A ranking of the last five No.1 picks in the NBA Draft — from Paolo Banchero's skillset to Anthony Edwards' sheer scoring ability, we're reassessing their value in the league. Who leads the pack among the top picks?
5. Paolo Banchero, No 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
The fact that Banchero is in last place on this list does not mean that he is a bad player. After averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists during his lone season at Duke, the Magic made him the first overall pick, valuing his 6-foot-10, 250-pound frame and impressive fluidity and handles for a big man. Orlando chose Banchero over other prospects like Chet Holmgren, as Banchero presented a seemingly higher floor while also having a high ceiling because of his talent.
He had a good rookie campaign, scoring 20 points per game on 43 percent shooting while adding 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. His addition helped the Magic improve their record by 12 games over the previous season. In six games this year, he's improved his shooting rate to 48 percent and is averaging 5.5 assists per game, and has led the Magic to a 4-2 record. His points per game are down to 17.5, but that's because big man Franz Wagner has been more of a focal point, as he's attempting 3.8 more shots per game than last season. so both Banchero and Wagner's usage rates will be something to monitor over the next 20 or so games.
Banchero has an intriguing skillset for the modern NBA, but, at least to this point in his career, it seems like he'll be better suited as a Robin, as opposed to a Batman. That isn't to say he can't become the primary option for a playoff team, he just isn't there quite yet. Perhaps he'll take a big step forward over the rest of this season and show that he's an All-Star caliber player, but only time will tell.
4. Zion Williamson, No 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft
If all players could be guaranteed full health, you'd be hard-pressed to take anyone over Williamson. He's missed a lot of time during his young career, but when he has been on the court, he's been simply fantastic. His athletic ability at 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds, even after a long string of injuries, is just downright unfair. He's too explosive and powerful for smaller players to guard, and he's too quick for big men. He is elite in every sense of the word, but that's also part of the reason why he's fourth on this list instead of first.
This is Williamson's fifth year in the league. Out of a total of 328 regular season games during his first four seasons, he's played in 114 of them. That's less than 35 percent, which dramatically decreases his value. When healthy, he's a franchise centerpiece and one of the most entertaining players in the game today, but that happens only about one-third of the time. Knee and foot injuries have been most common for him, which is understandable given his build and how much stress those joints and ligaments endure because of his explosiveness.
Over his six games this season, Williamson is averaging 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Both his effective field goal percentage and free-throw percentage are down, and he hasn't made a 3-pointer yet (though he's attempted only one), so that will be a situation to watch closely, though it's likely he'll regress to the mean, which means Williamson should be his usual efficient self with a shooting clip above 60 percent.
3. Cade Cunningham, No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft
Coming out of Oklahoma State, Cunningham was considered to be the "safe" pick for first overall. While he didn't necessarily excel at any one thing, there were no glaring weaknesses to his game. He was a good athlete, had good size for a guard/wing hybrid at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, and could pass, shoot, handle, rebound, and defend.
Over his first two NBA seasons (though his second was cut to 12 games due to a leg injury), the weakest aspect of Cunningham's skillset has been his shooting. His 42 percent from the field and 31 percent 3-point marks are both subpar, though they aren't bad to the point where it's a problem, just an area where he'll need to improve in order to take the next step.
Through seven games in 2023-24, Cunningham is making progress as he's returning from injury, shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc on 6.7 attempts per game, both of which would be career-highs by a significant margin. He's also scoring 23.1 points per game while adding 3.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists. His rebounds are down from his career averages, while his turnovers (5.6) are up. These numbers should even out over a larger sample size, hopefully along with Cunningham's current 3-point improvement.
Cunningham is the leader of a very talented young roster in Detroit, and there are playoff aspirations in year one of the Monty Williams era. Cunningham's continued development will be key in meeting those expectations. Perhaps he doesn't have the ceiling of others on this list, but Cunningham is a high-quality all-around player, and the Pistons are very happy to have him.
2. Victor Wembanyama, No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Wembanyama has played in only six games thus far, and there are injury concerns because of his frame, but he's been extremely impressive, and the sky is the limit for him. His 7-foot-4 height and insane 8-foot wingspan make him a problem on their own, but adding to those a quality handle, good playmaking, and solid outside shooting make him a formidable foe, and he still has years and years of NBA development ahead of him.
Over his first six games, Wembanyama is averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. In a victory over the Phoenix Suns super team, Wembanyama exploded for 38 points, and against the Toronto Raptors, blocked five shots. He'll be a highlight reel every night and will only get better with time. He shot 83 percent from the charity stripe in France last year, and while that number is just 74 percent right now in the NBA, Wembenyama has a lot of shooting potential that has yet to be tapped into, which would only serve to make him even more of a matchup nightmare.
The San Antonio Spurs have their next franchise player and will be doing their best to build the ideal team around him. Wembanyama is a crowd magnet, as it's just plain fun to watch him play because of how unique he is. His rare size and talent made him a coveted prospect in the draft, and every NBA team would love to have him. He'll be in the Rookie of the Year discussion if he can stay healthy and is a frontrunner to be the next face of the league because of his reach, both literally and figuratively.
1. Anthony Edwards, No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft
Perhaps the best pure scorer on this list, Edwards made his first All-Star team in 2022-23, averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. Through five games this season, he's been even better, improving his shooting clips to 50 percent and 54 percent respectively, while putting up 26.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, and cutting his turnovers from 2.4 to 1.8. It would not be surprising to see him average 30 points per game at some point in the very near future, but a lot of that will depend on how many shots the big men (Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert) siphon from him each night.
It's unlikely he'll keep those shooting percentages so high, but Edwards is clearly an ascending player whose ceiling is extremely high. He has excellent size for a 2-guard and all the athleticism in the world, and he's putting it all together year by year, giving the Minnesota Timberwolves a true foundational player to build around, and that's why the team gave him the rookie max extension that could pay him a total of $260 million over five years.
He's got a lot of fierce competition, but Edwards' combination of athleticism, scoring ability, and durability (he missed a total of 23 games over his first three seasons) make him the most desirable first overall pick of the past five years, at least right now. He'll be in the MVP conversation for sure, but the next hurdle for his legacy is getting out of the first round of the playoffs.
