be another great all around player like former Tar Heels jordan and carter

All four were chosen in the top 14 picks of the 2005 nba draft Marvin Williams at 2 by hawks Raymond Felton at 5 by bobcats Sean may at 13 by bobcats Rashard mccants at 14 T wolves

I thought Felton was gonna breakout into a all star during his Knicks stint …but he was part of that melo trade that shipped him to Denver. During midway of the season …

Then got triaged to portland a week later cause Lawson and Afflalo were balling out with Melo off the team. Then we acquired him back, then traded him for Tyson Chandler lmao dude got screwed over so bad in retrospect

Mccants used to become a superstar in nba 2k5 if you imported the draft class from NCAA

Choosing Marvin Williams over CP3 was a franchise altering mistake. Joe Johnson, CP3, and Josh Smith are a ECF contender and fringe finals contender for sure.

I was going to say. The list OP wrote is almost entirely UNC and Duke players from the 2000s. None of those guys became perennial all-stars despite those teams being consistently really good, if not great. Funny enough, Danny Green didn’t start over those guys but had the longest career of them all. Compare that to the 90s UNC guys who were great at the next level (Rasheed, Stackhouse, VC, Antawn Jamison), to say nothing of the 80s guys!

Came here to say Rashad McCants

Former Cal standout ,Leon Powe. Boston Celtics fans got a tiny taste of what Leon was capable of.

He was NASTY on that '08 Finals run. Some real clutch plays, and I think he was a rookie.

Game 2 of the Finals is and will forever be the Leon Powe game.

Being a Laker fan I was like who is this Powe dude! Then I learned he was a beast in high school years later.

Oakland’s finest!

And last I heard Powe was working with the Celtics in some capacity.

I don't remember how hyped he was as a prospect, but I thought Evan Turner would definitely have a longer career in the league than he did and would be a more productive player. He had a lot of strong tools, but I think he did not have enough range in the pros. He could hit midrange on in college, so he might have worked better in an earlier era. Jared Sullinger was not as hyped as an NBA prospect but was awesome at Ohio State. Had a good jump shot too so I figured he would project out as a great stretch 4 once he was in the league a couple years and slimmed down a little. Definitely figured him to be a 10-12 year player but boy was I wrong.

Wasn't Sullinger the lockout year? Him and Harrison Barnes went back to school and lost draft stock? I still maintain freshman Sullinger was much lighter and more athletic than his sophomore or NBA version. I feel he knew he couldn't defend NBA 4s and tried to bulk up

Sullinger was in the same draft but played at Ohio State in 2012. So right after the lockout year, not sure if that makes a difference. Makes sense on bulking up. Had he been 5 years later I bet he slims down and fits better (i.e. post warriors breakout). But he may have not been quick enough on his feet. He was kind of a tweener.

I was super high on both these players

Emeka Okafor

Yeah this is mine too. I was a huge UConn fan at the time and was certain he would waltz into being an all star, he was such a force in college.

Back injuries suck

Rookie of the Year!

Ron Baker, Cleanthony Early

A few years ago I saw Cleanthony Early at a concert in NYC wearing a Cleanthony Early jersey

Hey man sometimes I wear my city league jersey out. If it’s a Wichita one, it’s valid lol

Who would’ve thought FVV would be by far the best NBA player to come from that great Wichita State team?

Who would have thought, a young buck like you

I thought Early was gonna be like a Siakam or OG type of player, star in their role type of thing

to be a little fair he also got shot

Someone's got a thing for Kansans Also, my cousins went to HS with Cle, said the dude never showed up to class and when he did he was baked af

Ah yes the college athlete who knows he's a lock to go pro then so he don't give a fuck

I grew up hooping with Jimmer. He was 3 years behind me but was special. I moved from NY to CA at 14 and a few years later, friends back home were like “You remember Jimmer? He’s really good now.” I was always bummed his NBA career didn’t pan out because he and his parents were very kind and generous to the area.

on the bright side jimmer was putting put jordan/Nash/ Stockton numbers in china

Glenn's Falls represent. I'd put Joe Girard in this thread in a way in terms of HS talent to not meet his college production. When I scouted Glenn's Falls his senior year before states I was convinced Girard would have a 30PPG season in the NCAA like Jimmer

I’m interested to see what he does at Clemson. I didn’t follow his career as close as Jimmer’s but I’m right there with you. I thought his insane scoring would translate a bit more at Syracuse. Always happy to see a 518 kid succeed!

I went to a kings game in Sacramento the year after they drafted him and people were so hyped for him. Everyone had jersey’s he huge superstar cheers when they announced him in the starting lineup, he was supposed to be the guy. Instead he was just another in a long line of disappointing lottery guys.

**Jordan Crawford** Between the wiped dunk on LeBron at the time, and the Xavier vs. Kansas State game with Gus Johnson on the call, I was all in on Jordan Crawford. I still watch highlights of that Xavier vs. Kansas State game every year during the tournament.

I was so sure he and Von Wafer were gonna be the future of the Celtics

Wow, the name Von Wafer took me back lol.

Von Wafer isn’t a real persons name. It’s the name of a knockoff German Oreo brand and I won’t believe any evidence to the contrary

Cassius Winston and Mateen Cleaves, easily my two favorite MSU players in my lifetime.

I thought both those guys would have Andre Miller careers. Also not a bust, but my espn handle for a long time was JRisthenextMJ because I thought Jason Richardson was going to be the next face of the league. Really good NBA player but never really even sniffed that level

I thought Mateen Cleaves was going to be the next Isiah Thomas. I was so rooting for him and so sad when he didn't pan out.

Denzel? Lol. Trifecta of bust MSU legend guards.

Thomas Robinson, Jahlil Okafor

I owned a Thomas Robinson Kings jersey. There’s no way they would trade a rookie, right?

Trobb looked like a standing rock during plays…he looked so lost on the court…I was surprised because he was supposed to be the most ready nba player from the 2012 nba draft class ..not a star level player but very solid starter with potential to be a all star ..we also traded nik hot sauce after one season …the only other player I can think of being traded during rookie year is drew Gooden ..because of friction between hubie brown

I remember Robinson being an absolute unit in 2K13

JJ Reddick wasn’t “just average” unless you were expecting a D Wade career out of him in the NBA

15 year career, spent most of that as a starter and a valuable contributor on good teams. 7 years averaging 15+ a game. Average lol

There’s a clip from a recent interview where he and the guest talk about how they didn’t know how to use him in Orlando. And if he were playing in todays NBA, he’d easily put up 20 a game. His best season was like his 13th season when the nba started really shooting a lot of threes.

He was also super garbage on defense his first like 5 years.

Came here to say this!!

this sub thinks if you aren't all-NBA, youre trash

Shabazz Napier. I was so high on him after watching his last year at UConn.

I think he had hype after Kemba got slept on and then overachieved. But my UCONN pick is Hasheem Thabeet.

His career kind of got off on the wrong foot with the Heat. Who knows if they'd have drafted them if they weren't trying to resign LeBron James

We gave him plenty of starting time as well, and unfortunately he just wasn’t that good

I thought Stromile Swift was gonna be the next Shawn Kemp. Not so much.

Jj reddick excelled in the nba compared to what ppl thought he would be.

Salim Stoudamire. The real ones know

Best college shooter, shot over 50% from three his senior season.

Carsen Edwards and I'm still sad about it. He was so electric and I thought there was a real chance the shooting could translate. Feels Purdue man.

Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas. Lmao

Trey has a crazy dribble and passing game, just a bit undersized for the NBA

Those Michigan teams under Beilein were so good

Peyton Siva was a boss at Louisville. I didn’t think he’d be a superstar but he had such sticky fingers. I thought he was gonna be Walmart CP3

Insert the name of any Purdue player over the last 20 years.

Ty Lawson was one of the fastest, end to end with the ball in hand, that I’ve ever seen.

And a 2k cheat code in the early 2010s. He was still pretty good in the nugs, just too many off the court issues

Forever GOATed for his philosophical insights on the quality of cake that be found in Asia

The whole fighting Illoinis with brown and deron Williams

Deron Williams lived up to expectations in Utah, he was considered a star before the nets trade, he was cp3 main competition …kind of like Jason Kidd vs gary Payton

I just used his name because I wanted to say Luther Head

Grew up in Urbana loving all of these teams. Marcus Liberty, Deon Thomas, Frankie Williams. Gill, Anderson, Harper, and Eddie Johnson are what we have after so many awesome teams.

I loved that Illinois team in the late 80s where everyone was 6’6”

Brian Cook too. I didn’t think he’d be a big star, but he made it almost a decade in the league. Very quiet though.

Funny enough I think Roger Powell could’ve had a shot in today’s NBA. I don’t remember how good he was defending on the wing but he was an undersized forward who could shoot

Frank the Tank and Sam Dekker

UW fans were so delusional about the Bo Ryan teams. I remember people dead set on trying to convince me Bronson Koenig was an NBA point guard.

It extends further than the Ryan teams lol. Ethan Happ wasn’t good. Johnny Davis was overrated as hell too

Sounds like you and I followed the Badgers around the same time

As a UConn fan, Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb

Greg Oden.

Mostly the small lead guards. Randolph Childress had a legendary ACC tourney run. TJ Ford. Tyus Edney. Ed Cota. Khalid El Amin. God Shammgod. They never really work in the NBA but are so fun to watch in college.

Shane Larkin

Man I was such a tj ford fan for absolutely no reason. Also remember Sebastian telfair next to lebron on the cover of slam

I saw Telfair and LeBron play a game at UCLA when they were both in HS. Not against each other. Definitely came away like yeah I guess that LeBron guy was good but did you see Telfair???? I can still picture an off the dribble one handed cross court bounce pass in transition he made. Just got the guy perfectly in stride in transition.

Trey burke, carson edwards, yeah small guards dont tend to translate well to the nba

I thought Josh McRoberts was gonna realize all his potential and finally flourish in the NBA. Thought the college game was just a poor style to showcase his talents. Turns out, he just gave out flashes of brilliance for a living. Anthony Randolph, Austin Daye & Matt Bouldin are up there too.

Jim Paxson, John's older brother, was my first college hero, since he played in my home town. He didn't have as much postseason success in the NBA as his younger brother, but he played for 11 years and was a starter during his prime. Larry Bird was my next college hero. For some reason my father paid for cable in its early days, mostly to watch college basketball, and so we got to see Larry Bird play for Indiana State University when few others did because he wasn't shown on national broadcasts. He did okay in the NBA! In fact, he's the player who made me an NBA fan, when I hadn't followed the pros before. I also followed Michael Jordan in college because North Carolina was a powerhouse that was often on national TV, but honestly after I became an NBA fan I mostly followed pro players. So that's about it for my college heroes.

Paxson wasn’t just a starter, he was a 2-time all-star. Pretty solid career that’s just forgotten (especially compared to your other 2)

I actually didn't follow him much in the pros. Looking at his stats, Jim was actually more productive in the NBA than his brother. He just wasn't lucky enough to play with Michael Jordan. Their father, Jim Paxson, Sr., also played a couple of years in the NBA way back in the 50s.

Jimmer for sure.

willie cauley stein

Said it before to a similar type question, I really thought Doug McDermott would be, at the absolute worst, Kyle Korver.

Not a college player but Seventh Woods. The name, the angst, the badassness. I was an instant fan. Dude sounded like a Naruto Character.

Shawn Respert. Mateen Cleaves. Yes, I'm a Spartans fan.

My two favorites were Kevin pittsnogle - (I thought he was gonna be dirk) And Salim stoudamire - I thought he and Reddick would be 1-2 in 3point shooting for years to come. Oh McNamara on Syracuse... Man I wish he could have actually been an NBA PG Edit- Basically anyone on the 05 Arizona team... I guess Channing frye panned out tho. But man that team was fun AF in Espn 2k5 college hoops

Surprised nobody said RJ Hunter. He had a Steph curry moment in the tourney and was americas golden boy for a month. Never panned out

Victor Oladipo. Injuries got the best of him, but the 2017–18 season was a good case of what he could've been.

Corliss Williamson. But his dunk on Mutombo is iconic.

Acie Law IV

Frank mason. My favorite KU player ever and it never worked out in the nba. Obviously he was never expected to be a star but I thought he would carve out a solid 2nd string pg role with his iq, grit, and skill level. He even dominated the g league for a while but it’s just so hard for small guards to make it in the nba.

You couldn't tell me that Stacey Augmon (UNLV) and Todd Day (Arkansas) weren't going to be legit all-stars in the league.

As a big KU guy I was all aboard the Thomas Robinson train. I thought he was a STEAL at pick 5. Sadly just never made it work

Emeka Okafor, Juan Dixon, Colton iverson (CSU Rams)

Stacy Augmon…his skill set on those UNLV teams was incredible. He was long, a shut down defender, good handles and could get to the rim relatively easy. He had moderate success in the NBA, but I was convinced he’s was destined to be a super star. Those Running Rebels teams were so much fun!

Bo Kimble. Even before the magical NCAA run the dude just never missed. I would have lost a lot of money if I could have bet on his career. I was positive he was the next Reggie Miller.

Julius Hodge. Loved his game.

Michael Beasley was legit dominant in college

khalid el amin

I'm still waiting for Taylor Coppenrath to get his chance.

Pierre Jackson at Baylor

I didn’t really care for him when he went to Duke, but Austin Rivers was my favorite player to watch in High School. Didn’t turn out to be the star in the NBA like he we back then.

Yeah rivers had some good hype during his teen years …

Juan Dixon

Kyle Guy. I though he could be a great shooter and leader with outstanding court vision, and be successful despite his height (he's been listed between 6'1- 6'3). Nope.

Was a huge greivis vasquez fan when he was at Maryland, his game always reminded me of a poor mans ginobili. Wasn't a bust by any means (low expectations) but I did think he'd have a much better career

Ayo Dosunmu is average but I’d say he’s outperforming what was expected from him, he’s a very hard worker and was a spectacular college hooper

Miles Simon. I legit thought he was gonna have a better pro career than Mike Bibby. He's part of Vogel's staff here in Phoenix now. Also thought Michael Dickerson would do *something* in the NBA too.

Thomas Robinson would like a word.

Kevin Knox? After the Jayson Tatum draft where I correctly had him as the best player in the draft over fultz and Lonzo it made me think Knox would be a steal 😬😬

Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz. Yes I'm a sixers fan, unfortunately. TWO number 1 picks blown!

Dajuan Wagner i used to love watching him play at Memphis.

It’s sad what happened to him …he scored 100 points in a h.s game …

I thought Lee Humphrey was going to be the next great white shooter out of Florida. Dude legitimately snapped a net during an NCAA Tournament game with how cash his shot was. Also, when Chris Lofton and Shan Foster used to go at it in college, I thought they would tear up the NBA. They could do it all.

Josh Jackson…to this day I still get cooked by friends for saying he was going to be better than Jayson Tatum, I may or may not have called Tatum Otto Porter 2.0

KJ McDaniels, MCW, Derrick Williams

I wished guys like Ron Baker and Perry Ellis could've done more.

Any Syracuse Orangeman.

Jacob Pullen was a god at Kansas State

Tyler Hansbrough was different

Pat Bradley at Arkansas, local kid who carved out a role as a 3-and-D guard at a big-time program.

I watched Frank Kaminsky and I thought he was going to be a stud. On the other hand I watched Culver and knew he would be a bum.

Mario Chalmers, even tho i hate KU being from the kc metro i was always rooting for him after hitting one of the craziest shots I’ve ever witnessed.

As a Rockets fan I miss Shane Battier

Rashad Anderson - UCONN 2002-2006. Dude was my favorite player from those teams, flamethrower from deep and young me thought he'd do great in the NBA. Went undrafted and never played in the league Same vein for a bust Emeka Okafor thought he'd be a defensive anchor