SEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

6. Karl-Anthony Towns

Quite possibly the best piece of Kentucky’s unforgettable 2015 team, Towns was a Top 5 recruit from the Class of 2014 who joined John Calipari’s program. That recruiting class was another legendary effort from Calipari and his staff, as Towns in particular would develop into a massive star across his freshman season with the Wildcats.

On the court, he’d average 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for Kentucky, but he was more than just these specific numbers. This 6’11 center from Piscataway, New Jersey was a monster down low for a Wildcats team that blitzed the rest of the basketball world. Kentucky started the season 38-0, with Towns providing plenty of that success. His career-high effort actually came in the Elite Eight, scoring 25 points against Notre Dame before the Wildcats would be upset by Wisconsin one week later.

Towns was a complete package in the frontcourt and was both a Second Team All-American and the SEC Rookie of the Year. Those individual stats don’t really scream out as much as some of the other players we’ve identified, but Towns did impressive work on both ends for a Wildcats team that was quite likely the best of this past decade. With that talent on full display, Towns was the 1st overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.