Ranking every first overall pick in NBA history
52. 1964: Jim Barnes: New York Knicks
The 1964 draft produced solid players like Jerry Sloan (future longtime Utah Jazz coach), Paul Silas and Jeff Mullins along with future Hall of Famer Willis Reed, who the Knicks took with the eighth overall pick.
However, their number one overall selection Jim Barnes didn’t enjoy the same level of success. The season and seven games Barnes spent in New York were the most fruitful of his career, averaging 15.0 points with a 13.6 PER. He would never average more than 7.3 for the rest of his career.
51. 1995: Joe Smith, Golden State Warriors
Joe Smith was ok. He wasn’t completely useless or anything; he was a serviceable combo forward/center. But when you’re the number one overall pick, serviceable simply isn’t good enough.
Smith played for 12 NBA franchises through his 16 seasons in the league. His first two seasons painted a promising picture — especially his 18.7/8.5 averages in his sophomore year — but he would eventually settle in as a role player for the rest of his career.
Smith is perhaps most infamously remembered for his role in the Minnesota Timberwolves salary cap scandal in 2000 that ultimately cost the team three first round picks and a chance to build a young core around the number five pick in the ’95 draft: Kevin Garnett.
50. 1962: Bill McGill, Chicago Zephyrs
McGill had an okay NBA career, averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds through five seasons, but his legacy extends beyond his career stats. McGill is often credited as the inventor of the jump hook (h/t Bill Walton, ESPN.com. Yes that Bill Walton):
"Leaping into the air with no idea about what he would do, yet also determined not to let Wilt send his stuff back, McGill positioned himself perpendicular to Chamberlain’s expansive chest while protecting the ball perfectly from Wilt with his body, off-arm and head. He then flicked the sweetest, softest and the first “jump hook” over the grasping-for-air Chamberlain. As the ball swished through the net, a stunned world staggered to a stop. Time stood briefly still. Then Bill Russell broke the silence with the loudest cackle ever heard. The rest is history."
McGill may not have become a superstar, but his legacy is secure.
49. 1989: Pervis Ellison, Sacramento Kings
Ellison only had two seasons where he looked like a player worthy of the number one overall pick: 1991-92 and 1992-93. In those two campaigns, Ellison averaged 20.0 and 17.4 points, respectively, on a couple of bad Washington Bullets teams.
Aside from those two years, Ellison averaged more than 10 points just once — and yes, that also came as a member of the Bullets. In 11 NBA seasons, Ellison finished with a 15.2 PER and 0.90 win shares per 48 minutes.