Ranking the Last Five No. 1 NBA Draft Picks

At its core, the NBA continues to revolve around top-end talent, and no spot has a better track record of churning out superstars than No. 1.

The No. 1 spot almost always offers up star-level prospects, but the last half-decade has been especially fruitful. Save for Mavericks’ forward Cooper Flagg — who’s yet to play in an NBA game — we’ll rank the last five No. 1 picks below:

No. 1: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (2023)

Despite others postseason success, Victor Wembanyama is still an easy choice to top this list.

The 7-foot-4 phenom has seen a blazing first two years in the association, averaging 22.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.7 blocks per game.

If he’s not already at superstar status he soon will be, and his ability to function as a lengthy wing, or potent rim protector makes him one of the most valuable players in the league.

No. 2: Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (2020)

Timberwolves’ hyper-scorer Anthony Edwards trails just behind Wembanyama, having led Minnesota to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances.

Edwards continues to find ways to improve his offensive game, most recently going for 27.6 points on 45% shooting. Should he continue to improve, he could very well find himself on a different top-five list.

No. 3: Cade Cunningham, Pistons (2021)

The gap between Cunningham and Banchero is marginal, but Pistons’ star gets a slight edge due to archetype and just how good he was last season.

The former Oklahoma State standout struggled with consistency in his first few seasons — likely due to just how steep the learning curve is for lead guards — but looked the part of an offensive supernova in leading Detroit to the postseason.

There’s little doubt league-wide that he can continue to improve on his game, a scary prospect given he went for 26.1 points and 9.1 assists per game last season.

No. 4: Paolo Banchero, Magic (2022)

As previously stated, Banchero is hot on Cunnigham’s heels on this list. And has already outplayed what many thought about him in the ’22 draft class.

His massive frame lends itself well to being a No. 1 scoring option in the NBA, and the Magic have quickly built an Eastern Conference contender around him.

While he stills need to iron out some of game in terms of defense and decision-making, the vision is there for Banchero to be a longtime NBA superstar.

No. 5: Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks (2024)

Risacher’s last-place ranking here certainly isn’t a discredit given the other names on this list, but it’s hard to envision his becoming better than the other four right now.

The suave, 6-foot-9 forward saw a better-than-expected Year 1, but still has a ways to go in smoothing out his overall game.

Still, Risacher projects to be a longtime scorer on the wing for Atlanta, with plenty of potential still untapped.