Ranking every NBA draft class from the 21st century

Superstars: LeBron James (1), Dwyane Wade (5), Carmelo Anthony (3), Chris Bosh (4)

Impact Players: David West (18), Kyle Korver (51), Kirk Hinrich (7), Boris Diaw (21), Mo Williams (47), Josh Howard (29)

Major Busts: Darko Milicic (2), Mike Sweetney (9)

The 2003 NBA Draft class is up there with the 1984 and 1996 NBA classes as one of the greatest classes of all time. Four Hall of Fame players — one of them, LeBron James, arguably the greatest player ever; two of them, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, part of the NBA 75; and the last one, Chris Bosh, almost certainly would have been had his career not been cut short by health conditions. The class had some decent depth too, with a number of high-level role players who had big impacts on some of the better franchises in the past 20 years. The class also infamously had one of the most fantastic busts in draft history in Darko Milicic. 

Superstars: Kawhi Leonard (15), Klay Thompson (11), Jimmy Butler (30), Kyrie Irving (1)

Impact Players: Kemba Walker (9), Isaiah Thomas (60), Nikola Vucevic (16), Tobias Harris (19), Jonas Valanciunas (5), Tristan Thompson (4), Bojan Bogdanovich (31), Marcus Morris (14), Reggie Jackson (24), Chandler Parsons (38)

Major Busts: Derrick Williams (2), Jan Vesely (6), Jimmer Fredette (10)

This draft had it all — Hall of Fame players at the top, middle and end of the first round, gigantic busts at the top, middle and end of the top-10, and sleeper picks all over the draft, including the very last pick of the draft (Isaiah Thomas). Depending on how Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving’s respective careers finish up, this group could potentially challenge the 2003 Draft Class as the best of the 2000s with four surefire Hall of Fame players and a number of All Star-caliber contributors. 

Superstars: Stephen Curry (7), James Harden (3), DeMar DeRozan (9), Blake Griffin (1)

Impact Players: Jrue Holiday (17), Danny Green (46), Ty Lawson (18), Ricky Rubio (5), Jeff Teague (19), Tyreke Evans (4), Darren Collison (21), Patrick Beverley (42), Taj Gibson (26), Brandon Jennings (10)

Major Busts: Hasheem Thabeet (2), Jonny Flynn (6)

With Steph Curry, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Blake Griffin and Jrue Holiday, this class will likely have five Hall of Famers — and possibly six if Ricky Rubio gets in due to his international contributions. With Curry still at the peak of his powers and Harden, DeRozan and Holiday on the backend of their respective primes, this class still has some upside and will ultimately be in the discussion for best class of the 2000s should any of the four play a major part in championships over the next five years. 

Superstars: Nikola Jokic (41), Joel Embiid (3)

Impact Players: Julius Randle (7), Zach LaVine (13), Marcus Smart (6), Andrew Wiggins (1), Jerami Grant (39), Aaron Gordon (4), Clint Capela (25) Bogdan Bogdanovic (27), Spencer Dinwiddie (38), Jusuf Nurkic (6), Jordan Clarkson (46)

Major Busts: Jabari Parker (2), Dante Exum (5), Nik Stauskas (8), Noah Vonleh (9)

By the time you read this, Joel Embiid will have just won his first MVP award, with Nikola Jokic claiming the previous two. That, alone, is enough for me to vault this class ahead of the likes of the 2001 draft class and 2008 draft class as the superstars in those classes only briefly flirted with being top-five, top-10 players in basketball whereas Jokic and Embiid have unequivocally been top-five players in the world for the entirety of the 2020s thus far. Beyond the two at the top, this class has a handful of fringe superstars (Julius Randle, Zach LaVine) and a ton of high-level role players like Marcus Smart, Andrew Wiggins, Jerami Grant and Aaron Gordon, to name a few. There’s a lot to like about this class — even its biggest bust, Jabari Parker, wasn’t really a bust in the same sense as guys like Darko Milicic and Hasheem Thabeet were. Parker was more of a disappointment given his talents and start to his career. 

Superstars: Jayson Tatum (3), Donovan Mitchell (13), Bam Adebayo (14)

Impact Players: De’Aaron Fox (5), Lauri Markkanen (7), John Collins (19), Jarrett Allen (22), OG Anunoby (23), Kyle Kuzma (27), Lonzo Ball (2), Derrick White (29), Malik Monk (11), Markelle Fultz (1), Luke Kennard (12), Josh Hart (30), Dillon Brooks (45)

Major Busts: Markelle Fultz (until recently), Josh Jackson (4), Jonathan Isaac (6), Frank Ntilikina (8), Zach Collins (10)

The 2017 draft class is already awesome and, after this past season, looks to be even better than anyone ever could have imagined. We already knew that Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo were stars on a superstar trajectory (if they weren’t already superstars in your mind). Nobody was ready for De’Aaron Fox and Lauri Markkanen to ascend to All-NBA levels this season. Similarly, no one was ready for some of the leaps made by the likes of OG Anunoby, Kyle Kuzma, Derrick White, and the player who was previously written off as a massive bust, Markelle Fultz, who has quietly turned himself into a good NBA point guard in Orlando. If a couple of these players are key players on a couple of championships, this class could leap even further up these rankings.

Superstars: Luka Doncic (3), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11), Trae Young (5)

Impact Players: Jaren Jackson Jr. (4), Jalen Brunson (33), Mikal Bridges (10), Deandre Ayton (1), Mitchell Robinson (36), Miles Bridges (12), Robert Williams (27), Anfernee Simons (24), Michael Porter Jr. (14), Wendell Carter Jr. (7), Kevin Huerter (19)

Major Busts: Marvin Bagley III (2), Kevin Knox (9)

Clearly doing some projecting here, but the draft class of 2018 is rapidly rising up the ranks and could be at the very top when it’s all said and done. Luka Doncic is on course to have a pantheon-type career, at least from a statistical standpoint. Trae Young will continue to have cartoonish numbers for the majority of his career, though he may never experience much team success until he rounds out other parts of his game. SGA looks good enough to be the best player on an OKC team that could dominate the back-half of the 2020s. And there are a handful of others that may make the leap to superstardom over the next few years, including Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. 

Superstars: Pau Gasol (3), Tony Parker (28), Gilbert Arenas (31)

Impact Players: Joe Johnson (10), Zach Randolph (19), Richard Jefferson (13), Jason Richardson (5), Gerald Wallace (25), Tyson Chandler (2), Shane Battier (6), Mehmet Okur (38)

Major Busts: Kwame Brown (1), Eddy Curry (4), Eddie Griffin (7), DeSagana Diop (8), Rodney White (9)

The 2001 class was a sneaky great one with two Hall of Famers (Tony Parker and Pau Gasol), a couple of star players in their primes (Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson and Zach Randolph), some quality high-level role players and some monumental busts in the top-10. Gasol and Parker helped usher the European influence into the NBA and both were stars on multiple championship-winning teams. Gilbert Arenas was a superstar for three seasons before injuries robbed him of a Hall of Fame career. Joe Johnson and Zach Randolph were All Star-caliber players for most of their respective primes. And a handful of others were very good players for a long time during the 2000s. 

Superstars: Anthony Davis (1), Damian Lillard (6), Draymond Green (35)

Impact Players: Khris Middleton (39), Bradley Beal (3), Jae Crowder (34), Harrison Barnes (7), Will Barton (40), Andre Drummond (9), Evan Fournier (20)

Major Busts: Thomas Robinson (5)

The 2012 draft class will almost certainly move ahead of the 2001 class eventually, but I’d like to see 2012 stars earn it as each of the five possible future Hall of Famers have divisive aspects to their respective legacies. Draymond Green has enjoyed the most team success thus far, winning four titles, but will always be a polarizing player due to his antics and limited statistical impact. On the other end of the spectrum, Damian Lillard has basically mirrored Steph Curry from a statistical standpoint, but has only made the Conference Finals one time. Then, there’s Anthony Davis — a player who was 1B to LeBron’s 1A on a title team, but has underwhelmed given his God-given talents due to injuries. Khris Middleton and Bradley Beal are both secondary stars who could use some more playoff success (especially Beal) if either wants to make the Hall of Fame.

Superstars: Russell Westbrook (4), Derrick Rose (1), Kevin Love (5)

Impact Players: Brook Lopez (10), DeAndre Jordan (35), Serge Ibaka (24), Goran Dragic (45), Eric Gordon (7), Danilo Gallinari (6), Nicholas Batum (25), George Hill (25)

Major Busts: Joe Alexander (8)

This draft class feels like it underperformed a bit considering how much success some of its players had early in their careers. Derrick Rose was the youngest MVP in league history, but then had his career derailed due to injuries. Russell Westbrook maximized his talents individually, but the fact that he was never able to win a championship with Kevin Durant and James Harden is kind of disappointing. And while Kevin Love won a championship and was a major cog in Cleveland’s four straight Finals appearances, he wasn’t anything close to the budding superstar he looked like while on the Timberwolves earlier in his career. So, while this 2008 draft class — with a nearly bust-free top-10 — was one of the better classes of the 2000s, it will always feel like it should have ended up closer to number one than number 10.

Superstars: Ja Morant (2), Zion Williamson (1), Darius Garland (5)

Impact Players: RJ Barrett (3), Tyler Herro (13), Jordan Poole (28), Keldon Johnson (29), Nic Claxton (31), Cameron Johnson (11), Brandon Clarke (21), Terance Mann (48), PJ Washington (12), De’Andre Hunter (4), Grant Williams (22)

Major Busts: Jarrett Culver (6)

This class would have been around the top five back in December. How things have changed. Back then, Zion Williamson was playing like a First Team All-NBA player on a top-three team in the Western Conference; today, he’s still out with the world’s second-longest hamstring injury (James Harden’s year-and-a-half long hamstring injury takes the cake). In December, Ja Morant looked like the face of American basketball moving forward; today, he is one more off-the-court incident from replicating the chaotic careers of Allen Iverson or Stephon Marbury — both of whom let off-court antics stunt their careers. If Zion and Ja get their acts together, this should be one helluva class because Darius Garland is a stud on a team on the rise, and nearly every one of the impact players are good enough to be key contributors on title contenders — some, like Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole, already have.

Superstars: Jaylen Brown (3), Brandon Ingram (2), Domantas Sabonis (11)

Impact Players: Pascal Siakam (27), Jamal Murray (7), the artist formerly known as Ben Simmons (1), Dejounte Murray (29), Buddy Hield (6), Malcolm Brogdon (36), Caris LeVert (20), Jakob Poeltl (9), Malik Beasley (19), Ivica Zubac (32)

Major Busts: Dragan Bender (4), Marquese Chriss (8), Thon Maker (10)

The 2016 draft class was a difficult one to peg. On one hand, the depth of good-to-very-good players in this class is outrageous — Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram and Domantas Sabonis are All-NBA-caliber players; Pascal Siakam and Jamal Murray could also play at All-NBA levels at times. While none of those five are the superstars that win you NBA championships, they’re all perfectly capable of being the second-best player on a title contender. Then, there’s Ben Simmons. Simmons was an All-NBA player in only his third season, well before any of his peers in this class. However, a lack of desire, mental fortitude and physical health have caused him to plummet down the rankings NBA players faster than any player I can ever recall, which is unfortunate because he had a chance to be the best of this crop and vault this class up around the top five in these rankings had his career played the way it should have.

Superstars: Anthony Edwards (1), Tyrese Haliburton (12), LaMelo Ball (3)

Impact Players: Desmond Bane (30), Tyrese Maxey (21), Immanuel Quickley (25), Onyeka Okongwu (6), Saddiq Bey (19), Devin Vassell (11), Jaden McDaniels (28), Cole Anthony (15)

Major Busts: Too early to tell, but it’s trending in the wrong direction for James Wiseman (2), Killian Hayes (7), and Jalen Smith (10)

If you did this exercise two years ago, LaMelo Ball would have been the only superstar level player and the outlook on this class would have been less positive. Fortunately, Anthony Edwards has improved exponentially and should be a top-10 player in the league soon, and Tyrese Haliburton has turned into one of the best point guards in basketball after being traded to the Pacers. In fact, if we do this exercise two years from now, the superstars list may even include the likes of Desmond Bane and Tyrese Maxey, as both have found ways to make major contributions as youngsters on loaded teams. This class has a ton of potential, but like many of these classes, will need at least one or two of their top players to lead their respective teams to championships — plural — to solidify this class as a great draft class.

Superstars: Kevin Durant (2), Marc Gasol (48)

Impact Players: Al Horford (3), Joakim Noah (9), Mike Conley (4), Jeff Green (5)

Major Busts: Greg Oden (1), Yi Jianlian (6)

The 2007 draft class will forever be remembered as illustrating the duality of a “can’t miss” prospect. You will remember that Greg Oden and Kevin Durant had about 20 percent of the NBA tanking during the 2006-07 season, and that Oden, not Durant, was the consensus top prize. Fast forward 15 years and Durant is still playing at an MVP level and is widely considered a top-15 player in NBA history whereas Oden missed four full seasons due to injury and only played 105 career games in his injury-plagued seven-year career. It’s a shame what happened to Oden because this ended up being a pretty solid top-10 with Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Mike Conley and Jeff Green all having very solid careers and Marc Gasol having one of the better careers of any second-round pick.

Superstars: Devin Booker (13), Karl-Anthony Towns (1)

Impact Players: Kristaps Porzingis (4), D’Angelo Russell (2), Myles Turner (11), Terry Rozier (16), Montrezl Harrell (32), Larry Nance Jr. (27), Norman Powell (46), Bobby Portis (2), Kevin Looney (30)

Major Busts: Jahlil Okafor (3), Mario Hezonja (5), Emmanuel Mudiay (7), Stanley Johnson (8)

The 2015 draft class had a little bit of everything — a star at the top of the draft, a couple of top-10 picks whose careers haven’t been as prosperous as people initially hoped, a handful of busts in the middle of the top 10, and some hidden gems later in the draft. The real prize of this draft was Devin Booker, who fell all the way to pick number 13 because his college team, Kentucky, was so loaded that they barely used him. His teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, went first overall and has had a good, but not great career thus far — he’s a superstar talent with a supplementary star’s mentality. For a while, it appeared as though Kristaps Porzingis might be the gem of this draft with his 7-foot-3 frame and do-it-all skill set. Sadly, injuries have plagued him into being a top-50 player instead of a top-10 player. This class has some solid depth as well, but it ultimately lands around the middle of these rankings.

Superstars: Giannis Antetokounmpo (15)

Impact Players: Rudy Gobert (27), CJ McCollum (10), Victor Oladipo (2), Steven Adams (12), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8), Dennis Schroder (17), Tim Hardaway Jr. (24), Otto Porter Jr. (3)

Major Busts: Anthony Bennett (1)

All in all, this was a pretty bad draft class — especially at the top — but it’s being carried by its No. 15 pick, Giannis Antetokounmpo. If you recall draft night in 2013, nobody knew what the Cavs were going to do at the top of the draft, but Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore seemed to be the prospects with the most pedigree and upside. Instead, Cleveland threw an absolute curveball and took Anthony Bennett, a player whose conditioning, work ethic and playing style ultimately were not long for the NBA. The real prize that night was an unknown teenager from the secondary Greek leagues who eventually grew to be the game’s most dominant player today. Also hiding in plain sight was a 7-foot-3, gangly, French center, Rudy Gobert, who would be the defensive centerpiece of a tough Jazz team for the next nine years. Besides those two, one great season out of Victor Oladipo and some good offensive seasons from CJ McCollum, this draft class has been very forgettable.

Superstars: Evan Mobley (3), Franz Wagner (8)

Impact Players: Josh Giddey (6), Scottie Barnes (4), Jalen Green (2), Alperen Sengun (16), Cade Cunningham (1), Trey Murphy III (17), Herb Jones (35), Quentin Grimes (25)

Major Busts: TBD, but all top-10 players have looked decent thus far.

The 2021 draft Class class from not receiving the benefit of the doubt since these guys are all in their second seasons. Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner look like studs. Josh Giddey, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Cade Cunningham all have star potential as well, but need to keep improving. And Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Quentin Grimes and others appear to be future third- and fourth-best players on contending teams. I just can’t rank this class ahead of a class with someone like Giannis or KD at this point in time because there’s no body of work yet. Check back with me in two years. 

Superstars: Chris Paul (4), Deron Williams (3)

Impact Players: Danny Granger (17), Lou Williams (45), David Lee (30), Andrew Bogut (1), Monta Ellis (40), Raymond Felton (5), Andrew Bynum (10)

Major Busts: Ike Diogu (9), Franz Vazquez (11)

Thank goodness for Chris Paul! If it weren’t for him, the 2005 draft class would probably be the second-worst class in the 2000s (nobody’s topping the 2000 Draft Class). CP3 and his contemporary (for a while, at least) Deron Williams were the only true difference makers in this class. Danny Granger deserves some mention as well because he was well on his way to being a superstar, especially on offense, but his knees betrayed him. Other than those three, this class had a couple of “shoot first, shoot second, pass third” guards in Lou Williams and Monta Ellis and a couple of guys who let poor habits (Raymond Felton and Andrew Bynum) abruptly end their careers. Not great!

Superstars: Yao Ming (1), Amar’e Stoudemire (9)

Impact Players: Carlos Boozer (35), Caron Butler (10), Tayshaun Prince (23), Nene (7)

Major Busts: Jay Williams (2), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5), Dajuan Wagner (6)

Speaking of injuries ruining careers, the 2002 draft class had some brutal injury luck as well. Yao Ming (eight seasons) and Amar’e Stoudemire (14 seasons, but seven with fewer than 60 games played) were both five-time All NBA selections, but each would have had a couple more had they stayed remotely healthy. Then, two of the major busts — Jay Williams (one season) and Dajuan Wagner (103 total career games) — both had to retire due to injuries. If Yao, Stoudemire, Williams and Wagner all had decent health during their respective careers, this class might resemble its predecessor, the Pau Gasol and Tony-Parker led 2001 draft class, in terms of overall impact on the NBA.

Superstars: LaMarcus Aldridge (2), Rajon Rondo (21), Kyle Lowry (24)

Impact Players: Brandon Roy (6) (sigh), Paul Millsap (47), JJ Redick (11), Rudy Gay (8), PJ Tucker (35), Andrea Bargnani (1)

Major Busts: Adam Morrison (3), Tyrus Thomas (4), Shelden Williams (5), Patrick O’Bryant (9), Mouhamed Sene (10) 

Yawn. The 2006 Draft Class is a rather forgettable one because it lacked Hall of Fame talent. Sure, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry were all All-NBA selections, but none of them were the guy on a championship team — Rondo was probably the closest in his Celtics years. This class actually had one of those guys in Brandon Roy, who was an NBA supernova during his first four seasons — making two All NBA teams. Sadly, his knees were apparently bone-on-bone when he was entering the league, so his career was always destined to be a short one. Thus, this class got robbed of its superstar and had five clunkers in the top-10…not the best time to be a GM with a lottery pick!!

Superstars: Dwight Howard (1)

Impact Players: Andre Iguodala (9), Luol Deng (7), Al Jefferson (15), Josh Smith (17), JR Smith (18), Ben Gordon (3), Kevin Martin (26), Jameer Nelson (20), Trevor Ariza (43), Emeka Okafor (2)

Major Busts: Rafael Araujo (8), Luke Jackson (10)

The 2004 draft class is another puzzling one. The Magic absolutely nailed the top pick in selecting a generational defender and athlete in Dwight Howard. And while they made the Finals with Howard and were in contention for a few years, the way he left and the way his career tapered off left us feeling like he never fulfilled his potential (despite a Hall of Fame career). Then, two UConn studs, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon went next. Both had strong starts to their respective careers — Okafor won Rookie of the Year; Gordon won Sixth Man of the Year as a rookie – but both were essentially out of basketball by age 31. Andre Iguodala had the most fulfilling career, winning four titles with the Warriors, but he also had to sacrifice a ton in doing so. Josh Smith and J.R. Smith both had Hall of Fame potential, but never put it all together. It could have been a good class, but ultimately was a rather blah one.

Superstars: Paul George (10), John Wall (1)

Impact Players: DeMarcus Cousins (5), Gordon Hayward (9), Derrick Favors (3), Eric Bledsoe (18), Hassan Whiteside (33), Greg Monroe (7)

Major Busts: Wesley Johnson (4), Ekpe Udoh (6)

Name a draft class with worse injury luck than the class of 2010, I’ll wait. Not so fun fact about the 2010 draft class: It’s the only draft class to have two players (Paul George and Gordon Hayward) suffer compound tibia fractures on nationally televised basketball games. If that weren’t bad enough, the other two best players in this class (John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins) both suffered arguably worse injuries for basketball players: torn Achilles tendons. Sadly, all four of these guys suffered these devastating injuries during the primes of their respective careers, and only Paul George was able to recover to the point where there was no discernible drop-off in his athleticism post-injury. This class should have been around the 10-spot, but injuries drop them towards the bottom of this list.   

Superstars: Paolo Banchero (1)

Impact Players: Chet Holmgren (2) Jalen Williams (12), Walker Kessler (22), Bennedict Mathurin (6), Jaden Ivey (5), Shaedon Sharpe (7), Keegan Murray (4), Jabari Smith Jr. (3)

Major Busts: Johnny Davis (10) might be in over his head

Like its 2020 and 2021 predecessors, the 2022 draft class suffers from a lack of experience. Sure, I expect Paolo Banchero to be a top-15, maybe even top-10 player in the NBA someday, but he’s only 20 years old right now, so that’s probably four or five years from now. Likewise, if Chet Holmgren can get over his foot injury and guys like Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe fulfill their potential, we might have ourselves a top-15, top-10 draft class here. Let’s check back on these guys in a few years before we make any major conclusions about this class.

Superstars: None

High Quality Players: Hedo Turkoglu (16), Jamal Crawford (8), Michael Redd (43), Kenyon Martin (1), Mike Miller (5)

Impact Players: Stromile Swift (2), Darius Miles (3), Marcus Fizer (4), DerMarr Johnson (6), Chris Mihm (7)

The 2000 NBA draft class is commonly referred to as one of the worst draft classes in NBA history. There were five spectacular busts in the top-10 of the draft — Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, DerMarr Johnson (which was due to a car accident sadly) and Chris Mihm. Seriously, if you had a top-10 pick, there was a 50 percent chance that your team’s draft pick would do nothing to improve your franchise’s outlook. There were also zero superstars in this draft! While Hedo Turkoglu, Michael Redd and Kenyon Martin were all All Star-caliber players for short periods of time, none of them were ever considered to be guys that you could build a contender around — they were supplemental stars at best. Jamal Crawford and Mike Miller ended up having nice careers as role players. Crawford, in particular, carved out a niche as the ultimate bench scorer and won three Sixth Man of the Year honors.