Basketball is a very hard sport to predict. There still isn’t a clear formula that allows executives, coaches, scouts, or players to find success in the league. If people whose entire job revolves around basketball struggle to predict what’s going to happen next, the millions of fans wouldn’t necessarily feel better.
A Reddit user shared some of his basketball takes that look asinine with hindsight, prompting fans from around the world to share some of their ridiculously bad takes.
One fan revealed he thought Kevin Durant‘s AAU teammate Michael Beasley would be the bigger NBA star, “I thought Michael Beasley would be Kevin Durant-level. I mean I still think the talent was there, but the work ethic, not so much (maybe I’m just coping).”
One fan picked 2011 Draft’s No. 2 pick Derrick Williams to have a better career than No. 1 overall pick, Kyrie Irving, “I thought Derrick Williams was going to be so much better than Kyrie.”
Another fan said that they thought Jusuf Nurkic would be the star center for the Nuggets ahead of Nikola Jokic. “I pretended Jusuf Nurkic was better than Nikola Jokic for a year or two.”
Projecting talent is hard, and one user missed out on a lot of his projections, “I legitimately believed Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, and Thon Maker were going to be future stars in the NBA.”
A Mavericks fan revealed, “I thought the Mavs would be fine after losing (Jalen) Brunson.”
Fans continue sharing their failed prospect evaluations, with one picking Carmelo Anthony over LeBron James, “In 4th grade, I wrote an essay about how Melo would be way better than LeBron because of his college championship pedigree and that he could actually shoot a jumper. With Melo finally retiring I think I can officially say I was wrong.”
A fan poked fun at Zion Williamson, “I thought Zion Williamson was a wholesome kid, focused exclusively on basketball.”
Another fan revealed a horrible Kobe Bryant prediction, “I once wrote an op-ed in my school paper that said that Kobe Bryant didn’t have what it takes and would not have a successful career.”
The 2018 Draft class may be one of the best in the modern era, but this fan didn’t evaluate his prospects correctly, “I greatly underestimated how good Luka Doncic was going to be prior to the draft. Coincidentally I also greatly overestimated how good Marvin Bagley was going to be prior to the draft.”
More poor prospect picks were revealed, “I was super high on Jarrett Culver and thought Darius Garland would be a bust. Also thought the Suns made a good decision taking Jalen Smith over Haliburton.”
Some non-Jokic believers decided to own up to their bad takes, “I was a big “you can’t win a title with Jokic as your center” guy, unfortunately.”
A poorly-aged James Wiseman take was also shared, “James Wiseman will be the 5-man that the Dubs have been looking for to complete their lineup.”
A popular opinion in 2019 about the Philadelphia 76ers looks ludicrous in 2023, “I thought Ben Simmons was more important to the Sixers than Embiid.”
One fan clearly didn’t expect Jrue Holiday to win a title with the Bucks in his first season with the franchise, “Milwaukee trading for Jrue Holiday would be seen as one of the most lopsided deals ever (in favor of the Pelicans).”
One fan made a shocking revelation about Jimmy Butler, “Oh boy, I posted up an AWFUL one about four years ago lol. I said I’d rather have D’lo over Jimmy Butler if I was the Lakers. I was so hopeful/delusional during the D’lo/Ingram/Kuzma era.”
The lack of development from the No. 3 pick in 2015, Jahlil Okafor, “I was convinced Jahlil Okafor would be a star.”
Another fan aired a bad take about Kevin Durant, “I didn’t believe in Durant. Also thought that OJ Mayo would be better in that draft class.”
People aren’t always going to go 10/10 with their predictions, but these are some howlers when you look back on them. Some may have been reasonable takes for the time they were made in, but looking back at them in 2023 makes them seem completely out of place.
Bad Takes Will Always Be Around
There is no NBA discourse if people don’t have bad takes. Some takes may seem insane at the time they’re made and end up being prophetic, just ask the people that swore Nikola Jokic would be a game-changer in the NBA. Similarly, some reasonable takes at the time like picking Ben Simmons over Joel Embiid look horrible as time passes.
As long as basketball fans are having fun and talking about this wonderful game, it’s all fair. Fans will believe what they believe and there is no telling whether they’ll look crazy or genius as the years roll on and their takes age with the basketball landscape around them.
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