Duke basketball: 5 Blue Devil greats who didn’t live up to the NBA hype

4. Duke basketball NBA busts: Shelden Williams

The mid-2000s Duke Blue Devils were known primarily as JJ Redick’s teams, but his top teammate was big man Shelden Williams. The center came to Durham as one of the most highly-touted recruits in his class, winning the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year award twice as a high schooler.

Williams made an immediate impact on the defensive end for Duke, proving his prowess as a shot-blocker and rebounder. The Blue Devils saw Williams set a single-season record for most shots blocked as well as leaving campus as the team’s all-time leader in rebounding and shot-blocking.

Williams was also a productive scorer, becoming just the third player in NCAA history to score 1,000 points, grab 1,500 rebounds, block 350 shots and record 150 steals. A two-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year, Williams was a highly-touted prospect when he graduated in 2006.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Williams with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, hoping he would be an anchor in the middle for them for a long time. That vision never materialized as Williams couldn’t establish himself in the lineup, with the Hawks dealing him to Sacramento as a part of the Mike Bibby trade in 2008.

Williams became a journeyman player, suiting up for seven NBA teams in six seasons. Given the accolades, Williams achieved at Duke his pro career was a big disappointment.