Houston Rockets all-time NBA Draft bust starting 5

C: Eddie Griffin

The Rockets have struggled when selecting big men, but there was no bigger miss than this. They traded the 13th, 18th, and 23rd overall picks in the 2001 NBA Draft to move up to seventh overall where they selected Griffin. The 6’10 big man was dominant for Seton Hall, including averaging 4.4 blocks per game, but he did not pan out in the NBA.

He played just two seasons in Houston, where he averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game. Griffin shot 38.3 percent from the field and 67.8 percent on his free throws. He was waived by the Rockets in 2004 while missing the entire season due to substance abuse issues.

Griffin played three more years in the NBA for the Timberwolves but never lived up to his draft hype. He was mostly a backup big man, and his 26.0 minutes per game as a rookie were his career-high. Griffin was tragically killed in a car accident in 2007 at just 25 years old.

The Houston Rockets have another lottery pick in 2024, but they hope to avoid adding a name to this list. Nailing the draft is important for any franchise, and the Rockets must be better moving forward.