Snake-Drafting Every No. 1 NBA Draft Pick Since LeBron James

Drafts! Everyone loves 'em. They often carry our offseasons and give fanbases hope. And, fair or not, the guys who get selected at the top of the annual event are forever connected with being taken No. 1 overall—as well as all the pressure and excitement that comes with it.

Roughly a week out from the 2024 NBA draft, the B/R hoops staff got together to reminisce about that group and take a crack at redrafting every No. 1 pick of the last 20 classes. Our goal was to get these guys at their on-court best, so the selection parameters were simple: pick each player based on his peak season.

Our time frame of 2004 to 2023 leaves us just one year shy of LeBron James' entry into the league—but what sort of suspense would there be at the top of this exercise if we included The King?

Also, much like the All-NBA squads, B/R stand-in general managers Grant Hughes, Dan Favale, Bryan Toporek and Joey Akeley went positionless and took the best player available rather than attempting to form coherent teams.

Since this group tended to be big-man heavy, that avoided unfairly bumping up ball-handlers who otherwise wouldn't have made it to such a lofty position in the order. When relevant, playoff performances were considered as tiebreakers. Finally, to lean into the fantasy element, we went with a tried-and-true snake draft.

Take a look at what we came up with, recorded live on Dan and Grant's Hardwood Knocks podcast, presented in reverse draft order.

Here's a look at the available No. 1 overall picks since 2004, along with the franchises that drafted them, listed in chronological order:

2004: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

2005: Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks

2006: Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors

2007: Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers

2008: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

2009: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

2010: John Wall, Washington Wizards

2011: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

2012: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans

2013: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers

2014: Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland Cavaliers

2015: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

2016: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

2017: Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

2018: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns

2019: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

2020: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

2021: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

2022: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

2023: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Peak season: 2014-15

Peak season stats: 5.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 42.1 FG%, 11.4 PER, -3.9 BPM, .017 WS/48

What else is there to say other than:

—Favale

Peak season: 2010-11 (Toronto Raptors)

Peak season stats: 21.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 3PG, 44.8 FG%, 16.4 PER, -1.4 BPM, .052 WS/48

Of the past 20 No. 1 overall picks, only two have a negative career box plus/minus: Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Bennett.

At No. 19, we were really left to pick from the cream of the crop.

Bargnani at least had one season in which he cracked 20 points per game. He also knocked down 77 three-pointers that year at a 34.5 percent clip, which made him a big man who was largely ahead of his time. (Imagine if he was born 10-15 years later!)

Bargnani could not defend worth a lick, as evidenced by the negative defensive BPM he put up in every single season of his 10-year career. The Toronto Raptors were also thoroughly mediocre during the seven-year Bargnani era, finishing with only two first-round playoff knockouts and one above-.500 season to show for it.

But when your only competition is Bennett—he of the 4.4 career points-per-game average in 151 regular-season appearances—you hold your nose and take Bargnani here.

—Toporek

Peak season: 2022-23 (Orlando Magic)

Peak season stats: 14.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 51.4 FG%, 16.6 PER, 0.5 BPM, .100 WS/48

In his peak season, Markelle Fultz was a slightly above-average NBA player, as stats like PER and BPM confirm.

It goes without saying that his peak is disappointing for a No. 1 pick. But it does explain why he was taken over Bargnani in this exercise.

Bargnani averaged 21.4 points per game in his peak season, but his BPM (-1.4) was considerably worse than Fultz's, and that passes the eye test. Bargnani was a defensive sieve and a black hole on offense. In contrast, Fultz held his own on both ends.

If Fultz can ever develop a three-point shot, he'd rise up lists like this one. Alas, he made just four of his 18 three-point attempts in 2023-24.

—Akeley

Peak season: 2009-10 (Portland Trail Blazers)

Peak season stats: 11.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 60.5 FG%, 23.1 PER, 3.5 BPM, .214 WS/48

I suspect all of us went into the draft knowing who the last four picks would be. In that sense, I lucked out in getting the first choice among Greg Oden, Fultz, Bargnani and Bennett. At least I'd get to decide which of the final four I could stomach putting on my made-up roster.

Oden's 2009-10 season lasted just 21 games and, well...that was enough. In just 23.9 minutes per contest, he averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, flashing the overpowering physicality and surprising agility that got him drafted ahead of Kevin Durant in real life.

The sample is vanishingly small, but Oden's Portland Trail Blazers were 8.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor that season, a figure that ranked in the 94th percentile among all players.

Oden also had a positive impact over a much longer stretch of 61 games in 2008-09, but his per-minute production was superior in the year I'm choosing.

Honestly, I'm just glad I didn't get stuck with Bargnani, Fultz or Bennett, none of whom has ever had a season in which they made positive impacts on their team's bottom line like Oden did in 2009-10.

—Hughes

Peak season: 2021-22 (Golden State Warriors)

Peak season stats: 17.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 3PG, 46.6 FG%, 15.0 PER, 0.4 BPM, .105 WS/48

The player whom I badly wanted got taken just before this pick, which elicited profanity from me in the moment. I won't apologize.

The consolation: landing Andrew Wiggins this late still felt like a heist.

Sure, his career body of work leaves plenty to be desired, and Wiggins may still go down as one of the more frustrating top picks in recent memory. But none of that takes away from his incredible run in 2021-22, in which he averaged 17.2 points per game, made the only All-Star appearance of his career, shot 39.3 percent from deep and was arguably the second-best player in a Finals series that included Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Nobody before or since has guarded Luka Dončić as effectively as Wiggins did in that year's Western Conference Finals, and the same could probably be said for the job he did on Tatum. Opinions may have differed on who was the best wing defender in the league at the time, but it's difficult to imagine anyone locking down elite opponents quite like Wiggins did.

If we're talking pure peaks and valuing excellence at the absolute highest level of competition, you could argue Wiggins' work during the Warriors' title run exceeds anything we've seen from all but a couple of players in this entire exercise.

And yes, I'm aware my Warriors bias is showing. Again, no apologies.

—Hughes

Peak season: 2009-10 (Milwaukee Bucks)

Peak season stats: 15.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 52.0 FG%, 20.7 PER, 3.1 BPM, .161 WS/48

In the moment, I roasted Bryan for taking Deandre Ayton over Andrew Bogut at No. 14. In his defense, Ayton beats Bogut in some key stats, such as points per game, field-goal percentage, PER and WS/48.

But I stand by my take that the big Aussie was a better player at his peak.

In 2009-10, Bogut finished seventh in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and fifth in Most Improved Player voting, and he was voted third-team All-NBA.

Bogut was on a trajectory to make several All-Star teams eventually, but late in the season, he suffered a terrible injury, breaking his hand, dislocating his elbow and spraining his wrist.

He was never the same on offense, as his points-per-game averages fell to 12.8, 11.3 and 5.8 over the next three seasons.

But this exercise focuses solely on a peak season, and Bogut's combination of elite defense and creative scoring around the basket gave him a slight edge on Wiggins, who was great in stretches on defense in 2021-22 but didn't have the yearlong impact Bogut had.

—Akeley

Peak season: 2021-22 (Phoenix Suns)

Joey indeed roasted me for not taking Bogut instead. He might have a fair point.

Peak Bogut was a far better defender than Deandre Ayton ever has been. In the 2009-10 season, he averaged a career-high 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game en route to a third-team All-NBA nod and a seventh-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Ayton has never even been named to the All-Star Game, much less an All-NBA team.

Then again, the 2018 No. 1 pick is no slouch. He finished two games shy of winning a championship in 2020-21, and he came back the following season intent on making an even bigger impact. He did so by shooting a career-best 63.4 percent from the field while averaging a double-double for the fourth straight season to kick off his career.

The Suns didn't make it back to the Finals in 2022, but Ayton did average 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in only 30.5 minutes per game while shooting 64.0 percent from the floor in the playoffs. However, then-head coach Monty Williams benched him early in their blowout Game 7 loss to Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, which led to some offseason bad blood.

Ayton can't individually create his shot like Nikola Jokić or Joel Embiid, but he's deadly when paired with an elite point guard. Inconsistency has long been the biggest knock against him, but he's proved in recent playoff runs that he can't be played off the floor defensively, unlike most other traditional big men.

—Toporek

Peak season: 2023-24 (Detroit Pistons)

Peak season stats: 22.7 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.3 RPG, 44.9 FG%, 17.1 PER, 0.3 BPM, .041 WS/48

Cade Cunningham's turnovers and scoring efficiency don't do him any favors in this discussion. I could have gone with the peak defense of Bogut or Ayton here. Wiggins, of 2021-22 fame, deserves an honorable mention as well for establishing himself as perhaps the second-most important player on an NBA champion.

Still, for as many faults as Cunningham has, his appeal isn't hypothetical. It's actual.

You have to peer through the muck that was the 2023-24 Detroit Pistons to get a proper view. Averaging over 22 points and seven assists in your third year is a big deal, even if it comes on a lackluster 54.7 true shooting percentage. And despite the concerns about how his entire package comes together, with his size and skill, he is already among the most versatile offensive players in the league.

Plus, Cunningham made real strides as the season wore on. His live-dribble decision-making improved from its early-season nadir, and he developed into someone defenses must at least respect or think twice about as a jump shooter. Not only did he shoot almost 36 percent from deep, but he also drilled basically 43 percent of his step-back triples..

No, Cunningham's peak season doesn't include an All-Star bid. But, well, we've entered that part of the draft. And more than that, making any progress, at all, on last season's Pistons is its own version of stardom.

—Favale

Peak season: 2023-24 (Orlando Magic)

Peak season stats: 22.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 45.5 FG%, 17.3 PER, 1.3 BPM, .090 WS/48

Paolo Banchero has just two seasons under his belt.

It turns out that's more than enough for him to comfortably avoid the bottom five. Hell, while I respect the decisions made by Mr. Akeley and Mr. Toporek at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively, the sophomore version of Banchero has a legitimate top-10 case.

There is a balletic brutality to the way Banchero plays, a unique blend of force and finesse between which he shimmies, with footing and shifting on-ball speed that belies his size and build.

Sticklers will harp on his efficiency. You try generating buckets for yourself and others on a team with virtually no shooting. Banchero feels the full wrath of defenses every single game. His sub-55 true shooting percentage is unimpressive on its face. It's also a minor miracle that it's not much lower. And he makes up for some of it by parading to the charity stripe.

Just seven other players have topped 22 points and five assists while matching Banchero's free-throw-attempt rate in one of their first two seasons: Oscar Robertson (1960-61, 1961-62), Jerry West (1961-62), Tiny Archibald (1971-72), Michael Jordan (1984-85), Dwyane Wade (2004-05), Luka Dončić (2019-20) and Trae Young (2019-20).

—Favale

Peak season: 2019-20 (Philadelphia 76ers)

Peak season stats: 16.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 8.0 APG, 2.1 SPG, 58.0 FG%, 20.4 PER, 3.6 BPM, .165 WS/48

Forcing a native Philadelphian into making this pick is pure evil. I hope my draftmates lose sleep over it tonight.

There was a clear drop-off after the top 10, though, and Ben Simmons was the best of the rest.

Toward the end of the 2019-20 season, Simmons began to experience the back issues that plague him to this day. He missed the 76ers' four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the first round of the bubble playoffs. But prior to the pandemic-induced shutdown, Simmons was making the biggest two-way impact of his career.

That year marked the first of Simmons' two straight first-team All-Defensive appearances. He earned his second straight All-Star nod, finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, landed a third-team All-NBA spot and led the league with 2.1 steals per game. He also hit his first career regular-season three-pointer—he went a scorching 2-of-7 from deep on the year—and racked up six triple-doubles in 57 regular-season games.

Simmons had his infamous meltdown against the Atlanta Hawks during the following year's playoffs, and his NBA career has gone off the rails ever since. But before the back injuries, the trade request and the holdout, we still lived in a time when Simmons' offseason workout videos seemingly meant something. Maybe this is the year that he learns how to shoot threes!

Oh, how naive we all were.

—Toporek

Peak season: 2018-19 (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Peak season stats: 24.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 51.8 FG%, 40.0 3PT%, 26.3 PER, 6.0 BPM, .197 WS/48

From 2016-17 to 2021-22, Karl-Anthony Towns made two All-NBA third teams and averaged 24.2 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting and 40 percent from three.

Suffice to say, getting him at No. 10 is great value.

We're choosing 2018-19 as his peak season, but any of his six aforementioned campaigns would have been good enough for this spot.

If this exercise accounted for a multiyear peak, Towns would crack the top five. But even in this one-year-peak exercise, he has an argument to be higher.

His peak-season PER is the third-highest in this exercise, behind only those of Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. His peak-season BPM is the fourth-highest, behind only those of Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose and Davis.

Towns' team didn't make the playoffs in 2018-19, but that's understandable considering Jimmy Butler forced his way out of Minnesota after playing in just 10 games that season. John Wall, meanwhile, led his team to 49 regular-season wins and seven postseason victories in his peak year.

I had Towns higher in my personal rankings, but there's no denying that Wall deserved a boost for his playoff exploits.

—Akeley

Peak season: 2020-21 (New Orleans Pelicans)

Peak season stats: 27.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 61.1 FG%, 27.1 PER, 5.8 BPM, .205 WS/48

Just 10 players in NBA history have ever averaged at least 27.0 points per game with a true shooting percentage north of 64.0 percent for a full season. And wouldn't you know it, Zion Williamson is the only one in our field of No. 1 picks to appear on that list.

That's not an argument that Zion should have come off the board first (I took two players before him myself), but it's pretty compelling as we move toward the back half of the draft.

From a pure offensive-production standpoint, we're talking about one of the best seasons the NBA has ever seen.

In fairness, the 2020-21 season that saw Zion reach such rarefied volume-efficiency air included just 61 games and zilch in the playoff department. But it's just too hard to pass up this gem of an age-20 campaign which, given Williamson's injury history, has an alarmingly good chance of going down as the best of his career.

That's a bleak assessment, but the three years immediately after 2020-21 didn't measure up. Williamson missed all of 2021-22 and played 29 games in 2022-23. Even this past season, in which Zion logged a career-best 70 appearances, wasn't as good as that spectacular 2020-21 effort. Despite playing nine fewer games that year than he did in 2023-24, Williamson still registered more made field goals and free throws.

Perhaps most importantly, the 2020-21 season marked the last time in which Williamson flashed the incomprehensible athleticism that made him such a celebrated prospect. He's still got plenty of bounce and straight-line speed for his size, but Williamson has played 99 regular-season games across the last three years and registered 120 dunks.

He had 123 in 2020-21 alone, and a lot of them looked pretty close to prosecutable acts of violence.

—Hughes

Peak season: 2016-17 (Washington Wizards)

Peak season stats: 23.1 PPG, 10.7 APG, 4.2 RPG, 45.1 FG%, 23.2 PER, 4.7 BPM, .149 WS/48

It's easy to forget now, with John Wall out of the league after six straight years of injuries and ineffectiveness, but the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft was once among the very best guards in the game.

At his apex, Wall was perhaps the fastest end-to-end player in basketball—a relentless pace-pusher in transition who could also roast his man from a standstill in the half court. For years, he was an indisputable ace facilitator, routinely generating the highest quality shots for teammates and leading the league in assists on corner threes.

Wall was never better than in 2016-17 when he finished seventh in MVP voting and averaged a career-high 23.1 points and 10.7 assists across 78 games for a 49-33 Washington Wizards team that reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. You might remember that series for the so-called Funeral Game, but that playoff run as a whole was a key reason for taking Wall here.

He had a pair of 40-point outings during a postseason that saw Washington advance deeper than it has in any season since, and he racked up double-digit dimes in seven of those 13 playoff games. Considering roughly half the players in our field didn't even make the playoffs in their peak seasons, Wall's work in April and May stands out.

Just make sure you don't look up his numbers in any season after this one.

—Hughes

Peak season: 2013-14 (Los Angeles Clippers)

Peak season stats: 24.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 52.8 FG%, 23.9 PER, 4.5 BPM, .205 WS/48

The 2013-14 season perfectly blended Blake Griffin's peak athleticism and improving floor game.

Griffin was still a prolific dunker in his fourth season, finishing the campaign with 192 dunks. What changed from his first three seasons was his scoring arsenal, as he made a then-career-high 275 jump shots.

That combination led to a then-career-high 24.1 points per game and a third-place finish in MVP voting.

Griffin went on to average 2.5 threes per game in 2018-19, weaponizing his perimeter shot. But his 2013-14 season was better in most facets, so it got the nod here.

Zion, Wall and Towns were considered for this spot. But none of them have ever finished in the top six in MVP voting (let alone top three), and none have had a second-team All-NBA finish, which Griffin received in 2013-14.

—Akeley

Peak season: 2018-19 (Boston Celtics)

Peak season stats: 23.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.9 APG, 48.7 FG%, 24.4 PER, 7.2 BPM, .195 WS/48

To some extent, it's hard to decide on Kyrie Irving's best season.

He won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers as LeBron James' sidekick in 2015-16, but the 19.6 points per game he averaged that season were the second-fewest of his career. Irving reached his scoring peak with the Brooklyn Nets, but he played only 143 games for them across three-plus seasons.

During Irving's short-lived tenure with the Boston Celtics, he had the rare opportunity to serve as his team's No. 1 option. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were still wet behind the ears—in fact, Brown came off the bench for 49 of his 74 appearances in 2018-19—and Irving led Boston in points, assists and three-pointers per game in both seasons.

Irving's scoring output dropped a bit in 2018-19, but he made up for it with a still-career-high 6.9 assists per game. He was named an All-Star for the third straight year, and he received his first—and still-to-date only—second-team All-NBA spot.

The Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs that year, but they got thrashed by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Irving averaged 21.3 points, 7.0 assists. 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 three-pointers and 1.4 steals per game in the postseason, but he shot only 38.5 percent overall.

As Irving proved alongside James in the past and Luka Dončić now, he's arguably better equipped to be a second banana of a championship contender rather than the leading man. However, there haven't been many better No. 2 options in NBA history.

There's a reason why LeBron recently said that he's "so f--king mad that I am not his running mate anymore."

—Toporek

Peak season: 2023-24 (San Antonio Spurs)

Peak season stats: 21.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.6 BPG, 46.5 FG%, 23.1 PER, 5.2 BPM, .085 WS/48

Cry me a river's worth of recency-bias tears if you're so inclined. I offer no apologies. Expect none.

Every so often, someone comes along who breaks basketball—who bends brains and razes reality. Victor Wembanyama is among those someones, the mother of all singularities who's worth a top-five pick despite only having one peak season from which to choose.

His defense speaks for itself—at deafening volumes. He is like two defenders rolled into one body, with the size and length and IQ and anticipation to account for every nook and cranny of space on the floor. No shot attempt, pass or live dribble is safe from the moment he steps foot in the building.

And just so we're clear: This isn't a nod toward his potential. He just became the first rookie in NBA history to crack First Team All-Defense. If Rudy Gobert didn't exist, Wembanyama would have Defensive Player of the Year.

That is bonkers.

Question marks exist on the offensive end. I'm still not worried. Wemby ratcheted it up once the San Antonio Spurs began playing him as the primary big.

After taking over as the starting 5 on Dec. 8, he averaged 22.4 points and 4.4 assists while increasing his true shooting percentage from 52.2 to 58.0. His live-dribble passing shined beyond just kickouts, and perhaps most notably, he downed 38.7 percent of his pull-up triples during this stretch—a top-10ish mark among everyone who attempted more than 100 of these treys.

—Favale

Peak season: 2023-24 (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Peak season stats: 25.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 46.1 FG%, 19.7 PER, 3.3 BPM, .130 WS/48

First off, I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to Mr. Toporek for going with perhaps the most overrated MVP in NBA history at No. 3. That set me up for idealistic back-to-back selections. I am forever indebted to his folly.

This year's Anthony Edwards was first up. His 25.9 points and 5.1 assists per game on 57.5 true shooting do a great job setting the stage for his value. They don't come close to telling the whole story.

Even if you'd like him to be a few notches more efficient—which, fair—you have to consider the context of his role. He was, and is, quite literally everything to the Minnesota Timberwolves offense.

Only two players finished 2023-24 with as many unassisted two-pointers (353) and unassisted three-pointers (84), according to PBP Stats: Jalen Brunson and Luka Dončić, both of whom finished in the top five of the MVP ballot. Edwards also had the inside track on winning the imaginary Playoffs MVP award before the conference finals.

Granted, my justification needn't be so extensive. This version of Edwards is capable of being both your best offensive creator and on-ball defender—something that, quite frankly, maybe only one or two other peak seasons on this list also suggest.

—Favale

Peak season: 2010-11 (Chicago Bulls)

Peak season stats: 25.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.7 APG, 44.5 FG%, 23.5 PER, 6.8 BPM, .208 WS/48

Given everything that has ensued for Derrick Rose since this season, it's easy to forget just how dominant he was during his MVP campaign. That became clear based on Dan's reaction to this pick during our draft. (For the sake of his mentions, I won't reveal where he had Rose on his personal rankings.)

Rose won Rookie of the Year in 2008-09 and was an All-Star in his second NBA season, so it wasn't as though his 2010-11 campaign came out of nowhere. Still, he led the 62-win Chicago Bulls in both points and assists per game and was second behind only Luol Deng in minutes per game (37.4). He played in 81 games, too, which is honestly hard to believe in retrospect.

Before his knee injuries began to pile up, Rose combined explosive athleticism with nearly unmatched wizardry around the basket. That combination made him difficult to stop with a full head of steam, particularly before Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors helped usher in the NBA's three-point revolution. (Long-range shooting has never been among Rose's strengths.)

Rose struggled with his shooting efficiency in the playoffs (39.6 percent overall, 24.8 percent from deep), but he averaged 27.1 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while guiding the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals. They appeared poised to be the foil to the LeBron James-led Miami Heatles, but Rose tore his ACL in the opening game of the next year's playoffs, and nothing was the same from there.

Thankfully, this exercise focused solely on a player's peak. And pre-ACL-tear Rose's peak is hard to surpass, even among No. 1 overall picks from the past two decades.

—Toporek

Peak season: 2008-09 (Orlando Magic)

Peak season stats: 20.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 2.9 BPG, 57.2 FG%, 25.4 PER, 4.5 BPM, .234 WS/48

This was an extremely close call between Dwight Howard and Rose.

The argument for Rose is a) he was the MVP of his peak season and b) he was a better offensive engine than Howard.

The argument for Howard is he was the Defensive of Player of the Year, and his advantage on that end more than made up for Rose's advantage on offense.

But if you don't buy that, what might put you over the top is each player's postseason performance during his peak season.

Howard led the Orlando Magic to the Finals, averaging 20.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while shooting 60.1 percent from the floor in the 2009 postseason. His numbers were more or less the same as they were in the regular season, and as a bonus he had a 40-point closeout game in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rose averaged 27.1 points per game in the 2011 postseason, but his field-goal percentage plummeted to 39.6, including a 35.0 clip in the Chicago Bulls' conference finals loss.

Howard finished in the top four of MVP voting three straight years, including a fourth-place finish in his peak season. What kept him out of the top three in 2008-09 were vintage seasons from LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

With that context, saying a fourth-place MVP finish in one year is better than an MVP finish in another makes sense.

—Akeley

Peak season: 2017-18 (New Orleans Pelicans)

Peak season stats: 28.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 53.4 FG%, 28.9 PER, 6.7 BPM, .241 WS/48

The first overall pick didn't come down to "who" so much as "when."

Anthony Davis owns three of the top four (and five of the top 10) Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) scores produced by No. 1 draft picks in our sample. Nobody's drafting strictly off one catch-all metric, but, well...that's persuasive.

Anyway, this ultimately came down to deciding which of the many legitimately elite AD seasons was his best.

I went with 2017-18, when Davis appeared in 75 games, produced a career-high 28.1 points and led the league with 2.6 blocks per game. That season saw him finish third in MVP voting, double up as an All-NBA and All-Defensive first-teamer (which he only did one other time, in 2019-20) and finish third in Defensive Player of the Year.

A case could absolutely be made for 2019-20, when Davis finished sixth in the MVP race and was arguably just as important as LeBron James in delivering the Los Angeles Lakers their last championship. Ditto for 2014-15, when AD finished fifth in MVP voting, set a career-high with 2.9 blocks per game and made the All-NBA first team as a 21-year-old.

Ultimately, that 2017-18 season felt right. It came closest to marrying the jaw-dropping athletic fluidity of his early years with the more forceful and paint-focused dominance of his later ones.

In other words, this is peak Anthony Davis, and I'm signing up for that every time.

—Hughes

Full Order (with Peak Season)

1. Anthony Davis, 2017-18

2. Dwight Howard, 2008-09

3. Derrick Rose, 2010-11

4. Anthony Edwards, 2023-24

5. Victor Wembanyama, 2023-24

6. Kyrie Irving, 2018-19

7. Blake Griffin, 2013-14

8. John Wall, 2016-17

9. Zion Williamson, 2020-21

10. Karl-Anthony Towns, 2018-19

11. Ben Simmons, 2019-20

12. Paolo Banchero, 2023-24

13. Cade Cunningham, 2023-24

14. Deandre Ayton, 2021-22

15. Andrew Bogut, 2009-10

16. Andrew Wiggins, 2021-22

17. Greg Oden, 2009-10

18. Markelle Fultz, 2022-23

19. Andrea Bargnani, 2010-11

20. Anthony Bennett, 2014-15

Rosters

As a reminder, our GMs did not draft with team needs in mind, but rather took the best player available at each slot.

Grant Hughes

Davis
Wall
Williamson
Wiggins
Oden

Joey Akeley

Howard
Griffin
Towns
Bogut
Fultz

Bryan Toporek

Rose
Irving
Simmons
Ayton
Bargnani

Dan Favale

Edwards
Wembanyama
Banchero
Cunningham
Bennett

Advanced statistics via Basketball Reference, NBA.com and Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise noted.