Atlanta Hawks: 5 worst NBA Draft lottery picks in team history

Atlanta Hawks worst lottery pick No. 5: Top-5 picks are supposed to be building blocks

Shelden Williams is another player who entered the league following a collegiate career that hinted at big things at the next level. A 6-foot-9, 250-pound bruiser, Williams teamed with J.J. Redick to lead the Duke Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament as a top seed as a senior. He averaged 18.8 points and 10.7 boards that year.

Williams was a consistent contributor from his second season on, averaging 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks from his sophomore to senior seasons. He led the ACC in blocks each of his last three seasons too while also averaging 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

Quite honestly, it seemed he could do it all.

At the next level, however, Williams did very little. After averaging just 5.5 points and 5.4 boards as a rookie, he never even averaged 5.0 points again.

Only in his final season, spent with the Nets, did he average 6.0 rebounds.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1348690555274883072

In total, Williams played for six seasons but half of them were spent playing for multiple teams. He spent less than two seasons in the A before being shipped out in a package with Anthony Anderson, Tyronn Lue, and Lorenzen Wright for Sacramento’s Mike Bibby.

As is often the case, the selection of Williams is made to look worse by the success of those taken after him.

Joining Redick among the names they passed on that are still playing are Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and Kyle Lowry. There are others like Brandon Roy — whose own career was cut short by injuries — who also went on to be better NBA pros than Williams, who finished his career overseas, was.

Perhaps fittingly, he has another instance furthering the argument that his greatest contribution was as a trade asset. Williams was also part of the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York. Of course, that didn’t help the Hawks.