Former NBA Lottery Pick Attempting Bold Return 5 Years Later

At seven-foot-three, it would be hard to miss someone like Hasheem Thabeet if he were on the basketball court. But the problem is that the second overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft was last seen back in 2014, raising questions on his playing condition.

The Tanzanian was in Charlotte recently, and several teams reportedly gave the 31-year-old a workout. According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, and the Detroit Pistons showed what he is still capable of doing on the court. There was no mention on whether Thabeet did enough to impress team representatives.

Thabeet did not exactly have a stellar career when he invaded the NBA back in 2009. Despite productive seasons with the University of Connecticut, Thabeet averaged only 2.2. points and 2.7 rebounds in 224 games. Hence, the only asset that teams would get from Thabeet is that he is a towering presence and nothing else.

After being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, he also had stops with the Rockets (2011-12), the Portland Trail Blazers (2012) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (2012-14). He also had a stint in the NBA Development League in 2014 with the Grand Rapids Drive. The 31-year-old also played for the Yokohama B-Corsairs in the Japanese B-League back in 2017.

Thabeet also brought his talent to the Philippines in 2017, joining the Mighty Sports quintet for a tournament in Dubai. At the time, he believed that he still had a shot at making the NBA and remained upbeat that there will be a team who would give him that chance, Spin.ph reported.

"It's a journey. It's a marathon, not a sprint," Thabeet said.

With the current level of competition and his conditioning in question, it will be interesting if Thabeet can still keep in step with the younger and more talented big men the NBA has to date. Yardbarker reported that he has been training with Keith Williams, the same person who has worked with DeMarcus Cousins, Markelle Fultz and Kevin Durant.

For Thabeet, the critical part here is his age and how well he can adjust to the latest NBA style of play. His height gives him an edge, but if he is unable to show what he can do on both ends of the court, teams will likely end up passing and use that slot on someone smaller but effective.