Portland Trail Blazers all-time draft bust starting 5
By Tyler Watts
SG: Martell Webster
One year later, the Blazers selected Martell Webster with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft. The 6’5 wing also came right out of high school, and Portland was hoping that he would form a dynamic backcourt duo with Sebastian Telfair, but things did not quite work out.
Webster was a part-time starter during his five years in Portland where he averaged 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game. Those are solid numbers for a backup wing, but he far from lived up to the hype of the sixth overall pick. Webster was an above-league-average 3-point shooter that could not lock down consistent starter minutes.
The 6’7 wing was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 for Luke Babbitt and Ryan Gomes. Webster struggled to stay in the lineup during his two seasons in Minnesota before having two strong years in Washington. Then, the injuries virtually ended his NBA career before Webster’s 30th birthday.
The 2005 NBA Draft was not a banner year for talent. The Blazers passed on drafting Danny Granger, Monta Ellis, and Lou Williams to select Webster, but this year’s class was chalked full of busts, including six of the 14 lottery picks playing eight or fewer seasons in the NBA with four providing less than 4.0 win shares for their careers.