2. Dennis Hopson, Shooting Guard/Small Forward
A former teammate of Jordan’s during his first run of titles with the Bulls in the 1990’s is the 6-foot-5 and 200 pound former Ohio State Buckeyes shooting guard/small forward Dennis Hopson. As one of the bigger busts of any NBA Draft in the late 1980’s, Hopson was the third overall pick of the New Jersey Nets in the 1987 NBA Draft.
Right away Hopson was a high usage player and scorer for the Nets. But it did come at the expense of the team’s offensive efficiency. In his three seasons with the Nets, Hopson registered a 100 offensive rating/111 defensive rating, -1.9 box plus/minus rating, 49.0 true shooting percentage, and just .040 win shares per 48 minutes.
The advanced metrics didn’t get much better in the limited stint that Hopson had as Jordan’s teammate with the Bulls. Krause and the Bulls gave up way too much to get Hopson in the Windy City too. They dealt multiple draft picks, including a 1990 first round pick and one that resulted in the drafting of eventual three-time All-Defensive Team selection PJ Brown, to get Hopson from the Nets.
In the bits and pieces of two seasons that Hopson played with the Bulls, he averaged 4.2 points per game, 1.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He shot 42.7 percent from the field, 20.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Hopson also registered a dismal -4.0 box plus/minus rating, -0.4 value over replacement player rating, .035 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 47.1 true shooting percentage, in those 63 games played with the Bulls.