NBA Draft: Every NBA team’s worst draft pick

4. Brooklyn (New Jersey) Nets – Dennis Hopson (1987)

Looking back at Dennis Hopson’s college career, one couldn’t really fault the New Jersey Nets for selecting him third overall. In just one season, he improved his scoring output from 5.3 points per game to 20.9. Once Ohio State hired Gary Williams, he brought out the best in Hopson as he earned the honors of second leading Division I scorer and Big Ten Player of the Year.

Hindsight is always 20-20, though, and the Nets will never forgive themselves for passing up on another small forward, and the greatest Chicago Bull of all time, in Scottie Pippen, who was picked just two slots after Hopson. Decisions like that are why the Nets have never won a championship (pre ABA-NBA merger doesn’t count). Hopson never did live up to expectations in the NBA. He led the Nets in scoring in the 1989-90 season – although if your leading scorer puts up 15.8 points per game, what does that say about the team?

Hopson only lasted for two seasons in the NBA past the Nets, although one of them was with the championship winning Bulls in 1991. Perhaps it was only fitting that Hopson’s only ring came while he was teammates with Scottie Pippen. But he plied most of his trade in Israel, where he might have met David Blatt, before retiring as a player in 2000.

It’s a shame that Hopson’s legacy is defined by something like this, but poor draft decisions are never the player’s fault. They’ve just got to do as they’re told and hope it all works out in the end.

Next: 3: Indiana Pacers