In a chat with the media for NBA All-Star weekend, Suns star Kevin Durant shed some light on which players he believes could become the next faces of the league after the OGs (him, LeBron, and Steph) finally step out of the way.
"I think each era has five, six, seven guys that can help carry the game forward," said Durant in response to a question by Tim Bontemps. "It's more than just Steph, LeBron, and myself it's James Harden, it's Russell Westbrook, it's Kawhi Leonard... a lot of these guys will inspire the next generation of hoopers to want to be professionals. It's more than just a few guys. I look around the league and I see Shai, Ant, Book, Luka, Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton, it's so many guys that are inspiring the next generation of hoopers after them to become basketball players."
At 35 years old, nobody knows how much longer Durant will be a feature in these All-Star games, and the same can be said for many in his generation, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul (among others). By all accounts, we are on the verge of a new era in the NBA and the guys we've seen dominate for the past 10+ years will soon be enjoying the post-retirement lifestyle.
For Durant, he has seen enough to know that the league is in good hands and he's not going to limit the next generation to just one or two guys. And when many of the current veteran superstars are ready to step away, he's confident that there will be young guys ready to take their place. The question is, which one of the current unproven stars will be the first to raise their game?
Who Will Be The Next NBA Superstars?
It's only a matter of time before LeBron James and Kevin Durant hand over the reigns, but fans are still split on which player will be the one to take over as the new face of the league. If you ask Durant, the list is at least seven players long with a case to be 10 or more. With so many candidates, it's hard to pick just one or two players as the future face of the game but the NBA will need someone to step in and fill that role if they want to keep fan interest at a maximum in future seasons.
At 24 years old, Mavericks star Luka Doncic is arguably the most likely out of any young star to become the new face of the NBA. In just five years, Luka has cemented himself as one of the top three players in the game and a regular MVP candidate. With averages of 34.2 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds per game on 49.2% shooting, Luka is on a tear that the league hasn't seen since the likes of LeBron James in the early 2000s. The only thing holding him back from reaching LeBron's level is a disappointing playoff history which he hopes to change this year.
There's also Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is already in MVP talks at 25 years old. If the Thunder maintain their trajectory, and Shai sustains this level of play (31.1 points per game this season) he could be the guy who takes up the King's mantle.
Ultimately, only time will tell who surfaces as the NBA's next generational superstar but it's safe to say that the league is brimming with great candidates. While LeBron, Durant, and Steph are not going anywhere (for now), we can all rest easy knowing that the league is in good hands when they decide to hang up their jersey for good.
More must-reads: