NBA Teams with First Overall Picks: How Many Seasons Until Playoff Success?

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 have been 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). 

Average Seasons Until 1st Playoff Appearance For No. 1 Draft Picks (Since 2000)

PHOTO: RotoWire

Analyzing Average Time for No. 1 NBA Draft Picks to Reach Playoffs

Of the 22 draft picks surveyed for this story, the players 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.

PHOTO: Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images

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

Currently, the team at FanDuel Sportsbook has not yet posted an odds board for the top pick in 2025, but they do have the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and Washington tied for first place atop the operator’s NBA Draft lottery odds board, at +550 each.

That puts the two NBA bottom feeders ahead of teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (+600), the Philadelphia 76ers (+750), and the Brooklyn Nets (+850), ahead of Monday night’s lottery to determine who gets the rights to select the next NBA star.

PHOTO: Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images