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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SYRACUSE, NY – MARCH 25: John Wall #11 of the Kentucky Wildcats gestures as he brings the ball up court against the Cornell Big Red during the east regional semifinal of the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Carrier Dome on March 25, 2010 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

7. John Wall, Kentucky, 2009-2010

We’ve hit our fourth Wildcat on the list with John Wall, who was a part of the first wave of one-and-dones at Kentucky alongside DeMarcus Cousins. While Cousins was a fine player for that Kentucky team, its true star was Wall.

Wall did it all for Kentucky, averaging 16.6 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, and 1.8 steals a night for the Wildcats. Even though Kentucky didn’t reach the Final Four while Wall was in Lexington, he still made his mark by being named a first-team All-American.

Entering that June’s NBA Draft, Wall was considered the big prize after the success Derrick Rose had demonstrated as a pro. The Washington Wizards were the big winners of the lottery and happily tabbed Wall as the first overall pick with an eye towards using him to revitalize basketball in our nation’s capital.

Wall did incredible things for the Wizards early in his career, but he was stuck on a bad team as Washington needed to build up the roster around him. Washington eventually turned into a perennial playoff contender, but their upside has been capped with three second-round exits in four postseason appearances.

Things haven’t gone well in Washington this season with the Wizards already eliminated from postseason contention and rumors of friction between Wall and teammates like Bradley Beal. Wall is committed to the Wizards long-term, so he figures to be a big part of their future retooling.