6) Luther Wright (1993)
With the No. 18 pick in the ’93 draft, the Jazz took Luther Wright, a bruising big man out of Seton Hall. Jazz legend and shot-blocker extraordinaire Mark Eaton was set to ride off into the sunset and some felt that Wright could come in an compete for a starting spot in the team’s front court next to Karl Malone.
Instead, he played just 15 games in a Jazz uniform — averaging 1.3 points per contest — before suffering a nervous breakdown. Wright’s struggles with childhood abuse and bipolar disorder simply got the better of him.
After his Jazz stint, he did time in a psychiatric facility, was homeless for several years, had his toes amputated and fought addiction and obesity in addition to his mental health issues.
Next: No. 5