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How many number 1 picks actually lived up to their draft position? (alien.top)

submitted 11 months ago by Kcd1077@alien.top to c/nba@nba.space

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There are obvious ones, such as LeBron, Tim Duncan, Hakeem, and Shaq (although I’ve even heard some people claim that Shaq underachieved for a #1 pick).

But I’m curious exactly how many actually have lived up to their #1 pick status. There are some legends like Iverson and Kyrie that you could even question. Curious to hear people’s opinions on this, especially with Victor now in the league.

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[–] RATMpatta@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

The bar should be the best player in the draft class, whether that's a GOAT candidate or a fringe All-Star shouldn't be the deciding factor. So the #1 picks who lived up to their draft position are imo:

Elgin Baylor (1958), Oscar Robertson (1960), Walt Bellamy (1961), Elvin Hayes (1968), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969), David Thompson (1975), Magic Johnson (1979), David Robinson (1987), Shaquille O'Neal (1992), Chris Webber (1993), Tim Duncan (1997), Yao Ming (2002), LeBron James (2003), Dwight Howard (2004), Anthony Davis (2012), Zion Williamson (2019), Anthony Edwards (2020).

There are a couple of toss-ups where the best 2-3 players in the draft are pretty much interchangable and some of the newer drafts are still up in the air but this is roughly how I'd have it.