8 Players the Washington Wizards gave up on too soon

7. Don Nelson, Forward

Going all the way back to the second iteration of what are now the Washington Wizards, Don Nelson was drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs with the 17th pick of the 3rd round of the 1962 NBA Draft. Nelson was a standout at Iowa, putting up 23.8 points per game in his senior year.

He never really got a chance with the Zephyrs—who moved to Baltimore and became the Bullets the next season—playing just 17 minutes a game his rookie year and contributing just 6.8 points. Like Bogues, his rookie year would be his only year with the Zephyrs, as he was released following the season.

Nelson finds a home with Red Auerbach’s Celtics

After a couple of years spent toiling with the Los Angeles Lakers, Nelson was picked up by the dominant Boston Celtics in 1965. He would spend the rest of his career in Beantown, playing 11 seasons there and winning five rings as Boston’s sixth man, even having his No. 19 retired by the storied franchise.

During his first 10 years with Boston, he averaged 11.9 points and 5.4 boards off the bench. He wasn’t a dominant player or even a starter caliber guy, but Auerbach and later Tom Heinsohn saw something where the Zephyrs didn’t and helped him find his niche as a key contributor leading the second unit. Nelson later went on to a legendary 34-year NBA coaching career that included three NBA Coach of the Year awards and 1,335 wins, good for second all-time.