NBA Draft: Ranking the last 25 first overall picks

LeBron James may have been the most hyped up player to enter the NBA Draft in recent memory, but Kenyon Martin was almost as hyped up just three seasons prior. He didn’t quite live up to the billing, but he became a regular starter averaging double-digit points for the better part of a decade.

Upon entering the NBA, Martin made an immediate impact, becoming a top-three scoring option and adequate rebounder. His time alongside Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson on the early 2000s New Jersey Nets would be the most successful years of his entire career. He appeared set to take off when the Nets traded him to the Denver Nuggets for a haul of three future first-round picks.

His success would come to an end though, when his career was forever altered by nagging lower body issues typical of a big man. He would stay in Denver for seven years, starting when healthy, before brief stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the end, Martin wasn’t the once in a lifetime, Hall of Fame caliber player some people expected, but he was a key piece on 11 different playoff runs for four different NBA franchises.

Martin may not have any rings, but he was a key piece in several successful team’s seasons. It is a shame that injuries had such an effect on his career, but his ability to fight through them should be commended.

Career averages: 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks per game