NBA Draft: 30 Worst No. 1 overall picks in league history (Updated 2023)
30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history: 30. Cazzie Russell
Stats:
- 15.1 points
- 3.8 rebounds
- 2.2 assists
Playing in the largest city in the country, in the greatest arena in the world, the New York Knicks are elevated on a platform that ensures countless eyes and ears for everything they do. When the team is good, that means every single player becomes a celebrity.
It’s not that Cazzie Russell necessarily needed the boost. He was a prolific scorer in college, averaging 30.8 points per game in his final season at Michigan. The New York Knicks took him first overall in the 1966 NBA Draft.
Russell became an instant sensation in The Big Apple, scoring points in bunches on a team that grew in power through the early years of his career. By his third season, he was averaging 18.3 points per game despite sharing the ball with Willis Reed, Dick Barnett, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, and Dave DeBusschere.
The Knicks won the title in 1970, with Russell playing a key reserve role for the team as the players around him got better and better. The Knicks traded him soon after the championship run, and he played for the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers for six years, continuing to put up points even as the teams around him were worse. One more low-usage season in Chicago became the final year of his career as he retired at the age of 33.
He totaled 51.7 win shares over 817 games and made the All-Star team in 1972 with the Warriors. He doesn’t hold up compared to the stars of the day or modern first overall picks, but Russell was a valuable and talented player who helped the Knicks win the title.
Should have picked: Lou Hudson (originally 4th) or Dave Bing (originally second).