Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history

By Josh Cornelissen

25 Jun 1997: Center Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs speaks with a reporter during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Craig Jones /Allsport
25 Jun 1997: Center Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs speaks with a reporter during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Craig Jones /Allsport /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 31
Next
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /

NBA Draft: 30 greatest No. 1 overall picks in league history: 25. Blake Griffin

Wheat. Natural Gas. Love’s Travel Stops. These are Oklahoma’s top exports to the rest of the country. In 2009, they added future dunk champion Blake Griffin, an Oklahoma City native who played for the University of Oklahoma before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft.

An absolute monster in college, Griffin’s athleticism leapt off the screen/court/planet even as a rookie. Playing for the LA Clippers in the 2010-11 season, Griffin poured in 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds, earning an All-Star appearance even as a rookie. It would be the first of six All-Star nods to go along with five All-NBA selections.

Griffin became known for his affable demeanor and skywalking dunks, helping to earn his teams the label of “Lob City.” Far from simply a one-trick pony, Griffin grew his game over the course of his career, adding a 3-point shot and improving as a passer. Injuries robbed Griffin of multiple postseason runs and have leached the end of his career, but that doesn’t diminish his early career dominance.

The pinnacle of his career came in the 2013-14 NBA season. Griffin finished sixth in scoring and third in MVP voting behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James. For his career, he ranks within the top-50 in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Box Plus/Minus (BPM), and he has averaged 21.2 points per game in 53 career playoff games. Only 13 first overall picks have been named to more All-NBA squads. While there is a bitter taste of success from his career, it shouldn’t erase the high-level play he brought to the Clippers for so many years.