The mass vitriol I expected from last week's column about trading away New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson before he ever suits up for an NBA game never actually came. In fact, if anything, the feedback was strangely positive, as if the opinion was far from ridiculous and rather somewhat obvious. Well, color me surprised! It seems to me that most people overrate first overall draft picks to an extraordinary extent, but in this case, people were reasonable.
Anyway, I got to thinking -- what is up with other No. 1 overall draft picks? I have thoughts, and quite a few of those players are in the news. Here are the active options and some quick-hitting opinions.
Deandre Ayton, PF/C, Phoenix Suns (2018):
Markelle Fultz, PG, Orlando Magic (2017): A recent triple-double in a shocking vanquish of the Los Angeles Lakers overstated his progress toward blossoming into a star. Fultz is fine, worthy of rostering in most formats but still not a good shooter. To most, 11.9 PPG and 4.6 APG sans 3-point shooting is nothing special. Can he improve? He is 21. Of course he can improve a ton, but he is not a top-50 keeper because he is not a good shooter and there is little reason to expect he will blossom into one. Based on that, it is quite possible his fantasy trade value far exceeds his actual value.
Ben Simmons, PG, Philadelphia 76ers (2016): Speaking of shooting, the polarizing Simmons dominated Brooklyn Monday but remains all-or-nothing from a fantasy aspect. He gets assists and steals, hits his field goals and rebounds like few guards, but he offers nothing in 3-point shooting, and one could argue that nobody in the association does more damage to a fantasy team with their free throw shooting.
Still, Simmons is No. 16 on the Player Rater, but this is a case where the Rater does not tell the full story. I think both the 76ers and fantasy teams might be better off with a conventional point guard, because it is hard to rely on someone who offers nothing in 3-point shooting, and the Sixers sure do not want him fouled late in a game.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves (2015): Back from a month-long absence that seemed a bit unnecessary the final two weeks, my main concern with Towns is the team has little need to push him the final three months, so another absence without malice is feasible. In terms of numbers, he remains a top-5 talent who has somehow doubled his 3-point output without hurting his field goal percentage.
Andrew Wiggins, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves (2014): His recent triple-double notwithstanding, Wiggins is mainly a scorer and, despite modest career-bests across the board, the only other category he really aids in is 3-pointers. This makes him a top-100 fantasy option on our Rater, but barely.
Anthony Davis, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers (2012): He is No. 2 on the Rater. Davis might fall short of 70 games because of some combination of the Lakers being able to afford it and Davis not being Cal Ripken Jr., but otherwise there is no gripe here.
Kyrie Irving, PG, Brooklyn Nets (2011): There is a gripe here. Irving has played barely a third of the games this season and shows little interest in altering that narrative. His stats are fantastic, but I think he is looking ahead to playing with Kevin Durant in the fall, not late-January games against Detroit. I cannot tell you that he will play more than half the games the rest of the way. You cannot cut him in fantasy, but trading him for more durable, motivated talent seems wise.
John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards (2010): There are rumors Wall could return from his Achilles' tear later this season, but I do not believe them. Move on in redraft formats and for those in keepers, I have doubts he returns to his past statistical glories.
Blake Griffin, PF, Detroit Pistons (2009): I doubt he suits up again this season after knee surgery, so if you are still rostering him, look elsewhere. Before you click on his name in the top 50 in the fall drafts, look up how many games he typically misses.
Derrick Rose, PG, Detroit Pistons (2008): Rose has scored 20 or more points in nine consecutive contests, which is remarkable, considering how we viewed him only two seasons ago. Sure, opportunity is there because nobody else on Detroit wants to shoot, but he is also hitting nearly half his field goal attempts!
Concerns? Well, he is not the most durable of men, and there are rampant trade rumors because, face it, the Pistons can miss the playoffs without him. I would try to trade Rose in fantasy -- and reality -- ASAP. He will not average 18.4 PPG and 5.9 APG on the Lakers. Or for any contender. Move quickly if there is trade interest in your league.
Dwight Howard, C, Los Angeles Lakers (2004): Gotta give this 34-year-old some credit because he really fits a role for this Lakers team and fantasy managers in deeper formats. The good: Howard gets 7.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG and hits 72.8% of his field goals. Isn't that enough? He does not get to the line enough to hurt you as Simmons does. Anyway, good for Howard. He could win a title here.
LeBron James, SG/SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (2003): Still top 10 on the Rater at age 35 and on his way to his first assists title. Incredible. You might not necessarily want to target him in a keeper format, but I doubt he retires in the next three seasons or sees a drop in his numbers, so you could get incredible value in a trade.