7. Drafting D.J. Wilson
Horst’s first draft pick was selecting Wilson at 17th overall in 2017. The 6’10 forward struggled in his first two college seasons before breaking out in his junior year at the University of Michigan. He shot over 53 percent from the field, spaced the floor, blocked shots, and was a difference-maker on both ends. Horst is from Michigan, but this decision quickly backfired.
Wilson averaged 3.2 minutes per game as a rookie and was strictly limited to mop-up duties. He played more in year two but averaged just 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. That is his career-high in playing time.
Wilson did play two games with the 76ers in the 2023-24 season and is only 28. He could get back into the league but has appeared in just 148 games since being drafted seven years ago.
Wilson qualifies as a draft bust, and there was so much talent still on the board. Horst passed on OG Anunoby, Kyle Kuzma, Derrick White, Jarrett Allen, Josh Hart, and John Collins to select the 6’10 forward out of Michigan. That makes no mention of second-round standouts like Dillon Brooks or Isaiah Hartenstein. It was a deep draft where Horst swung on a player who produced zero in his first two college seasons.
It was a mistake, but the draft is an inexact science. Mid-to-late first-round picks are difficult to nail. Betting on a larger track record would have been wise. The Bucks needed a rookie contract to keep their spending down as they built around Giannis.