Where Are The No. 3 Overall NBA Draft Picks Right Now? (From 2010-2020)

Where He Is Now: Windy City Bulls 

In 2010, the New Jersey Nets made Derrick Favors their No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft. With big plans for their new big man, Favors averaged just 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 56 games for the Nets that season. In a shocking turn of events, Favors would be traded to the Utah Jazz at that year’s deadline along with Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks in exchange for point guard Deron Williams.

Favors would spend the next 10 seasons in Utah averaging 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He began his reign in Utah off the bench but soon Worked his way into the starting lineup where he peaked in 2015 and 2016 averaging over 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Over the next three seasons, Favors would play for New Orleans, Utah again, and finally, Oklahoma City in 2021-22 for 39 games.

This past offseason, Favors began his attempt at an NBA comeback, working out for the Trail Blazers and Warriors. In October, Favors signed a deal with the Windy City Bulls, the G-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls. So far this season, Favors has appeared in eight games with Windy City, averaging 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Enes Freedom (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2011 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Retired

Many people forget Enes Freedom, formerly Kanter, was a No. 3 overall draft pick in 2011. Freedom was the third selection by the Utah Jazz where he would spend three and a half seasons averaging 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. From Utah, Freedom would go on to play three-plus seasons with the Thunder, averaging 14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

After the 2017 season, Freedom would spend the next five seasons spending time with the Knicks, Celtics, and Trail Blazers. It was during this time that he began to make headlines not for his play but for the activism he stood for off the court. Freedom has been unapologetically outspoken on a variety of topics from LeBron James to the Erdogan regime in Turkey which resulted in arrest warrants for the NBA star.

While nothing came of the warrants, Freedom played his last game in the NBA in 2021-22 for the Boston Celtics. Since his retirement, Freedom has been a regular on such programs as Fox News to speak his piece about everything from LeBron James to transgender equality in sports. Freedom remains unapologetically himself in retirement.

Bradley Beal (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2012 NBA Draft)

Where He is Now: Phoenix Suns

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft is where we run into the first player who remains active in today’s NBA. Bradley Beal was selected third overall in 2012 by the Washington Wizards. Over the next 11 seasons, Beal would become one of the greatest players in franchise history.

In the 11 seasons Beal spent in Washington, he earned three All-Star appearances and an All-NBA team selection in 2020-21. In 2020 and 2021, Beal would peak as a 30.0 points per game scorer, challenging the league’s best but falling short of a scoring title during this time. Amid injuries and a host of injuries, Beal would waive his no-trade clause and request out of Washington for the first time in his career and after years of speculation.

Beal was dealt to the Phoenix Suns this past June in a massive three-team deal. The deal was supposed to be a game-changer for the Suns, bringing together Beal along with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to form the NBA’s latest Big 3. So far, things have not gone to plan with Beal limited to just six games this season thanks to recurring back issues. In those six games, he is averaging just 14.7 points per game on 44.9% shooting.

Otto Porter Jr. (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2013 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Toronto Raptors

One year after Beal was the third overall pick for the Wizards in 2012, Washington made Otto Porter Jr. their third overall pick in 2013. Porter Jr. has had an interesting career, to say the least, bouncing around the NBA for the last 11 seasons.

First, Porter remained with the Wizards for six seasons where he averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in 384 games played. In 2019, he would be traded to Chicago in exchange for Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis. After two seasons with the Bulls, Porter would be traded to the Magic in 2021. In 2022, Porter Jr. joined the Warriors where he played 63 games and helped them win the NBA championship.

After the championship run, Porter would join the Toronto Raptors on a two-year, $12.3 million deal. He is currently playing under a $6.3 million player option for the 2023-24 season. Porter has seen limited opportunity this season for the Raptors, appearing in just 14 games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

Joel Embiid (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2014 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Philadelphia 76ers

Coming out of the University of Kansas in 2014, Joel Embiid was one of the most highly-touted prospects in that year’s NBA Drafts. Of course, there were concerns about his foot injuries, and with good reason. After the 76ers took him with their third pick, Embiid would miss the first two full seasons of his career with those same foot issues which also limited him to 31 games in 2016-17.

Since that time, however, Embiid has shed injury concerns and the labels as a bust in the NBA by becoming one of the most dominant players in the NBA. Since the 2017-18 season, Embiid has averaged 28.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. He has earned six straight All-Star selections as well as five All-NBA Team selections and three All-Defensive Team selections.

In 2022, Embiid became the first center since Shaq to win the NBA’s scoring title. In 2023, he followed that up with another scoring title but this time, took home a much larger prize. Embiid was named MVP in 2022-23 after averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. In 2023-24, Embiid is leading the NBA in scoring once again with 34.1 points per game on 53.4% shooting.

Jahlil Okafor (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2015 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Zhenjiang Guangsha Lions

After acquiring Embiid in 2015 via the NBA draft, the 76ers entered a phase centered around building for the future that they appropriately dubbed “The Process”. Part of this process was putting themselves in a prime drafting position. With this, they were able to select Jahlil Okafor third overall in 2015, a big man out of Duke University.

Okafor would have a stellar rookie season with 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. It was all downhill from there. Over the next year and a half in Philadelphia, Okafor would struggle with injuries and off-the-court situations that had nothing to do with basketball. From 2018 through 2021, he would have small one-year stints with the Nets, Pelicans, and Pistons.

After the 2021 season, Okafor would join Casademont Zaragoza in Spain. Three weeks ago, the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions paid a release fee to bring him to China. He has yet to appear in a game for them in 2023-24.

Jaylen Brown (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2016 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Boston Celtics

Even as a No. 3 overall draft pick in 2016, Jaylen Brown has always been a bit underrated since coming into the NBA. Brown, a ninth-year shooting guard in 2023-24, began his career with 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 78 appearances as a rookie. As time went on, Brown exceeded expectations and is now considered one of the best guards in the entire NBA.

In 2021, after multiple trips to the Conference Finals, Brown became an All-Star for the first time averaging 24.7 points per game on 48.4% shooting. In 2022, he helped lead the Celtics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 although they would fall to the Warriors in six games. He followed that up with another All-Star campaign in 2022-23 averaging 26.6 points per game.

This summer, Brown would sign the largest deal in NBA history set to make $307 million over the next five years. In 2023-24, the contract has yet to kick in but Brown is earning his paycheck nonetheless. Through 24 games, he is averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 47.7% shooting for the first-place 20-5 Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2017 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Boston Celtics

One year after striking gold with Brown, the Boston Celtics hit paydirt once again when they traded down in the NBA Draft and had Jayson Tatum fall into their laps with the No. 3 overall pick. Since his rookie season when he helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum has done nothing but get better and become one of the top 10 players in the game today.

Since 2020, Tatum has earned four straight All-Star appearances averaging 26.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 45.9% shooting. While there have been some low points such as his meltdown in the 2022 NBA Finals, Tatum has been impressive and a consistent MVP candidate every season since 2022.

In 2023, Tatum became the first player in Celtics history to average 30.0 points per game or more in a season. In 2023-24, he continued to build on that season with yet another MVP-caliber start. Through 24 games, Tatum is leading the 20-5 Celtics with 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game as they sit in the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Luka Doncic (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2018 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Dallas Mavericks

Entering the 2018 NBA Draft, the jury was still out on  Luka Doncic as he entered the NBA ranks for the first time. With the third overall pick, the Atlanta Hawks selected Doncic but quickly traded him to the Dallas Mavericks, a move they may be regretting as we enter 2023-24.

In his first five-plus seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic is on a historic trajectory in his career. After torching the competition for the Rookie of the Year award in 2018-19, Doncic has earned four straight All-Star and All-NBA Team selections. Since his rookie season, Doncic has torched the competition for 29.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game on 47.6% shooting from the field. In 2022, he led a subpar Mavericks team to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in his young career.

The 2023-24 season is off to another scorching start for Doncic. After missing the playoffs in 2022-23, Doncic has come out of the gates swinging. Through 25 games, he is averaging 32.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game to lead the Mavericks to a 16-10 record thus far putting them right in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference.

RJ Barrett (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2019 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: New York Knicks

As another product out of Duke University in 2019, RJ Barrett was thought to be one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the 2019 draft. As has been the case for many other top-three picks in NBA history, Barrett has had his struggles as well as his flashes of greatness in his young career.

Over the last five seasons, Barrett has averaged 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 42.3% shooting. He has helped the Knicks make two playoff appearances during that time while also helping them advance to the second round in 2022-23. Despite being at the center of trade discussions with the Knicks in the pursuit of another star, Barrett continues to show up and improve every single night.

LaMelo Ball (No. 3 Overall Pick In The 2020 NBA Draft)

Where He Is Now: Charlotte Hornets

When it comes to the 2020 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets clearly did their due diligence when it comes to their selection, LaMelo Ball. In the four seasons he has been in the NBA, Ball has won Rookie of the Year in 2021 averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, and earned an All-Star appearance in 2022.

Over the last two seasons, Ball has been bitten by the injury bug and been sidelined for extended periods. In 2022-23, Ball looked headed for another All-Star appearance but was limited to just 31 games due to injury. In 2023-24, Ball has been limited to just 15 games due to an ankle injury suffered on November 26th against the Orlando Magic. In those 15 games, he averaged 24.7 points and 8.2 assists per game but the Hornets have struggled with a 7-18 record through 25 games.