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Where is Zion on the all-time bust list
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:29 pm
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:29 pm
I know there have been other number one picks who have fared worse, but considering the "generational talent" hype is there anyone who has failed more spectacularly?
Maybe Sam Bowie? Greg Oden? What say you all?
EDIT: originally said Ralph Sampson, meant Sam Bowie.
Maybe Sam Bowie? Greg Oden? What say you all?
EDIT: originally said Ralph Sampson, meant Sam Bowie.
This post was edited on 11/19/25 at 8:45 am
6
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:32 pm to jrobic4
I think he is a bigger bust than Oden.
Oden would've dominated if not for a debilitating knee injury.
Sure Zion has had injuries, but it's all been soft-tissue stuff i.e. fitness related.
Oden's body let Oden down. Zion is letting his body down.
All that said, Anthony Bennett is the biggest draft bust of all time.
Oden would've dominated if not for a debilitating knee injury.
Sure Zion has had injuries, but it's all been soft-tissue stuff i.e. fitness related.
Oden's body let Oden down. Zion is letting his body down.
All that said, Anthony Bennett is the biggest draft bust of all time.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:33 pm to jrobic4
It’s worse than Oden. Zion seems just as lazy as he is injury prone. I’ve also heard from many people that he still acts like a petulant child when in the public.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:52 pm to jrobic4
Bust rankings are heavily biased by who else was available at the time. I'd take Ja, Garland and Herro over him now at this point, but only Ja is a superstar.
Kwame Brown, Darko, Anthony Bennett, Olowakandi, Sam Bowie, Adam Morrison are some others near the top. Samson and Oden could both play and would have been great. They may be busts but it was no fault of their own.
Kwame Brown, Darko, Anthony Bennett, Olowakandi, Sam Bowie, Adam Morrison are some others near the top. Samson and Oden could both play and would have been great. They may be busts but it was no fault of their own.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 4:58 pm to Tangineck
quote:
Bust rankings are heavily biased by who else was available at the time
I don't think so.
Sure, there are some cases where the player's lack of production is amplified based on players drafted lower than him putting up better numbers.
But in the case of Zion, it was never about who would we have rather taken in the draft. It's that a dude who was considered a unanimous alpha dog future multi-time season and finals MVP by pretty much everyone at the time of the draft hasn't even played in a playoff game yet, and we are in year 6.
Everyone else in the 2019 draft could've been rendered an invalid and Zion would still be considered a colossal failure to this point in his career.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:13 pm to jrobic4
Randy Livingston? But I think his injuries started at LSU. I do remember he was the top prospect coming out of high school. A shame. He was talented.
I just looked it up and found this tidbit LINK
I just looked it up and found this tidbit LINK
quote:
Livingston attended New Orleans' Isidore Newman School along with standout quarterback Peyton Manning, where he was named the High School co-player of the year in 1992 (with Jason Kidd) and 1993 (with Rasheed Wallace). Livingston also played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Magic's Roundball Classic. He was ranked as the #1 player in the 1993 class, over Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse. Isidore Newman School retired Livingston's #50 jersey in 2013.[1]
This post was edited on 11/18/25 at 5:18 pm
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:21 pm to Broski
Zion is nowhere near as big of a bust as Oden, that’s insane. He has been disappointing relative to his expectations of being the next face of the league, but on his career the dude averages 25, 6.5, and 4 on 58% shooting. Not to mention oden went right before Durant, and Zion went before Ja who has also been disappointing. Would call Zion disappointing, but not a bust because he’s a borderline all NBA caliber player when he’s actually on the floor
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:24 pm to Tigerjim09
quote:
Zion is nowhere near as big of a bust as Oden, that’s insane. He has been disappointing relative to his expectations of being the next face of the league, but on his career the dude averages 25, 6.5, and 4 on 58% shooting. Not to mention oden went right before Durant, and Zion went before Ja who has also been disappointing. Would call Zion disappointing, but not a bust because he’s a borderline all NBA caliber player when he’s actually on the floor
You're purposefully evading a lot of context here.
Again, Oden's body let him down. Zion's issues are all because he doesn't take his professionalism seriously.
That's a bust.
This post was edited on 11/18/25 at 5:26 pm
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:24 pm to Broski
quote:
It's that a dude who was considered a unanimous alpha dog future multi-time season and finals MVP by pretty much everyone at the time of the draft hasn't even played in a playoff game yet, and we are in year 6.
Pssst……
It’s year 7 now.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:45 pm to TeddyPadillac
Zion is a let down, not a bust. Busts don’t average 25 ppg on historically efficient numbers.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:47 pm to spaghettioeauxs
quote:
Zion is a let down, not a bust. Busts don’t average 25 ppg on historically efficient numbers.
Y'all are going to need some serious physical therapy for all the bending over backwards y'all do to defend Zion being a waste of space.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:49 pm to Broski
I’m ready to trade him, maybe you could argue he has been a bust for the Pels as he hasn’t delivered anything worth a shite and the one time he was going off for 40 against the Lakers in the play in, he pulled his hammy. But as a player alone, no, Zion is not a bust.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 5:53 pm to spaghettioeauxs
quote:
But as a player alone, no, Zion is not a bust.
He doesn't play. And because he doesn't play, the entire roster falls apart.
He's a bust.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 6:03 pm to jrobic4
Kwame Brown territory
Posted on 11/18/25 at 6:24 pm to jrobic4
He’s the worst of all time. No other bust has held his team hostage with his lousiness longer than Zion.
Posted on 11/18/25 at 10:35 pm to Broski
quote:
Oden's body let him down.
What in your mind does his body “letting him down” have to do with anything?The guy got taken first overall, had an injury, and then was never a good NBA player.
Would Zions career have been better if he had a serious injury during his rookie year, and then never played well again? Of course not. Zion has provided value at points in his career and Oden never did. Not even in the same conversation in terms of being a bust
This post was edited on 11/19/25 at 12:18 am
Posted on 11/19/25 at 1:03 am to Tigerjim09
quote:
What in your mind does his body “letting him down” have to do with anything?The guy got taken first overall, had an injury, and then was never a good NBA player.
Would Zions career have been better if he had a serious injury during his rookie year, and then never played well again? Of course not. Zion has provided value at points in his career and Oden never did. Not even in the same conversation in terms of being a bust
How do you not get it?
Zion isn't available because he refuses to stay in shape.
Oden wasn't available because his knees exploded.
Posted on 11/19/25 at 8:33 am to Broski
quote:
Oden wasn't available because his knees exploded.
I asked this is chatgpt. This is what it came up with..
"Yes, an athlete can be considered a "bust" if their career is derailed by injuries, especially if they were a highly-touted prospect who fails to live up to expectations. While some might differentiate between a "bust" and a player whose career ended due to injury, the common definition includes injury as a primary reason for failing to meet potential, particularly when an athlete is repeatedly limited by health issues. A key factor is whether the athlete can consistently perform at the level anticipated from their draft position or hype."
So there you go..
Posted on 11/19/25 at 5:14 pm to Broski
quote:
dude who was considered a unanimous alpha dog future multi-time season and finals MVP by pretty much everyone at the time of the draft
I will always be confused by this. Why did everyone think that, because he could dunk ?
It’s just like a great college player who can only shoot 3”s. At the NBA level, you need a more rounded overall game to be what you described. Especially in the current era.
Posted on 11/19/25 at 5:17 pm to Stamps74
quote:
I will always be confused by this. Why did everyone think that, because he could dunk ?
Pretty much all Lebron could do too in high school.
They both were a guaranteed bucket because of their strength to drive and finish through contact. The idea for both was that they would add more to their games.
One did... one hasn't yet and maybe never will.
This post was edited on 11/19/25 at 5:17 pm
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