NBA Draft 2017: The worst No. 14 picks over the past 20 years
By Simon Smith
1. William Avery, 1999
Avery had one of the shorter career’s of a player who seemed to destined have a prosperous NBA career. But just as surprising as Avery’s short stint in the league was that not one team even gave him a look in after being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In 142 career games, Avery posted 2.7 points and 1.4 assist per game. Standing 6-foot-2 and shooting an abysmal 33.0 percent from the field proved to be a fatal combination for Avery’s career. While it’s easy to say in hindsight, leaving Duke a year early to enter the draft ultimately proved a huge error for the outcome of Avery’s career.
Following three seasons with the Timberwolves, Avery played all over Europe and abroad including Greece, Israel, Turkey, Germany and Poland. These were a far cry from the days sharing the court with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette in the National Championship Game in 1999.
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Some of the players chosen after Avery in his draft class included Metta World Peace, Andrei Kirilenko, James Posey and Devean George.