Ranking all active No. 1 picks in the NBA, from worst to best

12) Ben Simmons

If there was ever a rival to Fultz in terms of strange careers, it is his former teammate, Ben Simmons. After missing his entire first season due to injury, Simmons returned to win rookie of the year. He followed that up with 3 straight All-Star seasons. At some point, Simmons may have been viewed as the best building block in the sport, however, his time eventually ended with Philly in a series of very unfortunate events.

After a playoff flameout in which he caught much of the blame, Simmons chose to hold out at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. He was eventually traded to the Nets in exchange for James Harden but did not appear in any games that season due to the combination of his holdout/injury. 

In Brooklyn, Simmons has dealt with even more injuries but has also seen his game decline despite still being just 27 years old. He appeared in only 42 games last season, and just 8 so far this season. While Simmons is still an excellent defender, rebounder, and passer, his scoring numbers are down a great deal. With the Nets, he has averaged just 6.8 ppg, a far cry from the 15.9 he averaged with Philly.

His lack of a jump shot, which has been a constant source of conversation during his career has prevented him from becoming the true offensive force many envisioned he would be. If he is healthy, he is still an asset to any team, but with his injuries and offensive shortcomings, he is not worth the max contract he is currently under. If he is to ever return to All-Star form, he will need to stay on the floor and improve his offensive game a great deal.