Houston Rockets: Ranking history's recent third-overall picks

2. Jayson Tatum, 2017

BPM may not capture Brown's impact. It does seem to appreciate Tatum. His career mark of 3.6 is actually dragged down by a -0.2 sophomore year.

Watching Tatum grow as a player has been a privilege. When he entered the NBA, he mostly looked like a one-dimensional scorer. In time, he's developed into a stout defender, and perhaps more impressively, a dynamic playmaker.

The payout has been enormous. Granted, Brown as named the NBA Finals MVP. The Celtics are lucky to employ them both, but make no mistake:

Tatum is their most important player.

How could anyone be ahead of him on this list?