Ranking the last 24 NBA first overall picks: 24-21

We recently looked at the most recent 24 No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks and their effect on the teams that drafted them. 

All but four teams improved right away, and all but four teams had a better record after their selection’s sophomore campaign than they had the year before they drafted him. Nine of the 24 won Rookie of the Year, and there were few players that contributed very little to their franchises.

Granted, not all of the win total boosts were attributable to the rookie selection (note the Cavs got better because they signed LeBron James and packaged Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins over to the Timberwolves), but the ability to draft No. 1 overall tends to add talent to the roster and victories to the column.

In this series we will rank the recent top picks from worst to first, starting with a guy who was drafted over the likes of Victor Oladipo, CJ McCollum, Rudy Gobert, and, most notably, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

No. 24 (2013) Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavs – Granted, the 2013 Draft Class was seen as one of the worst in recent memory, and the Cavs would have been mocked relentlessly had they taken Giannis, the one bona fide star this group produced. However, while there are plenty of guys on this list who could be appropriately labeled a bust, Bennett is really the one guy who just straight up never looked like an NBA caliber player. He was just terrible. 

No. 23 (2007) Greg Oden, Portland Trailblazers – While the Cavs’ choice of Bennett was over Victor Oladipo – who put together a solid, up-and-down NBA career – the Blazers chose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. From Day 1, Oden’s career was derailed by injuries, and we really don’t know if he could have been anything special. Unlike Bennett, he did flash in the handful of games where he was healthy, but he played in only 105 games for an average of 19.3 minutes so we don’t have much of an idea on how good he could have been. Twice in Blazers history, they passed on a transcendent player for a center who wouldn’t do much for their franchise. That’s tough to take.

No. 22 (2001) Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards – Forever associated with Michael Jordan, Kwame Brown never looked like a truly elite talent as he was hyped to be. He did carve out a spot as a role player on the Shaq-less Laker teams, but his contributions to the NBA were primarily showing the world that the GOAT was not a great talent evaluator and being a part of the trade that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

No. 21 (2017) Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers – One of the weirder storylines of my time following sports is the complete loss of Markelle Fultz’ shooting stroke that made him a top overall draft pick. Considered an elite athlete and skilled scorer, Fultz was supposed to be the culmination of “The Process” that would turn the 76ers into perennial contenders. Had the franchise selected Jayson Tatum, it likely would have proven true. Instead, they still can’t find the complimentary piece for Joel Embiid to make them a serious title contender. As for Fultz, he’s a role player whose best season was the year before last.