NBA Draft - 5 worst No. 1 picks in league history

#3 Michael Olowokandi - (1998 NBA Draft)

Michael Olowokandi with the LA Clippers

Michael Olowokandi, who went first in the 1998 NBA Draft, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers.

A 7' center from Nigeria, Olowokandi had a decent NBA career but not one that a player selected ahead of legends like Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce should have had.

Olowokandi averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his rookie year. In his fourth and fifth seasons in the NBA, Olowokandi averaged double digits, but his career took a downward turn from there. He started to bounce around in the league before fading away.

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#2 Greg Oden - (2007 NBA Draft)

Greg Oden.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Greg Oden with the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. While it wasn't necessarily a poor pick, it looked worse because of the player who was picked up next - Kevin Durant - on that Draft night.

Welcome back, Greg Oden! http://t.co/j8yP4Kzcyx

— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2013

Kevin Durant, who was picked up by the Seattle Supersonics (now called the Oklahoma City Thunder), went on to make his name as one of the greatest scorers in history, winning two NBA Championships and a bevy of other individual accolodes.

In stark contrast, the big man out of Ohio State, afflicted by a series of untimely and unfortunate injuries, largely failed to impress in the 105 games he played during his career.

Oden missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury and then played 82 regular-season games in the next two years. His career, however, never took off, as Oden averaged just eight points and six rebounds per game.

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#1 Anthony Bennett - (2013 NBA Draft)

Anthony Bennet had a short NBA career.

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett with the first pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Canadian forward had played just one year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game. However, the player failed to make the step up in the NBA.

Commissioner David Stern with his FIRST (Hakeem Olajuwon) & LAST (@AnthonyBennett) #1 overall #NBADraft picks! http://t.co/52htFQoNfO

— NBA (@NBA) June 28, 2013

Bennett played 52 games in his rookie year but did not start a single game in the 2013-14 NBA season. He averaged just four points per game, shooting a terrible 35% from the field. Bennett was then sent off in a trade to Minnesota, with Kevin Love going the other way.

A change of scenery did not bring about a change in his fortunes in the NBA. At the age of just 24, Bennett was out of the league after having played for four teams in as many years.

Though the 2013 NBA Draft class was not the greatest in draft history, the judgement of talent from the NBA executives left a lot to be desired, though. There was a certain Giannis Antetokounmpo in that Draft class, but he was only taken as the 15th pick; the rest, as they say, is history.

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