Hoosier State of Mind
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10 biggest Indiana basketball NBA Draft busts of all time

By Joey Loose

Jan 7, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Victor Oladipo (4) dribbles the ball up court in front of forward Cody Zeller (40) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Sasa Borovnjak (21) during the second half at the Bryce Jordan Center. Indiana defeated Penn State 74-51. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Victor Oladipo (4) dribbles the ball up court in front of forward Cody Zeller (40) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Sasa Borovnjak (21) during the second half at the Bryce Jordan Center. Indiana defeated Penn State 74-51. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indiana Hoosiers forward Noah Vonleh, Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana Hoosiers forward Noah Vonleh, Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

C. Charlotte Hornets. Noah Vonleh. 8. player. 170.

8. Noah Vonleh (2014 Round 1 Pick 9)

Considered a 5-star recruit one decade ago, Vonleh was a 6’10 forward who starred at the high school level in New Hampshire. Tom Crean brought him to Indiana in 2013 and he spent just his freshman year playing college ball.

During that season, Vonleh averaged 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, earning Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors. He was also the conference’s top rebounder and proved his Top 10 recruiting ranking.

Parting for the pros after just one season, Vonleh became the 9th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets, though his time in Charlotte would not last long.

He was a bench piece for one season before being traded to Portland; Vonleh has bounced around with eight different NBA franchises in his career. He averaged 8.4 points per game in one season starting for the New Knicks back in 2019, but hasn’t had the consistency expected from a Top 10 draft pick.

Charlotte certainly didn’t get much out of Vonleh with that high draft pick and he’s currently out of the league, playing briefly with the Celtics earlier this season. He’s still just 27 years old and showed his potential early in his career, but Vonleh never quite meshed at the NBA level.

He actually played professionally in China last season and might look overseas to finish off his professional career. No matter how you look at it, Charlotte got just 83 points from their 9th overall pick, and it’s hard to justify that.

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