Ranking the Last 24 NBA First Overall Picks: 10-6

After going from Cade Cunningham to Zion Williamson, we now are in a territory of bona fide #1s, and there could easily be an argument for a lot of movement on this list. However, we start this countdown, with a man who was arguably more of a global sensation than all but the #1 player on this list…

#10 (2002) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets – He was 7’6,” had skills, and was an international phenomenon. However, despite being a unique force, Yao was only a 20-10 player for two seasons in his career, only had four years where he played more than 60 games, and never really made a serious title run. It seemed that, as he came into his own as a player, injuries set in, and we never really got to see what he could have been. Moreover, his counterpart, Tracy McGrady, also struggled to stay healthy – making those Rockets teams some of the more frustrating in the mid 2000s.

#9 (2009) Blake Griffin, LA Clippers – It’s tough to fully quantify Blake Griffin’s career. He got injured right and missed his first year and then won Rookie of the Year once he could play. He was athletic and spectacular to watch. And, he was on some really relevant – though thoroughly disappointing – Clippers teams for many years. While he will always be remembered for his dunking ability, Griffin was a very good basketball player. Like Yao, he became injury plagued after his first few seasons. However, unlike Yao, he was relevant to the basketball conversation for over a decade.

#8 (2015) Karl Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves – The longest tenured with his drafted team, Towns has seen a lot of ugly in Minnesota, but his patience paid off with a strong run this season. That said, Towns was not the star of this team – that designation goes to the next player on this list. While consistently showing he can put up strong numbers, his career points to the notion that he’s an elite Robin but not suited to play the role of Batman. After a serious championship run this season, it will be fascinating to watch whether Towns can build on that and become a player with a lasting legacy. He’s still just 28 years old.

#7 (2020) Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves – Nobody on this list is suited to make a bigger climb than Edwards. If his career continues on this trajectory, he may very well be top 3 on this list one day. And, based on what we’ve seen, that seems more likely than not. The former Georgia Bulldog has improved every year he’s been in the league, and he became one of the league’s premier stars this season. He’s still just 22 years old, and, as an elite competitor with a limited injury history, a solid core around him, and the opportunity to play for championships in the year’s to come, the sky is the limit.

#6 (2004) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic – Unfortunately for him, Dwight will be remembered more for his final years with the Magic – as a mercurial star wanting to depart – and his post-Magic years – where he was largely a cancer everywhere he went – than for his early career. However, this was a guy who was All-NBA First Team for a stretch of 5 seasons in a row. He took the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals… with Jameer Nelson as the second best player on his team. For a 10 season stretch, he was at least a 15ppg, 10rpg player, and he posted double digit rebounds per game the first 14 seasons of his career and double digit points per game for the first 16. Arguably the last dominant traditional big, post-Shaq, Howard was a force of nature and an eventual NBA Champion who also happens to be a weird and problematic dude.