All the NBA draft’s one-and-done lottery picks: a scorecard

Karl-Anthony Towns vividly remembers the emotions he felt heading into the night of the 2015 NBA draft. Even though the 7-footer was projected to be the first player taken off the board, the anticipation of hearing his name called still got to him.

“I was pretty nervous — I can’t tell you enough,” Towns recalled. “High school, I picked the high school I went to. College, I picked the college I went to. AAU, I picked the AAU team I wanted to play for. Now, you’re going to the NBA, you don’t have that choice anymore. … This is the first time in a lot of kids’ careers when you don’t have a choice of where you play.”

There was one big choice Towns had to make that got him into the Barclays Center green room that night, and which led the Minnesota Timberwolves to select him with the No. 1 overall pick. After only one season at the University of Kentucky, where he and a loaded Wildcats squad went 38-0 before losing in the Final Four, Towns decided to forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility and declare for the draft.

“For me, the timing was right. The situation was right. I felt comfortable going,” Towns said. “It was a hard decision, especially after a season like we had in college, and coming up a little short. You want to go back and redeem yourself. But the situation was right, and talking to my family I thought it was best I take that next step to go to the next level.”

At 19 years old, Towns was “one-and-done” — a classification that’s dominated the landscape of basketball for the past decade. Since 2006, when a new collective bargaining agreement mandated that draft prospects be at least 19 years old and a year removed from high school, players have been able to attend college for just one year before electing to join the league. Some prospects have avoided college altogether before going pro. Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay both played a year of ball overseas before declaring, while the NBA granted Thon Maker draft eligibility in 2016 without him going to go to college because he was 19 years old and a year removed from earning his high school diploma.

With drafts featuring younger and younger prospects (according to The Undefeated’s mock draft from senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears, 10 of the projected top 14 picks are one-and-done players), some have called for a change.

“My sense is it’s not working for anyone,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals. “It’s not working for the college coaches and athletic directors I hear from. They’re not happy with the current system. And I know our teams aren’t happy either, in part because they don’t necessarily think the players who are coming into the league are getting the kind of training that they would expect to see.”

So, from a player’s perspective, should the rule be changed?

“I don’t know, and the reason I don’t know is everyone’s situation and circumstance is different,” Towns said. “For me, I took a long time to think about my decision, and I just tried to do what’s best for my family. Everyone’s situation is different. I’m not the rulemaker. I just go by the rules.”

In the past 10 drafts, 55 one-and-done players have been selected in the lottery (the top 14 picks), including the past seven No. 1 picks. Only nine of those 55 have become All-Stars (Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and Kevin Durant). Here’s a list of the one-and-done lottery picks, and each player’s career accolades, since the era began in 2006.

2016

1. Philadelphia 76ers — Ben Simmons, forward, Louisiana State

• Missed the entire 2016-17 season with a broken right foot.

2. Los Angeles Lakers — Brandon Ingram, forward, Duke

3. Boston Celtics — Jaylen Brown, forward, California

7. Denver Nuggets — Jamal Murray, guard, Kentucky

8. Phoenix Suns — Marquese Chriss, forward, Washington

2015

1. Minnesota Timberwolves — Karl-Anthony Towns, center, Kentucky

• NBA Rookie of the Year (2016)

2. Los Angeles Lakers — D’Angelo Russell, guard, Ohio State

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2016)

3. Philadelphia 76ers — Jahlil Okafor, center, Duke

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2016)

8. Detroit Pistons — Stanley Johnson, forward, Arizona

10. Miami Heat — Justise Winslow, forward, Duke

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2016)

11. Indiana Pacers — Myles Turner, center, Texas

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2016)

12. Utah Jazz — Trey Lyles, forward, Kentucky

13. Phoenix Suns — Devin Booker, guard, Kentucky

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2016)

2014

1. Cleveland Cavaliers — Andrew Wiggins, forward, Kansas

• NBA Rookie of the Year (2015)

2. Milwaukee Bucks — Jabari Parker, forward, Duke

3. Philadelphia 76ers — Joel Embiid, center, Kansas

4. Orlando Magic — Aaron Gordon, forward, Arizona

7. Los Angeles Lakers — Julius Randle, forward, Kentucky

9. Charlotte Hornets — Noah Vonleh, forward, Indiana

13. Minnesota Timberwolves — Zach LaVine, guard, UCLA

• Two-time NBA slam dunk contest champion (2015-16)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2015)

2013

1. Cleveland Cavaliers — Anthony Bennett, forward, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• A free agent after playing just four seasons and 151 games in the NBA.

6. New Orleans Pelicans (traded to Philadelphia 76ers) — Nerlens Noel, center, Kentucky

• Missed the entire 2013-14 season to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee.
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2015)

7. Sacramento Kings — Ben McLemore, guard, Kansas

12. Oklahoma City Thunder — Steven Adams, center, Pittsburgh

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2014)

14. Minnesota Timberwolves — Shabazz Muhammad, guard/forward, UCLA

2012

1. New Orleans Pelicans — Anthony Davis, center, Kentucky

• Four-time NBA All-Star (2014-17)
• Two-time All-NBA First Team (2015, 2017)
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2015)
• NBA blocks leader (2014, 2015)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2013)

2. Charlotte Hornets — Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, forward, Kentucky

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2013)

3. Washington Wizards — Bradley Beal, guard, Florida

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2013)

9. Detroit Pistons — Andre Drummond, center, Connecticut

• NBA All-Star (2016)
• All-NBA Third Team (2016)
• NBA rebounding leader (2016)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2013)

10. New Orleans Hornets — Austin Rivers, guard, Duke

2011

1. Cleveland Cavaliers — Kyrie Irving, guard, Duke

• NBA champion (2016)
• Four-time NBA All-Star (2013-2015, 2017)
• All-NBA Third Team (2015)
• NBA 3-point contest champion (2013)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)

3. Utah Jazz — Enes Kanter, center, Kentucky

• Enrolled at Kentucky but never played a game for the Wildcats after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for receiving impermissible compensation from his former professional club in Turkey during the 2008-09 season.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers — Tristan Thompson, forward, Texas

• NBA champion (2016)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2012)

8. Detroit Pistons — Brandon Knight, guard, Kentucky

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)

2010

1. Washington Wizards — John Wall, guard, Kentucky

• Four-time NBA All-Star (2014-17)
• All-NBA Third Team (2017)
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2015)
• NBA slam dunk contest champion (2014)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2011)

3. New Jersey Nets — Derrick Favors, forward, Georgia Tech

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2011)

5. Sacramento Kings — DeMarcus Cousins, center, Kentucky

• Three-time NBA All-Star (2015-17)
• Two-time All-NBA Second Team (2015-16)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2011)

12. Memphis Grizzlies — Xavier Henry, guard, Kansas

2009

4. Sacramento Kings — Tyreke Evans, guard, Memphis

• NBA Rookie of the Year (2010)

9. Toronto Raptors — DeMar DeRozan, guard, Southern California

• Three-time NBA All-Star (2014, 2016-17)
• All-NBA Third Team (2017)

2008

1. Chicago Bulls — Derrick Rose, guard, Memphis

• NBA MVP (2011)
• All-NBA First Team (2011)
• Three-time NBA All-Star (2010-12)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (2009)

2. Miami Heat — Michael Beasley, forward, Kansas State

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Memphis Grizzlies) — O.J. Mayo, guard, Southern California

• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)

5. Memphis Grizzlies (traded to Minnesota Timberwolves) — Kevin Love, forward, UCLA

• NBA champion (2016)
• Four-time NBA All-Star (2011-12, 2014, 2017)
• Two-time All-NBA Second Team (2012, 2014)
• NBA 3-point contest champion (2012)
• NBA Most Improved Player (2011)
• NBA rebounding leader (2011)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009)

7. Los Angeles Clippers — Eric Gordon, guard, Indiana

• NBA 3-point contest champion (2017)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009)

11. Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Indiana Pacers) — Jerryd Bayless, guard, Arizona

14. Golden State Warriors — Anthony Randolph, forward, Louisiana State

2007

1. Portland Trail Blazers — Greg Oden, center, Ohio State

• Played in just 114 games before retiring after eight years in the NBA.
• In November 2016, Oden said he’ll be remembered as the “biggest bust in NBA history.”

2. Seattle SuperSonics — Kevin Durant, forward, Texas

• NBA champion and Finals MVP (2017)
• Eight-time NBA All-Star (2010-17)
• NBA MVP (2014)
• Five-time All-NBA First Team (2010-14)
• Two-time All-NBA Second Team (2016-17)
• Four-time NBA scoring champion (2010-12, 2014)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (2008)

4. Memphis Grizzlies — Mike Conley, guard, Ohio State

• NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2013)

8. Charlotte Bobcats (traded to Golden State Warriors) — Brandan Wright, forward, North Carolina

10. Sacramento Kings — Spencer Hawes, center, Washington

12. Philadelphia 76ers — Thaddeus Young, forward, Georgia Tech

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2008)

2006

4. Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Chicago Bulls) — Tyrus Thomas, forward, Louisiana State

• The first player of the one-and-done era to be drafted.
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2007)