Lists

25 NBA Players Under Age 25 Who Are Future Stars

Darren - June 24, 2020
Lists

25 NBA Players Under Age 25 Who Are Future Stars

Darren - June 24, 2020

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

5. Jaren Jackson Jr.

A player who is still growing physically and mentally, Jackson Jr. is a star of the future. Ja Morant gets the plaudits but Jackson is even younger than his teammate. The Grizzlies will benefit because he was out with injury. Now he’ll hope to make a difference in the pursuit of the eighth seed.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

JJJ has increased his scoring average this season and more than doubled his three-point attempts per game. Meanwhile, his accuracy has improved to 40 percent, a number that is up there with the best. A strong shot-blocker, he is still developing defensively.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

4. Luka Doncic

Doncic is a genuine superstar. The Mavericks rely on this 21-year-old so much that any hope of being a contender falls on his shoulders. His emergence and development this season has been nothing short of amazing, yet he’ll have to settle quickly if they hope to make it far in Orlando.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

A strong performance in the eight seed games could see them make it as high as the fifth seed. This would see them avoid the LA Clippers which would give them a far greater chance of contention. Only the big power forwards and center have a higher shooting accuracy than Doncic this season.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

3. Devin Booker

At the relatively tender age of 23, Booker has become the Suns’ equivalent of Luke Skywalker. He might not be taking on Darth Vadar anytime soon but their hopes definitely lie on his shoulders. Those hopes are slim because they have very little chance of seizing the nine spot, nevermind the number eight.

Devin Booker
Mandatory Credit: Runner Sports

However, they have the opportunity to enhance his reputation and his worth by going out with a bit of dignity. Booker is also one of the deadliest shooters in the league this season. His playmaking and three-point shooting have improved a lot. The Suns may be awful but Booker is brilliant.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

2. Ja Morant

The Murray State star almost tops this list. Morant will probably win the Rookie of the Year Award so it’s all good. The 20-year-old has been a revelation for the Grizzlies who rely on him just as much as the Pelicans rely on Zion Williamson. He also plays in one of the toughest positions on the court, making his consistency all the more impressive.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

The Grizzlies are under pressure from the Pelicans this season for that number eight seeding, but Morant will be central to their hopes of winning in Orlando. But Morant has also been one of the best crunch-time players in the NBA, averaging 3.3 points in clutch situations. In short, he makes a massive difference and will be one of the top young stars in the NBA for several years to come.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

1. Zion Williamson

Could anybody else top this list? The hype behind Williamson was incredible before he even made his NBA debut. But since then he’s been excellent and could even force the Pelicans into the playoffs. Since January, the Pelicans went 10-7 in games in which Williamson played 25 or more minutes.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

They also have an unbelievable plus-13.9 net rating with him on the court. It’s no surprise that many are picking the Pelicans to beat the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the West because Williamson makes such a large difference. Not every number one draft pick lives up to his billing, but he is so far. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Williamson could legitimately take the torch from Lebron James as the biggest star in all of basketball for years to come.

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