NBA Draft: Every NBA team’s worst draft pick
By David Rouben
24. New Orleans – Austin Rivers (2012)
New Orleans came into the 2012 draft locked and loaded with both the first overall pick and the 10th. Their first pick was a home run – The Brow couldn’t fail for any team. They decided to use their 10th pick on a guard, which wasn’t a bad choice, but their choice of Austin Rivers – who showed some promise in college – failed pretty drastically.
Just because Austin Rivers went one-and-done at Duke did not make him a lottery talent. Rivers’ only college season saw him average 15.5 points per game along with just 2.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds. His team got unceremoniously bounced out of the Round of 64 by Lehigh, which might have influenced Rivers’ decision to not come back.
Perhaps the reason he soared up the draft board as far as he did was because of his signature shot that etched his name in the Duke-UNC rivalry forever:
Ultimately, that shot defined his college legacy. But with the New Orleans Hornets (and later Pelicans), he barely broke the seven points per game threshold. It didn’t take very long for the Pelicans to ship him off to Boston (you see, because…), and although he isn’t a significant role-player for the Clippers, one must think he’s a lot happier now on a playoff team with his dad as the coach.
What makes this pick worse is that the Pelicans are probably watching Draymond Green in the playoffs knowing that they easily could’ve gotten him. Even if they were set on filling up their hole at guard, there are still a ton of better options that they passed on, including Jeremy Lamb, Evan Fournier, and Will Barton. The 2012 draft could’ve set up New Orleans as a contender for years to come, but they still haven’t yet found a true supporting player for Anthony Davis.
Next: 23: Phoenix Suns