10 biggest North Carolina basketball NBA Draft busts of all time
By Joey Loose
North Carolina basketball NBA Draft bust No. 7: Kendall Marshall (2012: Round 1 Pick 13)
Kendall Marshall starred in Virginia at the high school level before arriving on campus in Chapel Hill back in 2010. A 4-star point guard, Marshall grew into a valuable weapon with the Tar Heels over the next two seasons.
His sophomore year saw him win the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s best point guard while also leading the country in total assists. He averaged 8.1 points and 9.8 assists in that sophomore season, his first (and only) as North Carolina’s full-time starting point guard.
Among a crew of Tar Heels to declare for the NBA Draft, Marshall would become the 13th pick, beginning his career with the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, Marshall’s NBA career would last just four seasons and would see him play for a different team each year.
He dealt with an ACL injury and had subpar numbers, though he was the Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard in early 2014. He’d averaged 8.0 points and 8.8 assists a game that season but was out of the NBA just two seasons later.
The Suns clearly didn’t get what they expected out of this lottery pick, with future studs like Draymond Green and Khris Middleton going a bit later in the draft. It’s unfortunate that Marshall never quite caught on in the NBA. The Suns needed more than 48 games out of their 13th pick and Marshall was playing overseas less than five years after being drafted that high. He worked as a staff assistant at North Carolina a few seasons ago, but his future in the sport remains to be seen.