Remember when you were in grade school and each student got to decorate a pot and plant their own seed, watching it grow throughout the year?
Every kid’s plant grew at different rates, but it was not about who had the tallest plant during winter break, or spring break. It was about who’s plant was the tallest at the end of the year.
NBA players have a lot in common with those seeds that you planted when you were 10. These kids grow at different rates, mature at different speeds, but it is all about who is the best when all is said and done.
Each one of the players on this list is not a finished product. They each have room to grow. However, this is not a ranking of how these players have played thus far in their careers.
Rather, this list will be a look into the future. For the purposes of this article, I will be playing GM, ranking the top NBA players that are 25 years old or younger. The 10th-ranked player will represent the player that will have the least successful career of the players listed, and so on and so forth.
The NBA has more young talent now than, maybe, ever before. There are budding stars all across the league, assuring the aging generations that the game will be in good hands when they are forced to leave it behind. That being said, here are the top players in the NBA under 25 years of age.
Note: Rookies from the 2019-20 season were excluded due to sample size
10. Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo can do everything. I mean, the dude just won the Skills Challenge in Chicago during All-Star Weekend. Adebayo is quickly becoming one of the most impressive young players in the NBA.
The 22-year-old forward is averaging 16.1/10.5/5.1 on about 58 percent shooting this season. Adebayo has made a very real case as the Miami Heat’s best player this year, even with Jimmy Butler on the team. Adebayo is a very intelligent player and has all the intangibles one would look for in a young star. Bam is going to be a problem.
9. Karl-Anthony Towns
Some might argue that this position for KAT is too low. Recall, though, that this is a list built upon future successes. Karl-Anthony Towns has not been able to win since he has come into the league.
His defense has been questionable at best, and his toughness has been a topic of conversation. Especially when Jimmy Butler brought it up publicly. That being said, Towns is uber-talented. He can score from anywhere on the floor and is exceptionally skilled for his size.
With the addition of D’Angelo Russell, Towns finally has a counterpart that could allow him to find team success in Minnesota. If Towns can figure out how to turn individual statistics into team success, he might finish higher on this list. For now, though, he is positioned in the ninth slot.
8. Devin Booker
Yet another Kentucky product, Devin Booker comes in at eighth on this list. Booker has shown a special ability to score the basketball, his 70 point performance a few years ago in Boston the highest point total since Kobe’s 81.
Like Towns, though, Booker has been unable to find team success since entering the league. Booker has also lacked efficiency during his time in Phoenix. Booker has gobs of potential, but he needs to clean up a lot if he wants to reach that potential.
If Booker can find a way to improve his defense and playmaking ability, he could play his way into a hall of fame career. Whether or not his career will continue to be with the Suns is undetermined at this time, however. Who knows, maybe he will head up to Minneapolis and join his friends from the 2015 draft class.
7. Trae Young
Trae Young has a chance to be the best shooter that the game has ever seen, not-named Stephen Curry. Young is on pace for well over 200 3-pointers made this season, shooting from behind the arc at a 37 percent clip.
Young has been exceedingly impressive, especially offensively. His playmaking ability is second to none at his age. He is a threat to score once he crosses the half-court line. There are not many holes in Trae Young’s game.
Atlanta adding Clint Capela gives Young another young lob-target, raising his potential for success. Young has to work on his defense, yes, but his offensive ability is so incredible that it hides his weaknesses defensively. Even if Young is never a net-positive defender, he will make a positive impact for years to come.
6. Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons is a great player, even without the ability to shoot the ball from further than 15 feet out. He has otherworldly vision, his playmaking abilities were compared to those of Magic Johnson and LeBron James. He has averaged over 7.5 assists per game in each of his three seasons in the NBA.
Simmons has played notably well when Joel Embiid has been absent, proving that he could one day lead his own team. Simmons commands an offense impressively, especially for his young age.
Additionally, Simmons is a great defender. He consistently plays at an All-Defensive level, able to guard almost every position on the floor. If Simmons can become a consistent outside threat, he could take his place much higher on this list.
5. Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum has displayed superstar potential this season. He has led the Celtics in scoring this season, posting a little over 23 points per game. Recently, Tatum reached his career-high of 41 points against LeBron James and the Lakers.
Tatum has shown the ability to give a team success as a number one option, as he led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season when Kyrie Irving was out with an injury. Tatum has exceptional ball-handling skills for his size, can make difficult shots, and has the body of an elite wing.
Tatum is only going to improve, continuing to show that he likely should have been the first overall pick over Markelle Fultz. Tatum truly has all of the tools to end his career as one of the best scorers of the basketball ever.
4. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic has often been overlooked throughout his basketball career. He was the 41st pick in the 2nd round of the 2014 NBA draft. That is the case no longer, however, as Jokic is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game today.
Jokic does a little bit of everything, proving to be one of the best passers at his position that the NBA has ever seen. Jokic has recorded 39 triple-doubles in his young career, trailing Wilt Chamberlain as the only big man to have more.
Jokic is a bit soft, and there are concerns about his stamina and defensive ability. Despite this, he is one of the most coveted assets in the league. Jokic led the Nuggets to the second seed in the West last season and is on track to do the same this year. If Jokic can continue his developmental track, he could rival some of the greatest Euros to play in the association.
3. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is not built for this era. Honestly, though, it doesn’t even matter. Embiid is so good in the paint that he has drawn comparisons to Shaq. At the same time, he is shooting almost 35 percent from behind the arc.
Embiid is also a force defensively, as his size and awareness make it almost impossible to score on him one-on-one in the post. He is continuing to come into his own as well, as he has not been playing basketball for his entire life. Embiid may be the least finished-product on this entire list. That is a scary thought.
2. Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic has been, possibly, more impressive at his age than any other player in the history of the NBA. At 20 years of age, Doncic is averaging close to 29 points per game, adding almost 10 rebounds and nine assists as well. Doncic has a skill level that is not matched by most players in the NBA, let alone other 20-year-olds.
Somehow, it seems Dallas has struck European gold once again, as Luka seems primed to match Dirk as one of the best non-American players to ever play. Luka is going to be the face of basketball for years to come, inspiring the next generation of players from all over the world.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is quite possibly the best basketball player in the world. At this point, it seems that LeBron James is his only true competition for that title. Giannis can affect the game in so many different ways and on both sides of the floor. He has the body of a superhero and is only getting better. It seems that Antetokounmpo adds a new, scarier part to his game each summer.
The fact that this list and the list of the NBA’s overall best players can end with the same person is a scary thought. The NBA belongs to the Greek Freak for the foreseeable future and his decisions will have a profound impact on the league.
Giannis has all the tools to be the greatest player of all time. If he continues to improve his shot, ball-handling, and playmaking, there is no reason that Giannis will not go down as the best to ever do it.
