The 30 most painful NBA Draft pass-ups since 2000

NBA Draft Mistake #10: Washington drafting Jan Vesely over Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler.

Despite a pretty spotty draft record, this is the Washington Wizards’ first appearance on this list, and they certainly earned their place. In 2011, they drafted Jan Vesely, an athletic and mobile power forward, sixth overall, but he struggled to earn playing time early. When he did play, there were flashes, but his lack of a jump shot and inability to hit free throws limited his ceiling as a player.

In three seasons with the Wizards, he failed to earn the role of full-time starter and was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He failed to carve out a role there in the last year of his rookie contract. After his NBA career was over, he managed to build quite a resume playing in several other leagues, just not the NBA.

The Wizards striking out with the sixth pick was bad enough, but they passed on some serious talent. Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler were all selected later, and each went on to have far better careers. Had they selected any one of them, they, along with John Wall and Bradley Beal, might have been enough to finally make the Wizards a true contender. Too bad they blew their chance.