Interesting proposal of Hoopshype, who has spoken anonymously with 15 NBA talent screeners (four general managers, six executives, and five scouting team members) to choose who are the best players under 25 years of age at a time in the League in which the arrival of a new generation of young stars is perceived. The results are not very surprising in terms of the number 1 that Luka Doncic has earned, the Slovenian who came to the NBA from Real Madrid. But it does draw a lot of attention, on a roster filled with a tremendous level of talent, how Zion Williamson (acclaimed No. 1 in the 2019 draft) sinks to seventh. This is the ranking prepared by Hoopshype after computing the votes of those consulted:
1. LUKA DONCIC (DALLAS MAVERICKS): “For me it is the first without a doubt. He can drive the ball, he scores, he creates for his teammates, he is very smart and has the right mindset. He has always been a winner in all the places he has been and he will surely be in this League ”, says one of those surveyed. Doncic (21 years old) has marveled in his second season, in which he has debuted as an all star and has crept into the Best Quintet in the NBA, something that no one as a rookie or sophomore has achieved since Tim Duncan in 1999. Later, he directed to injured Mavericks in an epic playoff tie against the Clippers (4-2 for Los Angeles. ”“He is the type of player who does everything and makes everyone better. His production for his age seems unreal. Score like James Harden but play with a more collective mindset. He is one of the most fun players to watch, ”says another of the evaluators.
2. JAYSON TATUM (BOSTON CELTICS): The forward tries to get the Celtics into the NBA Finals (tomorrow he plays the fourth game of the Eastern Final against the Heat) and is already a great star who has also debuted as an all star this season in which, with 22 years old, he has averaged 23.4 points and 7 rebounds per game. “He improves in every game he plays, he is becoming a superstar“They say of him that this season not only has he definitely shot up as a scorer but he has also managed to improve a lot as a defender:” He is an all-rounder who is already better than Paul George. He can penetrate, hits triples after pot, defends the best perimeter player of the rival team… ”. Tatum was No. 3 in the 2017 draft. Two guards were previously chosen: Markelle Fultz (Philadelphia 76ers) and Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers).
3. DEVIN BOOKER (PHOENIX SUNS): The guard has been confirmed this season, and has ratified it with a brilliant performance in the Florida bubble, as one of the great scorers in the League and also as an increasingly solid franchise player. He is 23 years old, has been in the NBA since 2015 (number 13 in the draft) and has also debuted as an all-star this season, in which he has averaged 26.6 points and 6.5 assists per game. In the bubble, the Suns won all eight of their games and Booker had 30.5 points a night. One of the best on this list in attack, respondents continue to question his poor defensive ability.
4. JA MORANT (MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES): The Rookie of the Year (chosen with the number 2 behind Zion Williamson, has dazzled in Memphis: almost 18 points and more than 7 assists per game with only 21 years in his first season in the NBA, in which he has been close of leading a rebuilding Grizzlies to the playoffs who were ultimately out in the play-in against the Portland Trail Blazers. By physique, he is compared to the first Russell Westbrook: “He has the maximum speed and explosiveness that a point guard can ask for. No team has surprised more this year than the Grizzlies thanks to him. “
5. DONOVAN MITCHELL (UTAH JAZZ): Number 13 in 2017, Jayson Tatum’s draft, Mitchell (24) is the fourth of this top 5 (all but Morant) who debuted this year in Chicago as an all star. The Jazz guard rose to the top in the tremendous first-round series against the Nuggets, in which he averaged 36.3 points (with 51% in triples), 5 assists and 5 rebounds, although he could not prevent his team from losing. finally let go a 1-3 in favor. “He can score as he pleases and has quite a bit of defensive potential”.
6. BAM ADEBAYO (MIAMI HEAT): The pivot (23 years old, number 14 in the 2017 draft), has also made his debut as an all star and is also breaking star in these playoffs, in which his Heat are (2-1 in favor against the Celtics) two wins away of becoming a very surprising NBA finalist. The former Kentucky player is a tremendous defender and a smart attacking player capable of creating game for his teammates. An interior with an imposing physique and ideal for the current form of the NBA game: “It is the future of the pivot position. Combine strength, toughness and talent. He defends pivots and bases, and you can make your attack go through him because of his ability to dribble and pass ”. In the Most Improved Player award, he finished second behind Brandon Ingram and ahead of Doncic.
7. ZION WILLIAMSON (NEW ORLEANS PELICANS): The No. 1 in the 2019 draft, and perhaps the most anticipated player in the NBA since LeBron James, falls on this list to seventh. His knee problems, some defensive gaps, a form that did not always seem optimal, the bad collective season of the Pelicans … In any case, he is still 20 years old and in his best moments of the course he showed that he can be a very special player in the NBA: “Close to the rim is special, he has an elite level finishing plays. Physically he is very dominant. His shooting shouldn’t end up being a problem, but we’ll see. The problem is that I think he will always have physical problems ”. This is how he defines Zion’s situation in Hoopshype after just one season in the NBA. There are few who share this assessment. “I didn’t like how he moved in bubble matches”, Assures another of the evaluators.
8. JAMAL MURRAY (DENVER NUGGETS): At 23, the number 7 in the 2016 draft has already signed his multi-million dollar extension with the Nuggets but it is now, in the bubble playoffs, when he is finally breaking star. With a supreme level, he has led with Nikola Jokic a team that has come back from 3-1 against Jazz and Clippers, and now loses 2-0 to the Lakers but was close (Anthony Davis avoided it on the horn ) to win the second game. In these playoffs he averages 26.7 points with almost 50% in triples. It has not yet been released as an all star. “I love how he has handled the pressure of the playoffs. He’s doing great things with the great lights shining bright“They say of him:” he has a killer mentality.
9. BEN SIMMONS (PHILADELPHIA 76ERS): 24 years old and already twice all star, the fall of Simmons (number 1 in the 2016 draft) is another of the big surprises on the list. Or not so much: He has missed the playoffs through injury, he continues to fix his shooting problems and the Sixers do not take off despite having him and Joel Embiid. However, he is still a special player, tremendous in defense and with a spectacular vision of the game: “When he came to the NBA they compared him to Magic Johnson, which is blasphemy”.
9. BRANDON INGRAM (NEW ORLEANS PELICANS): Number 2 in 2016 behind Simmons, in 2020 he also made his all-star debut and won the Most Improved Player award. It was the great piece that the Pelicans received in the transfer of Anthony Davis to the Lakers and he is expected to sign a maximum contract after this season: “He is one of those special talents who with more than two meters can play shooting guard, forward and power forward. He is a great scorer who has evolved a lot in the last two seasons ”. This past season he has averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
10. JAYLEN BROWN (BOSTON CELTICS): 23 years old and third in the 2016 draft behind Simmons and Ingram, he is already a star in the burgeoning Celtics who can return to the NBA Finals in the Florida bubble. 20.3 average points with increasing efficiency in shooting and easier ball handling. Many see him as the perfect complement to Jayson Tatum for many years of success with the Celtics.
After the Celtics forward and this top 10, they close the list of Hoopshype guard De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), a No. 1 in the draft (2015) who has already been an all-star twice.
