Who would you rather have right now? Ranking the last five NBA Draft No. 1 picks

1. Anthony Edwards, No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft

Perhaps the best pure scorer on this list, Edwards made his first All-Star team in 2022-23, averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. Through five games this season, he’s been even better, improving his shooting clips to 50 percent and 54 percent respectively, while putting up 26.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, and cutting his turnovers from 2.4 to 1.8. It would not be surprising to see him average 30 points per game at some point in the very near future, but a lot of that will depend on how many shots the big men (Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert) siphon from him each night.

It's unlikely he’ll keep those shooting percentages so high, but Edwards is clearly an ascending player whose ceiling is extremely high. He has excellent size for a 2-guard and all the athleticism in the world, and he’s putting it all together year by year, giving the Minnesota Timberwolves a true foundational player to build around, and that's why the team gave him the rookie max extension that could pay him a total of $260 million over five years.

He’s got a lot of fierce competition, but Edwards’ combination of athleticism, scoring ability, and durability (he missed a total of 23 games over his first three seasons) make him the most desirable first overall pick of the past five years, at least right now. He'll be in the MVP conversation for sure, but the next hurdle for his legacy is getting out of the first round of the playoffs.