NBA: Top 10 Forgotten Draft Busts Of All-Time
By Mark Wilson
8. Mateen Cleaves, Detroit Pistons
Drafted: 14th Overall, 2000
College: Michigan State, 3-Time All-American
Mateen Cleaves was the definition of a true point guard while in college. He possessed great handles, a consistent perimeter game, was a good defender and had a knack for getting to the rim. He led Michigan State to a National Championship in 2000 with a team that featured future NBA players like Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson and Morris Peterson.
As is the case with all these players on this list, his college career could not be transferred over to the NBA. He was drafted by his hometown Pistons in 2000 with hopes of becoming their next leader at the point, like Isiah Thomas.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | DET | 78 | 16.3 | .400 | .294 | .406 | 2.7 | 5.4 |
| 2001-02 | SAC | 32 | 4.8 | .441 | .250 | .456 | 0.8 | 2.2 |
| 2002-03 | SAC | 12 | 4.6 | .261 | 1.000 | .283 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| 2003-04 | CLE | 4 | 23.0 | .304 | .000 | .304 | 4.8 | 3.8 |
| 2004-05 | SEA | 14 | 4.6 | .357 | .000 | .357 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| 2005-06 | SEA | 27 | 8.5 | .352 | .250 | .380 | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| Career | 167 | 11.2 | .389 | .267 | .399 | 1.9 | 3.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/17/2015.
But after his rookie year, he was sent to Sacramento and that pretty much signaled the end of his career. Six years in the NBA and all a 3-time collegiate All-American had to show for it was 609 points and 310 assists career.
Next: Jay Williams