Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 20 draft picks
5. Christian Laettner
If Christian Laettner‘s time at Duke is described as historic or great, his time in the NBA is described as chaotic and uncertain.
After having tons of success in college, Laettner was grabbed by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the third overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.
Laettner was in for a big culture shock in Minnesota.
After being part of winning teams for four seasons at Duke, he was never able to cope with the losing he endured in Minnesota as the Timberwolves never won more than 26 games in any of the three full seasons he spent there.
Laettner did get his career off to a wonderful start by averaging 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds during his rookie season. Those averages helped him earn a spot on the 1992-93 All-Rookie First Team.
His time with the Timberwolves wouldn’t get any better, as he decreased his scoring average the next two years.
Finally, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in the middle of the 1995-96 season.
The change of scenery proved to be good for Laettner as he made his only all-star appearance the next year with the Hawks.
Even though his averages of 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds were very similar to his rookie year he was still awarded that great honor.
However, the 1996-97 season would mark the last good year Laettner had.
The following year his points per game dropped by 3.3 a game and he was traded to Detroit the following season.
When all was said and done, Laettner was traded six times in the NBA.
His NBA career may have started on a good note but it turned sour by his last year. During the final year of his career, the 2004-05 season, he was suspended for using marijuana.
In all, Laettner had a successful NBA career, even if it wasn’t the ones most scouts had predicted for him.