Zion Williamson and the 20 best one-and-done players of all time

Zion Williamson and the 20 best one-and-done players in college basketball history

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Teammates Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils react against the Syracuse Orange during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 04: Karl-Anthony Towns #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts after a play in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers during the NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

10. Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky, 2014-2015

There will be plenty of Kentucky Wildcats on this list, and the latest is Karl-Anthony Towns, who was the star of Kentucky’s 2014-2015 edition, which went undefeated during the regular season. That team saw an incredible six players get drafted, including four lottery picks, but no one had a bigger impact than Towns.

Towns was an unstoppable force for the Wildcats, even though his overall stats (10.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) didn’t reflect his dominance. That Kentucky team was so deep that Calipari could roll out two complete units of NBA-caliber talent, which is why that team was able to outlast opponents all the way until they were upset by Wisconsin in the Final Four.

Despite the presence of other talented players such as D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor in the draft, Towns was a clear choice at the top for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were looking to rebuild after trading away Kevin Love a year earlier. Towns has not only done a tremendous job filling Love’s shoes in Minneapolis, but he has become one of the best young players in the NBA.

Since coming into the NBA, Towns has won the Rookie of the Year award (in 2016) and made the All-Star team the past two seasons. Towns has been a dominant inside presence for Minnesota, averaging 24.3 points per game and 12.5 rebounds a night, giving them a bona fide superstar to build around in the future.