The best 25 NBA players under 25 for 2019-20

The most hyped NBA rookie since LeBron James entered the league has to make the list; but where? ESPN  placed New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson at No. 42 in their overall player rankings, something television personality Stephen A. Smith defended during a “ First Take” segment. The 19-year-old athletic marvel is an ideal fit in the New Orleans lineup, where he could be used at center when the team wants to go small. At his best, he’ll be a walking double-double who averages 1.5 BLK per game. At worst, conditioning and a lack of a perimeter shot will worry fans next April. 

February 6, 2018. That’s the last time  Kristaps Porzingis played in an NBA game. We all recognize the 24-year-old unicorn traded by the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks last winter is an All-Star and a 7-foot-3 force with a sweet shooting stroke who last converted nearly  40 percent of his attempts beyond the arc  -- when healthy. Understandably, Dallas supporters and fans around the league are counting down the days until Porinzgis teams up with Luka Doncic. KP could be a  different player coming off the torn ACL that cost him over one entire season. 

After being exiled by the Los Angeles Lakers, Julius Randle delivered the best statistical season of his young career,  averaging  21.4 PPG, 8.7 REB and 3.1 AST as a member of a New Orleans Pelicans team that was going through the motions with an unhappy Anthony Davis on the roster. The 24-year-old signed with the rebuilding New York Knicks during the summer, where he will be expected to star as the team’s leading scorer during a losing campaign. As  ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained, Randle can earn some extra cash if he gets to an All-Star game or takes the Knicks to the playoffs. 

The Los Angeles Lakers received bad news in September when they learned forward Kyle Kuzma will start the season on the sidelines because of a stress reaction in his left foot. LA hoped Kuzma would again improve upon his scoring playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and also that he would shoot better than 30 percent from three-point land in the team’s new offense. As Deadspin’s Albert Burneko wrote, the 24-year-old may struggle with this setback longer than the club is forecasting and even through the conclusion of a grueling season. 

Luka Doncic and Trae Young overshadowed Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who drew  comparisons to Anthony Davis and Kevin Garnett as a rookie. Jackson’s per 36 stats  -- 19 PPG, 6.5 REB, 1.9 BLK, and 1.2 STL -- were ridiculous, and he surprised many by shooting over 35 percent from distance. Rookie guard Ja Morant will probably turn the ball over a lot his debut year, but he will also deliver a plentiful amount of helpers for Jackson, who could tease making an All-Star appearance in year two. 

Whether or not the Indiana Pacers can win with both Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner on the floor at the same time will determine if Sabonis makes next year’s list after his 24th birthday. As  Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes wrote, Sabonis became the first player in league history to average at least 14.0 PPG and 9 REB playing in fewer than 25 minutes a night. He averaged  under 9 PPG in the postseason series versus the Boston Celtics, though, and his predictable offensive moves could make him an expendable part of the rotation if a team makes a reasonable offer for him before next summer. 

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine showed he was fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in February 2017 by  notching career highs in scoring (23.7 PPG) and shooting (46.7 percent from the field). In July, the 24-year-old told Sam Smith of NBA.com that he realizes he must evolve and grow as a defender to become more of a complete player. The Bulls need him to ascend to that level and prove he doesn’t just pad stats while playing for a non-postseason club. If he doesn’t, the Bulls will look for a team to take him and his contract off their hands. 

Last February, ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported Lauri Markkanen was one of only two Chicago Bulls players not on the market ahead of the trade deadline. The 22-year-old responded by giving his employer the best month of his career, during which he averaged 26 PPG and 12.2 REB. That version of Markkanen is an All-Star and a cornerstone of a playoff roster. Chicago needs him to consistently play at that level and remain healthy to earn an extension he could sign as soon as next summer.

Ranking New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is a difficult task. The 22-year-old tallied career highs in scoring (18.3 PPG) and shooting percentage (49.7 percent), but he failed to build chemistry with LeBron James during their only season together. More concerning, Ingram’s campaign ended prematurely due to a blood clot in his arm. Per ESPN’s Andrew Lopez, Ingram believes that the issue is behind him, but New Orleans will want to see him stay healthy (he’s missed 53 games the last two years) and improve upon his career 32.9 percent three-point shooting before locking him down via a new contract. 

Eventually, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon needs to actually become the next Blake Griffin to justify the hype that continues to hover over his career. Orlando’s five-game playoff loss to eventual champions the Toronto Raptors reminded us all of this. 

Gordon converted over 45 percent of his shots from deep, and the 24-year-old averaged 15.2 PPG, 7.2 REB and 3.6 AST while keeping his head above water versus two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, as Carlan Gay of NBA.com wrote. Gordon’s contract is moveable, and the Magic may feel using him as a trade asset next summer if he doesn’t become an All-Star during his sixth season is best for the club and the player. 

We’re willing to give Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown a pass for all that occurred during the final season of the Kyrie Irving circus within the organization. Per  Keith P Smith of Celtics Blog, the 22-year-old averaged 13.7 PPG and shot roughly 49 percent from the field once the calendar turned to 2019, and he stepped up and spent time at the 4 for Team USA in international duty over the summer. With restricted free agency and a humongous payday in his near future, he could be in for a career year now that a certain negative vibe has relocated to Brooklyn. 

The duo of rookie Trae Young and second-year pro John Collins made the Atlanta Hawks the most fun 29-win team in the NBA last season. Collins’  per-36 minute averages of 23.4 PPG and 11.7 REB leads one to believe he could have a better follow-up campaign than Young, and he deserved Most Improved Player award considerations even if his blocks dropped from 1.1 in 2017-18 to 0.6 in 2018-19. Per Bleacher Report’s Adam Fromal, however, Collins struggled mightily on defense as a pro sophomore. In June, head coach Lloyd Pierce told Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s still working on installing his preferred defensive system.

23-year-old Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner became the Association’s best rim protector and led the NBA in rejections (2.7 per game) in 2018-19. He also shot a career-best 38.8 percent from three-point range during his fourth season with the Pacers. Turner’s scoring, which sat at 13.3 PPG by the spring, still leaves much to be desired, and multiple postseason teams outscored Indiana when Turner and Domantas Sabonis shared the floor, as J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star detailed. 

Offensively speaking , Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young produced Rookie of the Year numbers that would’ve won him that award had his draft class not included Luka Doncic. Young is a season-long double-double in waiting as part of Atlanta’s offensive scheme, and it’s fair to expect him to skip into 20-and-10 nights throughout his second campaign. As much as critics crushed Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton for his defense, numbers suggest Young played as poorly,  if not worse. It’s also worth noting only three players finished the campaign with more turnovers per game than Young (3.8). 

The Denver Nuggets extending guard Jamal Murray this offseason was a must to keep the band together. Nikola Jokic (more on him later) chasing MVP votes and developing into one of the best overall players in the league should make life easier for Murray, and the 22-year-old needs to break the 20 PPG  threshold while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc and 45 percent from the field to truly earn the money attached to his deal. As Ryan Blackburn of Denver Stiffs wrote, both Derrick White and Rodney Hood torched Murray during the postseason. That can’t happen moving forward, as the Nuggets are ready to win a championship next June. 

“Fresh start” could be the mantra for everybody associated with the 2019-20 Boston Celtics, including forward Jayson Tatum. According to Nicole Yang at Boston.com, Tatum admitted during Boston's media day he must be better about attacking the rim and taking open looks from three rather than settling for mid-range attempts that sparked cold streaks last season. While the 21-year-old improved his PPG average from 13.9 to 15.7, his field-goal percentage dropped by several points, and he shot 37.3 percent from long distance after making over 43 percent of his 242 three-point attempts as a rookie. 

Phoenix Suns forward Devin Booker gets buckets to the  tune of 26.6 PPG. The 22-year-old also added 6.8 AST and shot 46.7 percent from the field his fourth NBA season. Phoenix hasn’t won more than 24 games once since Booker entered the league, and, as Evan Abrams of Action Network explained, sportsbooks foresee the Suns missing the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference once more. Assuming that happens, significant and legitimate rumors about the franchise potentially shopping Booker and his contract will emerge next summer. 

Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox may never be the best player at his position, but the speedy 21-year-old was often one of the league’s most  entertaining young stars when on the court last season. His ability to slash between defenders was matched by his in-transition runs, and he showed he’s already in the top-ten among all point guards in steals. His chances to make an NBA All-Defensive team will grow along with his physical strength. 

Fox went from making 30.7 percent of his threes as a rookie to converting over 37 percent of such attempts. Was that an aberration? As explained by Sactown Royalty, Fox’s midrange game remains shaky, and it’s not a stretch to suggest his perimeter shooting will dip during his third season. 

Like comedic genius Rodney Dangerfield, guard D'Angelo Russell gets no respect. The 23-year-old became a first-time All-Star selection in February and completed far and away the best season of his career, and the Brooklyn Nets rewarded him by shipping him to the Golden State Warriors to acquire Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. It’s now assumed by many that Russell  won’t fit  alongside Stephen Curry and that the Warriors may look to trade Russell before this season’s deadline. If head coach Steve Kerr can get the most out of Russell’s downhill attacking style until Klay Thompson returns from a torn ACL, the new-look Golden State offense could terrify opposing defenses differently than before. 

Let’s all agree to forget those hot takes about Donovan Mitchell’s alleged regression during his second season. The 23-year-old averaged  23.8 PPG and 4.2 AST while shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc and 43.2 percent from the field, and he accomplished all that as the focal point of his team’s offense. This offseason, the Jazz gifted Mitchell with Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to help ease the guard’s offensive burdens. According to  Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, Mitchell admitted over the summer he is working on elevating his defensive abilities. 

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns deserves better than dealing with Jimmy Butler forcing an exit from the organization less than a month into the season, the Tom Thibodeau debacle and Andrew Wiggins  stealing money while scoring empty points. The 23-year-old improving his offensive numbers is a yearly occurrence. His 24.4 PPG, 12.4 REB, and 3.4 AST were all career bests. As The Ringer’s Danny Chau alluded to, KAT growing into an above-average, let alone elite, defender could make him the best big man in the Association. He finished the 2018-19 season eighth in real plus-minus among players at the position. 

The days of comparing Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons to Magic Johnson haven’t completely disappeared, but they should be set aside for at least an entire season. Simmons is an electric playmaker who was probably an All-Defensie snub last spring, but his lack of a jump shot concerns league executives, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, and, more likely than not, the Sixers. His downright refusal to attempt threes versus NBA opponents sets off all kinds of alarms. As of October 2019, the thing standing between Simmons and immortality is that which exists between his ears. 

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic almost deserves his own category coming off arguably the greatest rookie year in NBA history. As a first-year pro who celebrated his 20th birthday last February, Doncic became only the second rookie since Oscar Robertson in 1961 to average at least 20 PPG, 7.0 REB and 6.0 AST, according to  Callie Caplan of the Dallas News. Doncic also already broke the record for most triple-doubles tallied by a player before his 21st birthday (he’ll add to that mark this fall). He should not only be in better physical shape now knowing what to expect from life in the Association. He’ll have Kristaps Porzingis as a teammate. 

Already the best passing big man in NBA history at the age of 24, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic makes those around him better at both ends of the court, but don’t undersell his individual contributions to Denver’s successes. Coming off his best statistical season (20.1 PPG, 10.8 REB, 7.3 AST), The Joker is a future MVP who may have to wait at least one more season if only because he’s less flashy than the one individual ranked ahead of him in this list. During the 2019 postseason, Jokic led the Association in player efficiency rating, win shares per 48 minutes, box plus/minus and offensive plus/minus, and he shared leads in offensive rebounds (54 with Kawhi Leonard) and rebounds per game (13.0 with Andre Drummond). 

Giannis Antetokounmpo will celebrate his 25th birthday in December as the reigning NBA MVP who nearly guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the Finals last spring. One doesn’t need to be an insider who watches film every night to recognize Antetokounmpo’s career-high  numbers from the past campaign -- 27.7 PPG, 12.5 REB, 5.9 AST, 57.8 FG percent -- and athleticism are off the charts. Last April, ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry referred to the Greek Freak as “the best basketball player alive” and “the perfect two-way superstar for where the NBA is right now -- and where it's going.” In time, he’ll put a Defensive Player of the Year award next to his MVP trophy.