It’s official. The Phoenix Suns will select sixth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. What were the top six missed opportunities in NBA history with the #6 pick?
As a Phoenix Suns fan, you learn to accept disappointment. Unfortunately, it’s simply part of supporting the purple and orange army as of late.
The NBA Draft Lottery ended up being another punch in the gut as the franchise got the sixth overall pick after a season of misery that only would have been “justified” had they won the Zion Williamson sweepstakes or at least Ja Morant, the consolation prize.
However, as I recently wrote, there have been some really good players chosen with the sixth pick in the NBA draft over the years. There have been some really bad picks chosen with the sixth pick in the NBA draft as well.
Bad doesn’t just mean that the player ended up being, let’s just say a disappointment, but it also can be worsened by the fact that the team that made the selection missed out on selecting a great player that was still on the board.
Let’s take a look at some of the worst missed opportunities with the sixth pick in NBA history.
*Note – Vince Carter is the oldest active player in the league. He was drafted back in 1998, so I used that for a timeline. This list is for players drafted from 1998 to 2018.*
Honorable Mention – 2000 NBA Draft
With the sixth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select DerMarr Johnson.
Available – Jamal Crawford (#8) and Jamaal Magloire (#19)
After only winning 28 games the season before, the Hawks really could have used help anywhere. Why not take a chance on a very athletic player on the wing?
His second season in the league, he averaged a career-best 8.1 points per game along with 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He made 36 percent of his threes, making 1.2 per game.
Johnson showed signs but definitely wasn’t what Atlanta was hoping for with the sixth overall pick. He also hurt his neck in a crash and didn’t last too long in the league. Perhaps without that injury, he could have taken another step forward as he did show significant improvement but ultimately he didn’t pan out.
The best pick for Atlanta would have been Crawford, who was selected eighth overall, winner of the 6th Man of the Year award on 3 separate occasions. He just finished his 19th season in the NBA, averaging 14.6 points per game.
Another route they could have gone, though the fit would have been a big question mark with Dikembe Mutombo on board, would have been to draft Magloire. He was a solid center and even got named as an All-Star in 2004, averaging 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Imagine taking Mutombo out for a breather and having the opponent deal with Magloire meanwhile. That could definitely have worked in their favor if nothing else.