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Washington Wizards: A Complete History of Ernie Grunfeld’s NBA Draft Failures

By Nithin Kuchibhotla

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Washington Wizards fans have constantly complained about Ernie Grunfeld. But, how bad has he really been in the NBA Draft? Here’s a complete history.

Ernie Grunfeld is bad at the NBA Draft and we knew that already.

He’s had a pretty gruesome track record at each of his stops, and there have been several high-profile misses in his 492-year tenure in DC itself. But after spending far too much time and energy shouting about this without actually looking up the details, I decided to undertake a little project.

I set out to find the answers to which players Grunfeld drafted in his time spent as overlord of Washington Wizards basketball, and which stars/superstars/warm bodies could have been donning the red, white, and blue instead.

It’s well documented that he’s drafted exactly two All-Star players in his entire career: John Wall, who was the presumptive first pick in 2010, and Michael Redd, who had a fleeting career of brilliance as a second round pick in Milwaukee.

Those two are obviously far and few between, meaning a graveyard of curious choices and migraine-inducing decisions.

But before we get started, let’s lay out some ground rules:

Because this is a Washington Wizards site after all, and I care much more about this team than I do the Knicks and Bucks, the list only covers the drafts Grunfeld has been in DC for (2003-2015).

The format is to identify the players the Wizards drafted (or traded as a player or pick) and then list the future stars that were selected in those same drafts who could’ve played in Washington.

I only identify players who have made an All-Star team or an All-NBA team as ‘misses’. So although someone like Josh Smith has been a productive player, he didn’t make the list.

Because I want to really signify how bad he’s been, I disregarded how much later a player was picked vs. the slot the Wizards held as long as he was picked sometime after the selection. This means a guy who went #34 when the Wizards had the 8th and 40th pick for example would still be on here. Sue me

The analysis doesn’t take into account scheme or roster make up. Teams should never draft that way because with only five people on the court at any time, you just find guys who can play and figure out fit later. After all, having Gilbert Arenas didn’t prevent the Wizards from snagging John Wall, right?

Okay, let’s get started.

2003 Draft

The Picks: Jarvis Hayes (10), Steve Blake (38)

The Misses: David West (18), Josh Howard (29), Mo Williams (47), Kyle Korver (51)

Analysis:

So right off the bat I will say that I was ready to make Jarvis Hayes my favorite player of all-time. He had the perfect frame for a shooting guard and a textbook jump shot form, but because he was drafted by the Wizards, he couldn’t actually shoot.

David West was a beast in New Orleans and Indiana and is still getting crunch time minutes in the playoffs for a 67 win team. Josh Howard did end up in Washington but after he stopped being good. Can’t fault the Blake pick – another player who is still chugging along – but Korver’s sharp shooting would have been nice.

2004 Draft

The Picks: Devin Harris (5, traded), Peter John Ramos (32)

The Misses: Devin Harris (5), Luol Deng (7), Andre Iguodala (9), Al Jefferson (15), Jameer Nelson (20)

Analysis:

I don’t mind this move too much because it landed the Wizards Antawn Jamison, a two-time All-Star in Washington whose endless array of scoop and hook shots was fun to watch for a while.

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Iguodala ended up being the best of the bunch, as evidenced by his recent NBA Finals MVP Award, but he didn’t really get to his true role until later in his career, often carrying an undermanned Sixers team to mediocre results.

The irony is that Washington has needed a player like Iguodala desperately for several years, cycling through an array of alleged 3-and-D guys while AI2 could’ve been waiting in the wings.

2005 Draft

The Picks: Julius Hodge (20, traded), Andray Blatche (49)

The Misses: David Lee (30)

Analysis:

Wow, this draft really sucked!

Aside from Chris Paul and The Artist Formerly Known as Deron Williams, 2005 produced no long-term stars.

Washington moved the #20 pick in a deal that brought them Brendan Haywood – a productive if not overconfident center. Andray Blatche ended up becoming a very good pick that deep in the draft but Ernie quickly erased any potential praise by handing out an ill-advised extension two years before necessary.

Let’s just move on.

2006 Draft

The Picks: Oleksiy Pecherov (18), Vladimir Veremeenko (48)

The Misses: Rajon Rondo (21), Kyle Lowry (24)

Analysis:

Pecherov was god awful, and the start to Grunfeld’s European infatuation.

He doubled down on that bet later in the draft, selecting Veremeenko, a player from somewhere who never actually played in the NBA. One guy who didn’t make the list of misses was Paul Millsap, selected one spot ahead of V Squared but I blame Grunfeld for not having the foresight to trade up to get him.

Rondo and Lowry were both point guards and less of a need with Arenas in his prime but Pech was seriously bad, man.

2007 Draft

The Picks: Nick Young (16), Dominic McGuire (47)

The Misses: Marc Gasol (48)

Analysis:

So this began the era of Swaggy P, before he had even come up with such a moniker.

Young definitely won some games for the Wizards but realistically lost a lot more and was a huge part of the clown show that welcomed Wall into the league.

That being said, there wasn’t a ton of talent picked thereafter though some quality names came off the board before the end of Round 1 (Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler, Arron Afflalo, Tiago Splitter). Wait a second, all of those guys are better than NY…

2008 Draft

The Picks: JaVale McGee (18), Bill Walker (47, traded)

The Misses: DeAndre Jordan (35), Goran Dragic (45)

Analysis:

McGee, of Shaqtin’ A Fool and Sportscenter Not Top 10 fame, was once thought to be a cornerstone of the Wizards, serving as a shot blocking, transition dunking center.

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That was soon determined to be not the case and he was flipped for Nene.

But check this list of names that were picked in the next 10 spots after McGee: Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, and George Hill.

Ernie, what are you doing my man?!

2009 Draft

The Picks: Ricky Rubio (5, traded), Jermaine Taylor (32, traded)

The Misses: Stephen Curry (7), DeMar DeRozan (9), Jrue Holiday (17), Jeff Teague (19)

Analysis:

Well, we’re finally here.

The decision that seemed nonsensical at the time becomes more horrific by day. While no one predicted Curry would become a cyborg from outer space and two-time league MVP among many other accolades, trading a top five pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller is, I just, I don’t even know.

I could have probably written just his paragraph and deleted everything else from the article and it’d still be justification for firing. Even keeping Rubio would have been a better move than their insane plan to win now with fringe scrubs.

2010 Draft

The Picks: John Wall (1), Kevin Seraphin (17, via trade), Trevor Booker (23, via trade), Nemanja Bjelica (35, traded), Hamady N’Diaye (56, via trade)

The Misses: DeMarcus Cousins (5), Paul George (10)

Analysis:

Wall is the face of the franchise and an absolute stud both on and off the court. You can argue he’s actually the 3rd best player in the draft behind Cousins and George but there was no debate about his selection and he’s been everything and advertised and more so no complaints from me.

My issue is more with the other picks, none of whom are still on the roster just six years later (and you can throw in rookie Jordan Crawford too who was acquired during the season).

For Washington to strike out as much as it did in this draft is covered up by Wall but they blew a serious chance to add cheap, talented depth.

2011 Draft

The Picks: Jan Vesely (6), Chris Singleton (18), Shelvin Mack (34)

The Misses: Klay Thompson (11), Kawhi Leonard (15), Jimmy Butler (30), Isaiah Thomas (60)

Analysis:

Aside from the obvious superstars, this draft was absolutely stacked to the brim and Grunfeld screwed it all up.

Air Wolf shall live on forever in infamy. And for those counting, check out 2009-2011. The Washington Wizards held at some point 10 total picks including six first-rounders.

Just Wall remains from that crop and if you want to really pinpoint why Washington is in a cycle of mediocrity, look no further than this data point.

2012 Draft

The Picks: Bradley Beal (3), Tomas Satoransky (32)

The Misses: Damian Lillard (6), Andre Drummond (9), Draymond Green (35)

Analysis:

The jury is still out on classes from here on out as most are either completing or still on their rookie contracts.

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But right now the results don’t look promising.

Draymond is of course the biggest miss as he’s inexplicably become a top-10 player and the best defensive big man in the league.

Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards are just hoping Tomas remembers he once said he wanted to play in the NBA.

Beal has struggled through injury and inefficiency yet will still be maxed out this summer and while Lillard wasn’t an area of need, Drummond’s rim protection and rebounding could be fairly useful.

2013 Draft

The Picks: Otto Porter (3), Glen Rice Jr. (35)

The Misses: None

Analysis:

Porter is coming along slowly and is actually probably underrated at this point in his career. That being said, I’m sure the next iteration of this article written in 2019 will include Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of the defining misses of Grunfeld’s entire career (and that’s saying quite a bit).

GRJR had some promise but way too much attitude for Wittman so on he went. As did most of the players selected in 2013.

2014 Draft

The Picks: Tyler Ennis (18, traded), Jordan Clarkson (46, traded)

The Misses: None

Analysis:

Sigh.

Ernie’s utter disdain for 2nd round picks (he hates taking flyers on talented players who can be paid peanuts) has cost the Wizards dearly over the years.

In terms of actual players selected, no one was better than what Clarkson has already become, just two years into the league.

Considering that the Wizards have actually relied on Garrett Temple and Andre Miller to play crunch time minutes in recent seasons, having a combo guard who can handle the ball and shoot from deep seems like a worthwhile piece.

Good thing we’re almost done.

2015 Draft

The Picks: Kelly Oubre (16), Aaron White (49)

The Misses: None

Analysis:

I’m a big fan of Oubre (as evidenced by my think piece on why he could be the next Paul George) so I’m presently on board with this pick.

I hate ending the article with an actual compliment of Ernie so I will say it’s his fault for not making Wittman play him more throughout the season.

Under new coach and player development guru Scott Brooks, I expect big things from #12 in upcoming seasons.

Guys to keep an eye on as potential misses down the line include Justin Anderson, Bobby Portis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Josh Richardson.

There you have it – the full history and background on every horrible memory you’ve had as a Washington Wizards fan on Draft Night. Now I know what the Ernie apologists are saying and you’re right – of course you can’t bat 1.000 on every decision.

But guess what? If you’re the 5th longest tenured GM in the league and have topped out at 46 wins and 2nd round playoff exits, you deserve some (a lot) of heat!

And most of that starts right here, in a fundamental aspect of team building that Grunfeld is sadly woefully inept at understanding.

The flip side as well is that while I mostly just highlighted the stars of the league, there were several other really valuable role players that the Wizards bypassed in favor of cash considerations, stashed Euros, and other failed prospects.

Any way you slice it, this wasn’t a pretty past.

Next: Wizards Could Lure Durant With Eastern Conference

Thankfully, the Wizards only have a 2.2% shot at keeping their pick this season (read: making another mistake) so we may not feel queasy for at least another couple years. And until that time, let’s just all collectively root against Jordan Clarkson or something to make ourselves feel better.

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