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

By Alec Liebsch

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans stands on the court with Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on February 25, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans stands on the court with Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on February 25, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft
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2. Karl-Anthony Towns

Andrew Wiggins didn’t quite work out for Minny, but their next No. 1 pick certainly did. Karl-Anthony Towns is downright dominant in today’s NBA, a model for the future of the 5 position.

Though the Timberwolves haven’t won much in his time there, it’s hard to blame him. Just after finishing his sophomore season averaging 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds a game, Towns had to take a back seat to Jimmy Butler for a year. Even though it resulted in his first All-Star Game appearance, the offensive maestro looked out of place in a secondary role.

Since returning to a lead role, Towns has been an offensive machine, averaging 25.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 made 3s a night. The new regime has modernized his game even more in 2019-20, stretching him out and having him take almost eight 3s a night.

Offensively there’s nothing Towns can’t do: he’s a true stretch-5, knocking down 41.0% of his 3s since 2017-18; a great passer for a big, averaging 6.0 assists per 100 possessions this season; and one of the best scorers in the league, using his unique threats to average 28.1 points per-36 minutes this season.

NBA Draft
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images /

1. Anthony Davis

This one should be pretty obvious, right? Anthony Davis has been a top-10 player for the bulk of his career, only held back by an irrational desire to play the 4.

Since his rookie year (seven seasons), the do-it-all big has averaged 25.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.5 blocks a night. In that span he’s made the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams three times each, the All-Star game six times, and led the league in blocks three times as well.

That the Pelicans only made the playoffs twice with Davis is not really his fault; his best teammate over that span was DeMarcus Cousins, whose strengths somewhat overlap with Davis’.

The third Kentucky alum on this list is one of the most unique players in modern history. At his size there are not many who can put the ball on the floor and create their own shots. In terms of “unicorns,” Anthony Davis is one of the first

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