10 biggest North Carolina basketball NBA Draft busts of all time
By Joey Loose
North Carolina basketball NBA Draft bust No.10: J. R. Reid (1989 Round 1 Pick 5)
Originally from Virginia, J.R. Reid was a fantastic high school basketball player, one of the finest forwards on the east coast, and was recruited to North Carolina back in 1986. He would have a significant impact for the Tar Heels across his next three seasons, averaging double-digits each season as a major part of the frontcourt. He was ACC Rookie of the Year as a freshman and a First Team All-American by his sophomore season, averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds a game during that breakout season. He also won a Bronze Medal in the 1988 Olympics on the USA basketball team.
Reid was drafted 5th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and was an instant addition. He started nearly every game of his first two seasons and averaged just over 11 points a game, but that level of productivity wouldn’t last long. He was a physical presence throughout his basketball career but never quite found his place in the NBA, bouncing around with half a dozen franchises for the next decade. Reid was by no means a bad player; he just wasn’t what the Hornets or anyone expected from a Top 5 pick.
There was a slew of more successful players taken a few spots lower in the 1989 NBA draft, highlighted by Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway and All-Stars like Mookie Blaylock and Shawn Kemp. The Hornets got three and a half very solid years from Reid, but they needed more than that from someone drafted in that position. Reid just didn’t live up to the high billing, even after a monstrous impact during three years at Chapel Hill.