Sometimes, potential falls flat and nowhere is that more obvious than in Draft busts. We're counting down the best (worst?) NBA Draft busts–last week's bust, Michael Olowokandi, came in at #4. Here's our #3 pick:

#3: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga University, 2006 NBA Draft: 3rd Overall Pick

The third biggest college basketball superstar-turned-NBA-Draft bust on 2aDays's Top 5 list is Adam Morrison, a forward who played for the Gonzaga Bulldogs from 2003-2006. Morrison was a prolific scorer during his college basketball days and was especially highly thought of because at the time, Gonzaga was not considered an NCAA “powerhouse” school for men's basketball. Morrison started his career with the Bulldogs strong in his first two years, getting named to West Coast Conference (WCC) All-Freshman Team his rookie year, as well as averaging 19 points per game and earning a spot on the All-WCC First Team his sophomore year. However, Morrison became a true standout with the Zags in his junior year. In the regular season, he averaged 28.1 points per game–making him the nation's leading scorer for the 2005-06 season–including 13 games with over 30 points and five games with over 40 points. 

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Thriving Under Pressure

The stronger the opponent, the better Morrison played. During that same year, in 11 games against teams from “major” NCAA basketball conferences, Morrison averaged 28.5 points per game. Though his college basketball career ended in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2006 NCAA Tournament when the Zags blew a 17-point lead against UCLA, Morrison was named the Co-Player of the Year, sharing the award with Duke's J.J. Redick. He was additionally selected as a Consensus First-Team All-American, named the WCC Player of the Year, Chevrolet Player of the Year, and was awarded the highly coveted Oscar Robertson Trophy. After such an outstanding season, Morrison decided to forgo his senior year with the Bulldogs and declare for the NBA Draft. In the 2006 NBA Draft, Morrison ended up being taken by the Charlotte Bobcats with the 3rd overall pick. 

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Morrison started for the Bobcats as a rookie in 2006, scoring what would be his career high of 30 points against the Indiana Pacers on December 30, 2006. However, just midway through his rookie season in Charlotte, Morrison was benched, primarily due to his lack of defensive play and an abysmal 37% shooting percentage.

The following season, in a preseason game on October 21, 2007, Morrison tore his ACL forcing him to miss the entire 2007-08 NBA season while recovering from surgery. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a multi-player deal but saw minimal playing time in his two seasons there, not earning a start in a single game. Though the Lakers won NBA Championships in both of Morrison's seasons with the team, he was released at the end of the 2009-10 NBA season. His final stint in the NBA was getting signed with the Washington Wizards shortly after being let go by the Lakers. However, he was waived at the end of training camp and did not subsequently get picked up by any other NBA teams. After that had a brief stretch playing professional basketball overseas, in a Turkish basketball league, but after two seasons he quit due to lack of playing time. He then returned to Gonzaga University to complete his undergraduate degree in sports management in 2014.

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What Went Wrong?

So how did such a widely respected NCAA basketball recruit flop so badly in the NBA, especially considering it wasn't due to injury, work ethnic, off-court problems, or anything we know about him to that effect? Nowadays most NBA experts attribute it in part to overexcitement about his potential from his season as a junior at Gonzaga, but more so his lack of size and physical ability when measured against successful NBA players. Morrison is listed as a small forward/power forward, with a height of 6'8” and weighing 205 pounds–compare that to some of the league's elite Power Forwards during Morrison's NBA playing days: Pau Gasol – 7'0” weighing 254 pounds, Tim Duncan – 6'11” weighing 256 pounds, Kevin Love – 6'11” weighing 251 pounds, and Dirk Nowitzki – 7'0” weighing 245 pounds.

Even looking at the league's better–but not best–small forwards during that same time, Morrison was clearly at a substantial disadvantage: Carmelo Anthony – 6'8” weighing 240 pounds, Paul Pierce – 6'7” weighing 240 pounds, Paul George – 6'9” weighing 220 pounds, and Shawn Marion – 6'7” 228 pounds. So purely from a size comparison, Morrison was always outmatched both on offense and defense, and that's not even getting into the natural physical talent most of those guys had, which Morrison lacked. The 2006 NBA Draft class wasn't outstanding, but there were still several successful players like Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, and Kyle Lowry selected below Morrison. Which just goes to show that regardless of your potential pro career, it's alway smart to get your degree. 

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Image Credit: Inlander

* Originally published on February 1, 2023, by 2aDays Staff