preface
With the 2023 draft coming to an end, Venbanyama, who is from France and has alien-like talent, has also been elected as the top pick without suspense, and he will start his NBA journey with a Spurs jersey next season. As the most popular top show in recent years, Wenbanyama's talent is undoubtedly strong at the historical level, and many media are benchmarking him with James, Duncan, these historical supergiants, so his future career has attracted the attention of countless people.
Looking at the NBA's top picks in the past ten years, although the overall talent is not as good as the Wen Banyama, but there is no shortage of players with the same talent such as Cain, then let's take a look at the development and current situation of the champions in the past ten years.
Anthony Bennett (2013)
Career average: 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists, shooting 39.2% from the field
Bennett may be one of the most watery players in history, having been drafted by the Cavaliers that year and was traded to the Timberwolves after playing only 52 games for the team. In these 52 games, Bennett can only contribute 4 points and 3 rebounds per game, and the shooting percentage is only a dismal 35.6%, which basically proves that Bennett has watered, and since then he has not been the much-anticipated champion.
After joining the Timberwolves, Bennett's performance still did not improve, and he gradually faded out of the league, and the last time he played in the NBA was in the 2016-2017 season, when he played only 23 games for the Nets and only scored 5 points and 3.4 rebounds. Later, Bennett in order to survive, in various overseas leagues, you must know that he is only 30 years old, this has just reached the peak of an athlete, so Bennett's experience is still relatively puzzling, many people are curious about how he was elected in the first place.
Andrew Wiggins (2014)
Career average: 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 44.9% from the field
When Wiggins was selected, his talent was very explosive, whether it was dynamic or static, so Wiggins' nickname at that time was "Maple Leaf Jordan". However, after being drafted by the Cavaliers, he was traded to the Timberwolves before he played a game, and the Timberwolves were also a notoriously bad team in the league at the time, so after being traded here, Wiggins' talent was not fully explored, but he personally became less and less pursued.
It wasn't until he was later traded to the Warriors that Wiggins finally found his goal, but at this time he was no longer the talented teenager he had high hopes for. However, Wiggins played smoothly with the Warriors, and the team did not need him to take on the responsibility of revival alone, he only needed to do a good job of defense and occasional offensive outbreaks, and last year with the help of Wiggins, the Warriors regained the championship, and he immediately renewed his contract with the team in the offseason, and it seems that Wiggins is now very satisfied with his position and future with the Warriors.
Carl Anthony Downs (2015)
Career average: 23 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 52.6% from the field
When Towns entered the draft in 2015, he was considered a strong contender for the best defensive player in the future, and his talent could have helped him play dominance on the defensive end, but no one expected that after entering the NBA, Downs completely changed his style of play and development course. Now he is one of the most obvious offensive and defensive players in the league, and as he plays longer in the league, his talent on the offensive end is more obvious than on the defensive end.
Today, Towns is probably the best three-point shooting center in NBA history, and his best three-point shooting season was in 2019-2020, when he averaged 3.3 three-pointers on 41.2 percent shooting. Towns doesn't play like those traditional centers, who like to move in the box or make a hard cut in the low post, but his excellent shooting has helped him gain a foothold in the league now and earn a very sizable super top salary. It's just that if he doesn't change his weakness in attack and defense, he can't win the championship in the Timberwolves.
Ben Simmons (2016)
Career average: 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 56% from the field
When Simmons entered the draft in 2016, the draft templates given to him by major draft websites were Magic Johnson and James, which shows how comprehensive Simmons' style of play is, and how optimistic the outside world is about him. Although Simmons was reimbursed for not a game due to injury in his rookie season, he also made the 76ers wait for nothing other than projection, and you can hardly fault Simmons except for projection.
However, as Simmons has been in the league for more and more time, his projection has not improved, so Simmons has also struggled more and more on the offensive end, and even at some point he will be more afraid to shoot. Simmons has been recovering from injuries since he was traded to the Nets last season, and this season he returned to play 42 games before being reimbursed for the season, and he contributed 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists in the games he played, and now he is no longer the James successor of the year, and even whether he can continue to play in the NBA in the future has become a thing.
Markel Fultz (2017)
Career average: 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field
Before Simmons played, the 76ers picked the second pick, but they didn't get rid of the team's "curse", and even worse than Simmons. Because he was a psychological injury, after entering the NBA, he suddenly lost his muscle memory of past shooting. He was traded to the Magic after playing 33 games with the 76ers, but Fultz has only played 26 games in the past two seasons due to various injuries.
Fultz has finally regained some form this season, averaging 14 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 29.6 minutes per game, and it looks like the Magic are finally paying off. Although it is almost impossible for Fultz to become the face of a team anymore, it is difficult for him to continue playing in the league after all this, and at just 24 years old, he still has a chance to grow into a 20+ scorer per game.
DeAndre Ayton (2018)
Career average: 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 58.9% from the field
The class of 2018 was a famous draft year, Ayton was elected as the champion, his talent was naturally very explosive, and the template given to him by the media at that time was Admiral Robinson. In his rookie season, Ayton averaged a double-double of 16.3+10.3 per game, he was very consistent on the court, and he also had a very soft mid-range shot, and after this season, the Suns also became more and more trusting of Ayton.
After Paul joined the Suns in 2020, the Suns ushered in their own chance, although Ayton's possession has declined, but because of Paul he also has a chance to play in the Finals. It's just that Ayton's playoff play has always been mediocre, and his character is also destined to not have a particularly bright moment in his career. But after this year, Ayton has completely lost his value, he obviously does not want to continue playing for the Suns now, and when he can leave, fans may see the real Ayton.
Zean Williamson (2019)
Career average: 25.8 points, 7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 60.5% from the field
As the hottest and most talented champion before Wenbanyama, Cain also locked the position of the top pick in the 2019 draft early that year, and no other player could even threaten his pick, and Wenbanyama had at least Henderson as an opponent at the beginning. In fact, Cain and other rookies are indeed not a level player, and Cain, who is healthy and can play, is incomprehensible, and even NBA-level defense cannot limit him.
In his rookie season, Cain averaged 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, shooting 58.3% from the field, but unfortunately he has never been able to stay healthy, and now he has entered the NBA for 4 seasons, adding up to only 114 games. Now Cain's future is also at a crossroads, whether to lose weight to change the style of play, or continue to choose violent flow, both options have certain risks, but now Cain's most important thing is to deal with the peach blossom turmoil off the court, which also affects his future with the Pelicans.
Anthony Edwards (2020)
Career average: 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field
Edwards is now the hope of a revival for the Timberwolves, who made the playoffs only once in those seasons with Butler before he entered the league, but now Edwards has played three seasons and led the team to two playoff games. And Edwards is worthy of the Timberwolves' status as a leader both in terms of individual performance and leadership ability, and after Edwards played his best performance in the regular season this season, his performance in the playoffs was also very eye-catching.
In the first round against the Nuggets, Edwards averaged 31.6 points, 5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and Edwards is also one of the few players in the younger generation who can achieve both offense and defense. In the future, if the Timberwolves want to resurrect, their only option is to use Edwards as their main core, and in time Edwards will be able to prove to the outside world what kind of team the Timberwolves really are.
Cade Cunningham (2021)
Career average: 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 41.6% from the field
After entering the NBA, Cunningham's performance is still okay, he can average 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in his rookie season, and his future potential is still very large as a big core with the ball. But he also faced the problem of not being able to stay healthy, having suffered a tibial stress fracture after playing just 12 games this season, and the Pistons announced his season reimbursement after undergoing surgery in December.
Stress injuries are one of the most difficult injuries to recover from, like Yao Ming, who suffered from repeated injuries because of stress fractures, and Cunningham's future state after his return is also unknown. However, since the Pistons did not draw good picks this year, they are in no hurry to deal with Cunningham's future, and it will be a good thing for both sides if he can play next season, but if the recovery is average, for a team like the Pistons that has been in the rebuilding period for many years, another year is not a big deal.
Paolo Banchero (2022)
Career average: 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field
This season, as the first season of Banchero's career, his performance is still relatively bright, he does not look like a rookie on the offensive end, his style of play is very mature, coupled with excellent talent and ball handling, and even can see some Anthony's shadow from Banchero. While his shooting efficiency could be improved, the 20+7 per game stats could be overshadowed, and Banchero proved himself in the crucial mid-season game.
At just 20 years old, Banchero has a long way to go, and he has endless possibilities, and their goal next season may turn into hitting the playoffs, which will be Banchero's biggest test after entering the NBA. This will determine whether he can truly take on the role of the core of the Magic team, and the position of the team will also need to be fought for by himself, so next season is very important for Banchero.