Lakers Draft: The History of the Number Two Pick

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Mar 30, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Hasheem Thabeet (34) attempts a shot against Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

2010: Evan Turner

This seems to be a common theme: a small forward being picked second who has not met his expectations. In Turner’s junior (and final) season at Ohio State, Turner won the Naismith College Player of the Year award, the Wooden Award, and other top accolades. Turner has since struggled in the NBA, averaging a PER of 12.8 and a Win Share per 48 minutes (WS/48) of .054 (the league average is .100). He has bounced around from the Sixers to the Pacers to now the Celtics, where he hopes to improve with their young squad.

2009: Hasheem Thabeet

Thabeet is the ultimate bust within this set of players. Thabeet was drafted to the Grizzlies, and two years later was traded to Houston. Since then, he has been on 4 more NBA teams. Thabeet’s career WS/48 is just under league average, and his career PER is 10.3. Averaging a double-double in college did not carry over to his pro game at all.

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