Ranking colleges that produce the most potentially impactful NBA players
When the 2019 NBA draft takes place Thursday (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET), Duke could be the first school to have three players drafted in the top 10 since Florida in 2007 — ESPN’s latest mock draft projects former Blue Devils Zion Williamson (No. 1), RJ Barrett (No. 3) and Cam Reddish (No. 8) to go in the top 10.
Though it has been 12 years since the Gators pulled off that feat, there have been 12 instances in the past 10 years in which three or more players from one school were selected in the first round of the same draft. And there have been 24 instances since 2009 in which schools have had at least three players picked in either the first or second rounds of the same draft.
So which schools produce the most potential impact players for the NBA? We looked at every draft of the past 10 years and gave a score to each player — the first pick in the draft gets 60 points, decreasing to the last pick, which gets one point. The college with the most points is ranked the highest.
Here’s how the rankings fell:
Notable players: John Wall (No. 1, 2010), DeMarcus Cousins (No. 5, 2010), Anthony Davis (No. 1, 2012), Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 1, 2015)
Thanks to coach John Calipari, Kentucky is the runaway leader here, led by its 2015 draft class, which produced six picks — the most of any team over the past 10 years. But Kentucky isn’t just an assembly line of draft picks — it produces quality ones. That includes three No. 1 overall picks since 2010 — Wall, Davis (who led UK to the 2012 title) and Towns — and four years in which the Wildcats had at least three first-round picks. Other notable first-rounders include Eric Bledsoe, Enes Kanter, De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray.
Notable players: Kyrie Irving (No. 1, 2011), Brandon Ingram (No. 2, 2016), Jayson Tatum (No. 3, 2017)
At the beginning of this 2009 to 2019 stretch, before coach Mike Krzyzewski really embraced one-and-dones, Duke wasn’t producing as many draft picks — look to the one pick in 2009 and zero in 2010 (a year Duke won the title!). But the Blue Devils picked up steam on the recruiting trail, starting with Irving, who was the top pick in 2011. Then they rode three freshmen who would be first-round draft picks (Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones) to the 2015 title. Flash-forward to the past two drafts, and Duke had four picks in each — six of those in the first round. Although some of Duke’s top-five picks (Jabari Parker, Okafor, Brandon Ingram) haven’t exactly developed into superstars in the NBA, there’s no doubting Coach K’s ability to get his guys drafted early.
Notable players: Andrew Wiggins (No. 1, 2014), Joel Embiid (No. 3, 2014), Kelly Oubre Jr. (No. 15, 2015)
The Jayhawks haven’t quite churned out as many high-level picks as Kentucky and Duke, but who has? Still, KU has produced a slew of its own top-10 picks, including Wiggins, Embiid, Josh Jackson (No. 4 in 2017), Ben McLemore (No. 7 in 2013) and Thomas Robinson (No. 5 in 2012). Other lottery picks include Cole Aldrich (No. 11 in 2010), Xavier Henry (No. 12 in 2010), Markieff Morris (No. 13 in 2011) and Marcus Morris (No. 14 in 2011).
Notable players: Danny Green (No. 46, 2009), Ty Lawson (No. 18, 2009), Ed Davis (No. 13, 2010), Harrison Barnes (No. 7, 2012)
This program hasn’t been known for producing one-and-dones, but Carolina still ends up high on this list without them. The Tar Heels had only one top-10 pick in the past 10 years (Barnes), but they had 12 first-rounders. They also produce players who win, with two NCAA titles in the past decade. UNC’s number of players drafted in the top 10 in the past 10 years could increase this year, with Coby White and Nassir Little projected as lottery picks.
Notable players: Wesley Johnson (No. 4, 2010), Dion Waiters (No. 4, 2012), Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11, 2013), Jerami Grant (No. 39, 2014)
For a five-year stretch, the Orange produced a first-round pick every year. Over the past decade, SU had a first-round pick every year except 2011 and 2018. During that span, the future draftees led Cuse to two Final Fours. Syracuse has also produced three top-10 picks during this time period (Johnson, Waiters and Jonny Flynn).
Notable players: Jrue Holiday (No. 17, 2009), Darren Collison (No. 21, 2009), Zach LaVine (No. 13, 2014), Lonzo Ball (No. 2, 2017)
UCLA might be going through a rough patch on the court, but the Bruins continue to have players selected in the NBA draft, and this list doesn’t even include Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, who were drafted more than 10 years ago. Ball is far and away their highest draft pick over the past decade, but UCLA still has 15 draft picks during this time period — and 10 first-rounders. The 2015 draft produced key NBA Finals contributors Kevon Looney and Norman Powell.
Notable players: Aaron Gordon (No. 4, 2014), Lauri Markkanen (No. 7, 2017), Deandre Ayton (No. 1, 2018)
The Wildcats’ score is certainly aided by Ayton’s selection as the top overall pick in last year’s draft. However, Arizona has had numerous top-10 picks over the past decade, including Gordon, Markkanen, Ayton, Jordan Hill (No. 8 in 2009), Derrick Williams (No. 2 in 2011) and Stanley Johnson (No. 8 in 2015). However, its score is hampered by the lack of any draft picks in 2010, 2012 and 2016.
Notable players: Avery Bradley (No. 19, 2010), Tristan Thompson (No. 4, 2011), Myles Turner (No. 11, 2015)
The Longhorns don’t boast a lengthy list of players drafted in the past few years — or a ton of lottery picks. But they have Bradley and Thompson, who have carved out long NBA careers, and they have produced two first-rounders the past two years, Jarrett Allen and Mo Bamba, who are off to promising starts in the NBA. Thompson, who drives up UT’s score by being a No. 4 overall pick, played a key role for the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 2016 title team.
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Notable players: Tim Hardaway Jr. (No. 24, 2013), Caris LeVert (No. 20, 2016), D.J. Wilson (No. 17, 2017)
Michigan has had one of its most successful runs in the past decade, and you can see it in the influx of the number of Wolverines drafted. Every year since 2013, except 2015, a Michigan player has been drafted in the first round, including top-10 picks Trey Burke (2013) and Nik Stauskas (2014). In 2014, the Wolverines had three players drafted, including two in the top 25 (Stauskas, and Mitch McGary at No. 21). LeVert, who was picked at No. 20 by Brooklyn in 2016, has carved out a large role for the Nets, and Wilson played significant minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks this past season.
Notable players: Isaiah Thomas (No. 60, 2011), Dejounte Murray (No. 29, 2016), Marquese Chriss (No. 8, 2016)
Similar to Pac-12 foe UCLA, Washington hasn’t found a ton of success on the court the past decade (though the Huskies appear to be on an upward path after an NCAA tournament appearance this season). Washington does, however, do an excellent job of producing first-round draft picks. From Terrence Ross at No. 8 in 2012 to Markelle Fultz at No. 1 in 2017, the Huskies get their players drafted (nine total, seven in the first round). Not to mention Thomas, who was the last pick of the 2011 draft.