NBA Draft: Ranking the last 10 No. 1 overall picks of the decade

10. Anthony Bennett

One of the biggest busts in NBA history, everyone knows Anthony Bennett‘s name for the wrong reasons. The UNLV alum has not played an NBA game since January 5th of 2017, only appearing in 151 games in his entire career.

Bennett fell out of the league for a few reasons. For one thing, his work ethic was reportedly poor which led to an unacceptably low level of conditioning. That made it tough for him to get minutes at all.

But even when he did play, things never got better. The Cleveland Cavaliers wanted him to become a mismatch small forward, but he was too slow and not skilled enough. Sliding to the 4 was difficult not only because of the team’s depth, but also because he was not in the right shape to play it.

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (subscription required) goes more in-depth on why it went wrong, but basically he did not have the right mental makeup for the NBA. He was probably the worst No. 1 pick in league history.

9. Markelle Fultz

The 76ers’ fingerprints are all over the last few drafts. Looking to complete its’ core around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, Philly traded up from 3rd to 1st overall to nab the scoring guard out of Washington. At the time he seemed like a great fit, as he averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists on pretty good shooting numbers.

But the element of his game that made him such a good fit—shooting—was gone, and with it went his ability to play with Simmons and Embiid. Markelle Fultz couldn’t shoot anymore due to a shoulder injury, and that made it very difficult for him to get playing time with the Sixers.

Fultz averaged 7.7 points and 3.4 assists in 33 games as a Sixer, taking only 15 threes and making just four of them. Next to two players who are best in the post, his presence was moot.

Salvaging his value was not realistic on the court, so he was dealt to the Orlando Magic for pennies on the dollar: a top-20 protected first rounder, Jonathon Simmons and a second-rounder. The Magic shut him down for the remainder of last season.

His time in Orlando has been nice. He still doesn’t shoot well from downtown, but he’s averaging 12.1 points and 5.2 assists on passable efficiency. The Magic are being patient with him, exercising his team option for next season, so we’ll see what his next contract looks like.

A 6’4″ guard with Fultz’ strength and fluidity can hang in the NBA. It just didn’t work in Philly. A sixth man role on a contender is not an outlandish expectation for him.

8. Andrew Wiggins

If not for a weird shoulder injury to Fultz, Andrew Wiggins would likely be 9th. Don’t let his scoring numbers fool you; he’s objectively not good.

For his career, Wiggins is averaging 19.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The scoring is there, no doubt, but he doesn’t seem to make anyone else better. His career arc has also been pretty flat; none of his numbers have gotten much better from year to year.

Wiggins’ progress this season is by design, and not very telling of his development. The Minnesota Timberwolves set him up nicely with a spaced floor that allowed him to make the right reads. The result is a bump in assists per game from 2.5 last season to 3.7 this season; a marginal leap for anyone else.

The Golden State Warriors are taking a chance on him, but he’s really only there because he had a similar salary to D’Angelo Russell‘s. If a contending Warriors team can get him to lock in on defense and specialize offensively, he’ll have made a career for himself.