As the NBA Playoffs roll on, Rotowire.com utilized NBA.com to look at how long it takes for a team to get back into playoff contention after selecting the No. 1 overall pick. Since 2000, there are 21 draft picks with known playoff results (Andrew Wiggins, Zaccharie Risacher, Victor Wembanyama & Zion Williamson not included. Wiggins due to immediate trade).
On average, it took approximately 2.59 seasons for teams with No. 1 overall picks from 2000 to 2022 to reach the playoffs (excluding play-in tournaments).
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Average Seasons Until 1st Playoff Appearance For No. 1 Draft Picks (Since 2000)
Analyzing Average Time for No. 1 NBA Draft Picks to Reach Playoffs
Of the 22 draft picks surveyed for this story, the player with the fastest path from No. 1 overall to the postseason were Andrew Bogut, Andrea Bargnani, Derrick Rose and Markelle Fultz — who all made the postseason in their first season in the NBA.
Conversely, the top picks with the longest path from the draft to the postseason were Kwame Brown, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins and Cade Cunningham, who all played four seasons in the association before making it to the hallowed "second season" in the 30-team league.
In between, you'll find names like Kenyon Martin, Yao Ming, Greg Oden, Anthony Bennett, Ben Simmons and Paolo Banchero, who all made the postseason in their sophomore seasons with their respective teams, while guys like LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Deandre Ayton and Anthony Edwards all made the playoffs for the first time in their third season in the league.
The Journey from First Overall Pick to NBA Playoffs Success
Right now, the team at FanDuel Sportsbook have yet to put up an odds board for who could potentially be the top pick in 2025 but do have the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and Washington in a three-way tie atop the operator's NBA Draft lottery odds board, at +550 apiece.
That puts the two NBA bottom feeders ahead of teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (+600), Philadelphia 76ers (+750) and the Brooklyn Nets (+850), ahead of Monday night's lottery to see who gets the rights to land the next NBA star.
