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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BOISE, ID – MARCH 15:F DeAndre Ayton (13) of the Arizona Wildcats clears a rebound during the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship First Round game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

15. DeAndre Ayton, Arizona, 2017-2018

The most talented center to hit college basketball in years, DeAndre Ayton was an absolute force for the Arizona Wildcats last season. Ayton did it all for Arizona, averaging a ridiculous 20.1 ppg and 11.6 rpg while knocking down a ridiculous 61.2 percent of his field goal attempts.

The problem for Ayton was that Arizona coach Sean Miller got caught up in the FBI’s recruiting probe amid rumors that the school offered $100,000 to secure Ayton’s commitment. Although Ayton was cleared of any rules violations, the black cloud hung over Arizona for the rest of the season, culminating with the schools’ early exit in the NCAA Tournament after getting upset by 13-seed Buffalo.

Ayton declared for the draft at that point, but it turns out he wouldn’t have to go too far after the Phoenix Suns won the lottery. Phoenix happily kept Ayton at home by taking him at the top of the draft, and Ayton has gone on to put up solid numbers in his rookie season.

Over 71 games for the Suns, Ayton has averaged 16.3 points per game and grabbed 10.3 boards per night, numbers that would put him in the mix for the Rookie of the Year award in almost any other year. Luka Doncic’s incredible debut in Dallas has likely taken that award away from Ayton, but the Suns have to be thrilled that they can pair Ayton with Devin Booker (another close omission from this list) as franchise building blocks for years to come.