When you think of NBA Draft busts in the past one of the first names that comes to mind is Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Tskitishvili was the Denver Nuggets first-round pick in the 2002 NBA Draft when they selected him fifth overall but was a major disappointment in his brief NBA career. The Tbilisi, Georgia native has not played in an NBA game since 2006 but he reportedly is looking to make a comeback, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.
Tskitishvili is now 32 years old and has played professional basketball in many different countries since leaving the NBA including Italy, Greece and Spain among others. The seven foot tall forward insists that when he came over to the NBA at just 19 years old he wasn't ready but he thinks he could do well in the league now.
"I just turned 32, but I'm better, I'm better at this age. I got stronger. I've got confidence. I got smarter. "If someone were to give me an opportunity, I'm so sure, I'm so confident that I can play," said Tskitishvili.
In four NBA seasons Tskitishvili was terrible averaging 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while making just 30 percent of his field goal attempts. Even when Tskitishvili started to show some signs of playing well he was unable to stay on the court as he dealt with a lot of injuries which didn't ever allow him to find a rhythm.
Tskitishvili reportedly said that if he was given a second chance to play in the NBA and he was able to choose a team it would be the Nuggets because he wants to prove that they didn't make a mistake. Tskitishvili was a prospect who many NBA people thought had a ton of upside as a seven footer that was able to hit perimeter jump shots similar to the way Kristaps Porzingis is being talked about nowadays. Tskitishvili is proof of how difficult a transition it is from playing overseas to the NBA.
The Nuggets currently have 17 players under contract so as it stands they are going to have to make some cuts but they are especially deep at the power forward and center positions so signing Tskitishvili seems highly unlikely. Odds are Tskitishvili won't get a contract from an NBA team at all considering his past in the league and the fact that he is now 32 but he is still hopeful.
