Hornets Beware: 7 Biggest busts at pick No. 2 in NBA Draft history

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Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images /

Draft Bust No. 7: Evan Turner, 2010

Evan Turner was a phenom before he entered the NBA Draft. He was one of the most decorated high school players in the country, then was a first-team All-American in his final year at Ohio State and the National college player of the year. 6’6″ with the ball-handling and passing abilities of a guard sounded like the formula for a future star.

That’s what the Philadelphia 76ers thought, drafting him at No. 2 overall just behind Kentucky point guard John Wall. Early on he showed his versatility in a bench role, but developed into a full-time starter for the Sixers in his third season, averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

Unfortunately, things started to slip from there. He never became anything more than a low-end starter, but signed a lucrative contract extension in the boom of 2016 that caused him to be radioactive in the trade market on top of failing to deliver on his potential.

Turner had his moments, and he did make it 10 years in the league, but he never became anything close to a star. He was a high-turnover, upright defender who couldn’t shoot; there wasn’t much of a place for him in the league.

Just Missed: Derrick Favors at No. 3 was a solid NBA player for a long time, and DeMarcus Cousins at No. 5 was a multi-time All-Star. Still, the true sweet spot of the draft was at picks No. 9 and 10, when the Utah Jazz took Gordon Hayward and the Indiana Pacers selected Paul George.

Hornets this Draft: Zero, Zilch, Zip, Nada. The Charlotte Bobcats sent their first-round pick in 2010 to Denver so they could draft Alexis Ajinça in 2008. Their second was in the hands of Phoenix as part of the deal that sent Jason Richardson to Phoenix and brought back Raja Bell and Boris Diaw.