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Wow. I have a strong love for young players, and especially for the guys I got to know during the 2013 and 2014 NBA Draft process. (The players, their agents, families, and former coaches were all very nice to me as I covered them for SB Nation those two years.) The idea was that the 2013 class was inferior to the 2014 class. A few seasons in, well, one of the classes appears to be snake-bit. HoopsHype dropped a video that details some of the problems that have befallen the 2014 notables like Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Julius Randle, and others. Watch it!
The curse of the 2014 draft? pic.twitter.com/4x2UAogpFU
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) February 11, 2017
The evidence for a curse is compelling, however, I have my doubts. So, I looked at all the guys who a) were from the 2014 NBA Draft class, or b) had their first NBA rookie minutes during the 2014-15 season. And well, not a lot of them have been getting in games. (N.B. Also, yes, because this is also players who had their rookie year in 2014 while 2014 wasn’t their draft year there are more than 60 players on this list. Guys who declared for the draft or were from other drafts do show up here, like Nikola Mirotic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Zoran Dragic, Furkan Aldemir, Nerlens Noel, Erick Green, James Ennis, Joffrey Lauvergne, and so on.)
2014 NBA Draft Class Minutes.csv
Player | Pick # | Draft | SEAS | G | MINS | /SEAS | /G |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Pick # | Draft | SEAS | G | MINS | /SEAS | /G |
Andrew Wiggins | 1 | 2014 | 3 | 217 | 7,822 | 2,607.33 | 36.05 |
Elfrid Payton | 10 | 2014 | 3 | 210 | 6,242 | 2,080.67 | 29.72 |
Zach LaVine | 13 | 2014 | 3 | 206 | 5,945 | 1,981.67 | 28.86 |
Jordan Clarkson | 46 | 2014 | 3 | 194 | 5,553 | 1,851.00 | 28.62 |
Bojan Bogdanovic | 31 | 2011 | 3 | 210 | 5,395 | 1,798.33 | 25.69 |
Marcus Smart | 6 | 2014 | 3 | 178 | 5,014 | 1,671.33 | 28.17 |
Jabari Parker | 2 | 2014 | 3 | 152 | 4,874 | 1,624.67 | 32.07 |
Rodney Hood | 23 | 2014 | 3 | 169 | 4,750 | 1,583.33 | 28.11 |
Nerlens Noel | 6 | 2013 | 3 | 168 | 4,750 | 1,583.33 | 28.27 |
Jerami Grant | 39 | 2014 | 3 | 195 | 4,560 | 1,520.00 | 23.38 |
Langston Galloway | 2014 | 3 | 179 | 4,550 | 1,516.67 | 25.42 | |
Nikola Mirotic | 23 | 2011 | 3 | 196 | 4,378 | 1,459.33 | 22.34 |
Nik Stauskas | 8 | 2014 | 3 | 197 | 4,313 | 1,437.67 | 21.89 |
Aaron Gordon | 4 | 2014 | 3 | 179 | 4,146 | 1,382.00 | 23.16 |
Joe Ingles | 2009 | 3 | 214 | 4,083 | 1,361.00 | 19.08 | |
Gary Harris | 19 | 2014 | 3 | 160 | 3,976 | 1,325.33 | 24.85 |
Julius Randle | 7 | 2014 | 3 | 130 | 3,663 | 1,221.00 | 28.18 |
Doug McDermott | 11 | 2014 | 3 | 158 | 3,168 | 1,056.00 | 20.05 |
JaMychal Green | 2012 | 3 | 156 | 3,167 | 1,055.67 | 20.30 | |
Nikola Jokic | 41 | 2014 | 2 | 126 | 2,945 | 1,472.50 | 23.37 |
T.J. Warren | 14 | 2014 | 3 | 128 | 2,888 | 962.67 | 22.56 |
Tyler Johnson | 2014 | 3 | 114 | 2,876 | 958.67 | 25.23 | |
Dante Exum | 5 | 2014 | 2 | 121 | 2,549 | 1,274.50 | 21.07 |
Clint Capela | 25 | 2014 | 3 | 130 | 2,527 | 842.33 | 19.44 |
Jusuf Nurkic | 16 | 2014 | 3 | 139 | 2,457 | 819.00 | 17.68 |
James Ennis | 50 | 2013 | 3 | 126 | 2,455 | 818.33 | 19.48 |
Tarik Black | 2014 | 3 | 146 | 2,412 | 804.00 | 16.52 | |
JaKarr Sampson | 2014 | 2 | 147 | 2,291 | 1,145.50 | 15.59 | |
Kyle Anderson | 30 | 2014 | 3 | 159 | 2,244 | 748.00 | 14.11 |
Dwight Powell | 45 | 2014 | 3 | 151 | 2,219 | 739.67 | 14.70 |
Sean Kilpatrcik | 2014 | 3 | 88 | 2,073 | 691.00 | 23.56 | |
Noah Vonleh | 9 | 2014 | 3 | 149 | 2,028 | 676.00 | 13.61 |
P.J. Hairston | 26 | 2014 | 2 | 111 | 2,000 | 1,000.00 | 18.02 |
Tim Frazier | 2014 | 3 | 102 | 1,997 | 665.67 | 19.58 | |
Joffrey Lauvergne | 55 | 2013 | 3 | 130 | 1,992 | 664.00 | 15.32 |
Glenn Robinson III | 40 | 2014 | 3 | 131 | 1,886 | 628.67 | 14.40 |
Shabazz Napier | 24 | 2014 | 3 | 136 | 1,839 | 613.00 | 13.52 |
K.J. McDaniels | 32 | 2014 | 3 | 127 | 1,794 | 598.00 | 14.13 |
Markel Brown | 44 | 2014 | 2 | 109 | 1,763 | 881.50 | 16.17 |
Joe Harris | 33 | 2014 | 3 | 102 | 1,534 | 511.33 | 15.04 |
Adreian Payne | 15 | 2014 | 3 | 96 | 1,317 | 439.00 | 13.72 |
Dario Saric | 12 | 2014 | 1 | 53 | 1,278 | 1,278.00 | 24.11 |
Spencer Dinwiddie | 38 | 2014 | 3 | 77 | 1,264 | 421.33 | 16.42 |
Tyler Ennis | 18 | 2014 | 3 | 109 | 1,251 | 417.00 | 11.48 |
Johnny O'Bryant III | 36 | 2014 | 3 | 104 | 1,243 | 414.33 | 11.95 |
Cleanthony Early | 34 | 2014 | 2 | 56 | 801 | 400.50 | 14.30 |
Joel Embiid | 3 | 2014 | 1 | 31 | 786 | 786.00 | 25.35 |
Travis Wear | 2014 | 1 | 51 | 672 | 672.00 | 13.18 | |
James Young | 17 | 2014 | 3 | 76 | 626 | 208.67 | 8.24 |
James Michael McAdoo | 2014 | 3 | 82 | 626 | 208.67 | 7.63 | |
Cory Jefferson | 60 | 2014 | 2 | 58 | 581 | 290.50 | 10.02 |
Semaj Christon | 55 | 2014 | 1 | 38 | 574 | 574.00 | 15.11 |
Jabari Brown | 2014 | 1 | 19 | 568 | 568.00 | 29.89 | |
Mitch McGary | 21 | 2014 | 2 | 52 | 557 | 278.50 | 10.71 |
Furkan Aldemir | 53 | 2012 | 1 | 41 | 540 | 540.00 | 13.17 |
Roy Devyn Marble | 56 | 2014 | 2 | 44 | 457 | 228.50 | 10.39 |
Erick Green | 46 | 2013 | 2 | 52 | 452 | 226.00 | 8.69 |
Lamar Patterson | 48 | 2014 | 2 | 38 | 415 | 207.50 | 10.92 |
C.J. Wilcox | 28 | 2014 | 3 | 60 | 343 | 114.33 | 5.72 |
Jordan Adams | 22 | 2014 | 2 | 32 | 263 | 131.50 | 8.22 |
Nick Johnson | 42 | 2014 | 1 | 28 | 262 | 262.00 | 9.36 |
Jordan McRae | 58 | 2014 | 2 | 56 | 257 | 128.50 | 4.59 |
Larry Drew | 2013 | 1 | 12 | 219 | 219.00 | 18.25 | |
Bryce Cotton | 2014 | 2 | 23 | 198 | 99.00 | 8.61 | |
Cameron Bairstow | 49 | 2014 | 2 | 36 | 167 | 83.50 | 4.64 |
Damien Inglis | 31 | 2014 | 1 | 20 | 156 | 156.00 | 7.80 |
Jarnell Stokes | 35 | 2014 | 3 | 28 | 151 | 50.33 | 5.39 |
Shayne Whittington | 2014 | 2 | 27 | 149 | 74.50 | 5.52 | |
Russ Smith | 47 | 2014 | 2 | 27 | 131 | 65.50 | 4.85 |
Bruno Caboclo | 20 | 2014 | 3 | 22 | 89 | 29.67 | 4.05 |
Jack Cooley | 2013 | 1 | 16 | 87 | 87.00 | 5.44 | |
Walter Tavares | 43 | 2014 | 2 | 12 | 77 | 38.50 | 6.42 |
Zoran Dragic | 2011 | 1 | 16 | 75 | 75.00 | 4.69 | |
Drew Gordon | 2012 | 1 | 9 | 71 | 71.00 | 7.89 | |
Will Cherry | 2013 | 1 | 8 | 69 | 69.00 | 8.63 | |
Josh Huestis | 29 | 2014 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 31.00 | 10.33 |
Grant Jerrett | 2013 | 1 | 8 | 51 | 51.00 | 6.38 | |
Eric Moreland | 2014 | 2 | 11 | 50 | 25.00 | 4.55 | |
Jerel McNeal | 2009 | 1 | 6 | 36 | 36.00 | 6.00 | |
David Stockton | 2014 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 33.00 | 11.00 | |
Patrick Christopher | 2010 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 29.00 | 7.25 | |
Andre Dawkins | 2014 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 22.00 | 5.50 | |
Alex Kirk | 2014 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 14.00 | 2.80 | |
David Wear | 2014 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7.00 | 3.50 | |
Thanasis Antetokounmpo | 51 | 2014 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6.00 | 3.00 |
Kalin Lucas | 2011 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.00 | 6.00 | |
Sim Bhullar | 2014 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 | 1.00 | |
Jarrelle Benimon | 2014 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.00 | 1.50 | |
Bogdan Bogdanovic | 27 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
DeAndre Daniels | 37 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Alec Brown | 50 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Vasilije Micic | 52 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Alessandro Gentile | 53 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Nemanja Dangubic | 54 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Louis Labeyrie | 57 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Xavier Thames | 59 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
You may also notice a TON of Jazz guys here (Rodney Hood, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Erick Green, Bryce Cotton, Jarnell Stokes, Jack Cooley, Grant Jerrett, Jerel McNeal, Patrick Christopher, and Jarrelle Benimon). Some of them were draft picks, some of them undrafted, some call-ups from the NBADL, and also some regulars. That just underpins just how many injuries there were in 2014-15. So this season isn’t an anomaly. Sadly.
As for the “cursed” 2014 Draft class? I don’t know yet. I think Andrew Wiggins could be an All-Star down the line. His poor teammate Zach LaVine was having a great season until he got injured. I’m worried about all the ACL injuries though. But that’s not a curse. That’s just co-incidence right now.
The real cursed draft class, for me, is always going to be that 1986 year. Look it up, folks.