NBA Draft: 30 Worst No. 1 overall picks in league history (Updated 2023)

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history: 24. Joe Smith

Stats:

• 10.9 points
• 6.4 rebounds

Joe Smith is the quintessential “quantity over quality” player when you look back on his career. His career spanned 16 seasons but was as ho-hum as his generic name. The most exciting thing to happen to Smith was the scandal where the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him at a lower salary with a “wink-wink” deal to pay him more later, an agreement that was illegal according to the CBA.

Smith’s career at Maryland was strong, as the big man was a two-time All-ACC First Team selection, and in 1995 was an All-American and consensus Player of the Year. That success vaulted him to the first pick in the draft, where he was selected by the Golden State Warriors.

Smith was reasonably productive as a young player but never stayed in one place for long. He changed teams 14 times in 16 years, often traded at midseason by the team he signed with in the summer. He was involved in trades involving Sam Cassell, Allen Iverson, and Ben Wallace.

Offensive rebounding was probably Smith’s greatest strength, and he ranks 56th all-time in career offensive boards. He played in 1,020 career regular season games and another 62 playoff games. Advanced metrics are not kind to him, rating him around or below (sometimes significantly below) average. Even so, the ability to stick around the league for 16 seasons counts for something.

Should have picked: Kevin Garnett (5th), Rasheed Wallace (4th), Jerry Stackhouse (3rd)