One and Done: First Eight U.S. Picks in Last Two NBA Drafts Were Freshmen

The newcomers are the latest not to give themselves sufficient time at the college level to amass one-for-the-books or one-for-the-ages career records. Deandre Ayton (Arizona) was the 10th freshman in the last 12 years to become the first overall choice in the NBA draft. But be careful out there with any focus on freshman fascination! Greg Oden, the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft, scored a grand total of 30 playoff points in three injury-plagued campaigns compared to Kevin Durant, the second selection in the 2007 draft, dominating in the last two NBA Finals. Washington's Markelle Fultz, last year's first overall pick before inexplicably misplacing his shooting touch, averaged only 7.1 ppg in 14 contests as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Incredibly, all of coach John Calipari's 29 frosh defectors (4 with Memphis and 25 with Kentucky) became first-round picks in the NBA draft after four one-and-done Wildcats were chosen this season. An all-time record 16 first-round choices in 2017 before 14 this year are among the following alphabetical list of 155 freshmen, only 29 hanging around long enough to become an All-American (five in 2017), leaving universities since troubled Dontonio Wingfield became the first major-college "one 'n done" frosh upon departing from Cincinnati in 1994:

NOTE: Manute Bol (DII Bridgeport in 1985) and Shawn Kemp (JC Trinity Valley in 1989) were the first two non-NCAA DI players selected as freshmen. Ledo did not play with PC for academic reasons.