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Cade Cunningham will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the No.1 NBA Draft picks that have preceded him when he plays for the Detroit Pistons this season. Cunningham is one of the most complete players to come out of the draft and there is widespread expectation for him to do well and uplift a Pistons side that finished bottom of the Eastern Conference last year.
It is not unusual for an No.1 NBA Draft pick to help change their team's fortunes. However, it can be difficult to live up to the hype that precedes them joining the league. Over the last decade, there have been a number of stellar top picks and in this article we will count down the top 5 first choice selections who have lived up to their billing coming out of college.
Ranking the best No.1 NBA Draft picks since 2010
#5 Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns tipped John Wall into our top five No.1 NBA draft picks since 2010 due to his sheer dominance in games and because he could be the best big man in the league if he stays healthy. After two All-Star seasons, Towns has been hampered by injuries over the last two NBA campaigns, playing only 85 games in that time.
However, when he is on the floor for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns has the ability to take over games as an elite scorer and rim protector. After being drafted by the T-Wolves in 2015, Towns won the Rookie of the Year award for averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. Since then, he has averaged a 20+ point double-double in each NBA campaign and has shot at over 40% from deep in three seasons.
#4 Zion Williamson
Arguably one of the most-hyped draft picks since LeBron James, Zion Williamson has not disappointed since entering the NBA. Despite featuring just 24 times in his rookie season due to injuries, Williamson was third in the Rookie of the Year voting due to his 22.5 points per game.
This year, however, Williamson fully cemented himself as one of the most promising players in the NBA and a future great. Before he turned 21, the New Orleans Pelicans forward had averaged over 25 points per game in a season (27) and recorded the highest field-goal percentage for a player that averaged such a tally (61.1%).
In the paint, Williamson is one of the most dominant players in the league due to his size and finishing at the rim. Last year, he made 70% of of his shots within three feet of the basket. Williamson also finished the campaign having scored 30+ points in 21 games and posted a career-high 39 against the Denver Nuggets in March.
#3 Ben Simmons
Despite his 2021 postseason flop, Ben Simmons is still one of the best No.1 NBA draft picks. In the past four campaigns, the 76ers guard has already been an All-Star three times, an NBA All-Defense team member twice, an All-NBA player and a Rookie of the Year.
Simmons is one of the best all-round players in the league, and runs the Philly offense through his playmaking and shot creation. In his career so far, he has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. Defense, however, is where the 25-year-old receives most of his plaudits as a player who can truly guard one through five. Simmons arguably could have been named Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season but lost out narrowly to Rudy Gobert.
#2 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving took to the NBA with ease after being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He put up 18.5 points and 5.4 assists in his first campaign and won 117 of 120 first-place votes for Rookie of the Year.
Since then, Irving's status as one of the league's most-gifted point guards has continued to grow thanks to his mesmerizing handles and efficient scoring. Throughout his ten-year career, the 29-year-old has shot at 47% from the field and 39% from downtown and joined the 50-40-90 club last season.
Irving has been an All-Star on seven occasions, a member of the All-NBA teams three times and helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever championship in 2016 with his dagger three late in Game Seven. As part of the Brooklyn Nets' 'Big Three,' Irving will be hoping to add another ring to his collection.
#1 Anthony Davis
If fully fit, Anthony Davis is one of the top five players in the NBA, let alone being among the top five No.1 draft picks since 2010. Davis was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 and recorded 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in his rookie campaign.
Despite not winning the Rookie of the Year award, which he lost to Damian Lillard, Davis took his game to another level in his sophomore year and hasn't looked back since. His immense versatility on both ends of the floor makes him one of the league's elite two-way players. Davis has made four All-NBA teams, averaging over 20 points per game in the last eight seasons, and has ranked top for blocks in three campaigns.
After spending seven years in New Orleans, Davis earned his superstar move to the LA Lakers, where he has elevated his status playing alongside LeBron James. Winning his first championship ring in the 2019-20 season, Davis put up 27.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the playoffs while shooting at 38.8% from deep. The improvement in his three-point accuracy was evident in the 2020 NBA Western Conference Finals, when Davis hit a buzzer-beater three in Game Two against the Denver Nuggets.
