Ranking NBA’s 12 active No. 1 draft picks: LeBron James is still the king, but where does Ben Simmons land? |Max Sporty|

In 2017, the Philadelphia 76ers traded a package that included the #3 draft pick (which would become Jayson Tatum) for the #1 pick, which they used to draft Markelle Fultz, who is not currently on the roster. It was a disastrous pick for the Sixers, who couldn’t have known how Fultz’s career would nearly fall apart before it even started during the summer leading into his rookie year, when he either got cast or suffered an injury that left him incapacitated. of shooting with normal mechanics — or both.

Either way, Fultz managed to resurrect his career in Orlando, where he regained the ability to at least knock down mid-range shots while doing enough other things well to warrant a $50M contract. But he is no longer with Orlando and until another team signs him, he is not for now NBA player

This is why you won’t find his name on the list below — a ranking of all 12 No. 1s overall NBA Draft options that are currently on league rosters. This is not based on past production. Rather, this is a ranking that reflects the projected 2023-24 value of each of these players who were selected first overall in the year indicated next to their name.

James is entering his 22nd season, will turn 40 in December, and remains a top-10 NBA player capable of being the best in the world on any given night. With all due respect to Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal, he is the greatest #1 pick ever to play and continues to carry the current mantle, even when projecting forward without any bias to past production.

To say Edwards’ star is on the rise would be an understatement. He averaged career highs across the board last season while earning his first All-NBA selection and leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals. People talk about havingg it without being able to quantify what it it is imperative. There is the skill, the charisma, the athleticism, the innate feeling for the moment and the hackneyed desire to seize it; Ant is the thousand-watt-smile portrait of all this and more, and he’s just getting started.

Right now, and all things considered, Davis is probably the best defender in the league — although the next guy on this list could very well take that honor this season. Davis also explained his offensive approach as a paint monster who settles for far fewer jumpers. Health is always a concern for him, but last year, Davis played in a career-high 76 games; if he approaches that total again, his production will certainly justify this ranking.

Check out Wembanyama’s numbers after last season’s All-Star break: 23.5 points, 12 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. No one has ever put up those numbers over a full season. Now, Wembanyama hasn’t done that yet either, but as the season has progressed — and even into the Olympics — if you’ve watched the ease with which he’s learned to assert his dominance on both ends of the court, you know this kind of thing. of a season-long line is not only feasible, but likely.

Williamson was spectacular with 40 points in New Orleans’ Play-In loss to the Lakers, which very well could have been a win had he not gone down late with a hamstring injury. The performance was validation of the level of dominance we’ve seen from Williamson over the final months of the season, as he established himself as a true creator with the ball in his hands and arguably the most unstoppable paint scorer in the league. The Pelicans got 70 games out of Zion last season. If he’s equally available this year and the Pelicans manage a top-six seed, he’ll likely find himself in the thick of the MVP discussion.

Irving remains a major problem, and the good news is that last season that statement only applied to his on-court actions. We’re talking 25.5 points per game on an efficient 50-41-90 shooting splits (he finished with a 49.7% overall clip). Next to Luka Doncic, he’s in his optimal slot as the No. 2 guy fueling the freedom that comes with being able to switch between superstar scorer and sidekick.

Banchero is a unique creator at 6-foot-10, serving as one of Orlando’s main playmakers along with 6-10 “point guard” Franz Wagner. Banchero can create any shot he wants for himself, but he still doesn’t make enough of them. That efficiency will come. The shot is feasible. The power to get to his spots and force his way into the paint is top notch. The high edition obscures normal competitions. Banchero went from Rookie of the Year to All-Star in two seasons. Can he move up to All-NBA this year?

Towns has taken on a secondary scoring role alongside Anthony Edwards and is an honest fighter defensively these days as a power forward alongside Rudy Gobert. However, the guy put up 22 points and eight rebounds while shooting 42% from 3 on more than five attempts per game. You don’t want Towns, as great as he is on paper, to be your go-to offensive star. In the role he currently occupies, however, he can call upon more situational stardom while providing elite spacing support the rest of the time.

Cunningham improved his performance in year two but he still has a ways to go. That said, he’s a column-wide stat that can potentially be a 25-point scorer. The problem is that he is lost because of terrible Pistons a team that is still somewhat meaningless from a roster-building point of view. None of their foundation pieces can shoot! But Cunningham looks like a franchise player in the making. They just need to figure out who stays and who surrounds him.

Wiggins has declined quite dramatically since his lone All-Star season in 2022, when he was arguably the second-best player on the Warriors’ last title team. His father recently passed awayand we know he’s been away from the team for extended stretches over the last two years. Perhaps that has affected his game and he can return closer to 2022 levels this season with some closure. It’s hard to say how anyone will react professionally after losing a parent, though. This feels like a wild card season for Wiggins and the Warriors as a whole.

The only thing worse than the Phoenix Suns taking Ayton at No. 1 in 2018 was the Sacramento Kings taking Marvin Bagley III at No. 2. It was clear even then that Luka Doncic should be the first pick, and it was. even more painfully clear since. Ayton got a change of scenery with Portland last season and posted some pretty impressive post-All-Star numbers at 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds over 18 games. We’ll see how much he can do in likely staggered minutes with rookie Donovan Clingan, or if some other team would be willing to accept the nearly $70 million remaining on Ayton’s contract in a trade.

With the way Simmons’ career has started, you’d never think he’d end up as the worst No. 1 pick in the league in 2024. But here we are. He put together some interesting stretches for the Nets when he was able to stay on the court, which wasn’t often, and he says he’s ready to go without restrictions for training camp after undergoing back surgery to alleviate a nerve attack. We will see.

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