Top 5 Under 25

The current leaders of the NBA consists of players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Steph Curry, and Russell Westbrook; these are the top 5 players in the NBA right now, but what about the future of the league, who will run things when these players are gone. Well the future of the league is in good hands and I am going to list my top 5 players under 25 years old in the NBA that I think will lead the league for years to come. There are some players that are not on this list that I think should be honorable mentions such as Ben Simmons, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, Andre Drummond, and Bradley Beal.

So, we’ll start with number 5 Joel Embiid, center of the Philadelphia 76ers and 24 years old. It was hard for me to not have his teammate Ben Simmons in this spot, but Embiid has everything that you could look for in a superstar. Everything from his personality to his play style puts him in this superstar category. Embiid has been well-known for his antics on twitter and his outrageous personality that makes him such a fan favorite. This year however, Joel has separated himself and made it known that he is one of the most dominant centers in the NBA while averaging 23 ppg, 11 rpg, 3 apg, and 2bpg. All of these numbers only in his second year in the NBA, his development has been tremendous and he shows no signs of slowing down. The one issue that Embiid has had to deal with in the past is injuries, they have plagued him since he was drafted in 2014, but if he can manage to stay on the court and continue to produce numbers like this, then he will be one of the top 2 centers in the league.

Next, number 4 is Kristaps Prozingis, also known as “the unicorn” because of his unique abilities at his size. This man from Latvia standing at 7 foot and 3 inches and 22 years old, is a taller reincarnation of the all-time great Dirk Nowitzki, with possibly a better defensive potential. Porzingis is redefining what it means to be a power forward with his creative ball-handeling and his incredible sharp-shooting from the 3 point line. KP was averaging 23 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, and 2.4 bpg, and shooting at a 39% clip from beyond the arc this year, all before he went down with an ACL tear earlier in the year. So, my concern for KP is very similar to my worries for Embiid, as long as they can stay healthy they will change the way big men play in today’s NBA.

At third we have Karl-Anthony Towns, center of the Minnesota Timberwolves and 22 years old. Since the day KAT has entered the NBA people have known that this kid was something special, but even with these high expectations on him he has continued to perform better than anyone had anticipated. He is averaging 21 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg, and 2 bpg, and he is another big man on this list that is shooting an incredible percentage from 3 point territory at 42%. KAT is one of the most skilled centers that the league has ever seen and if he can continue to improve on the defensive end, then he will one day sit atop as the league’s best center.

Number 2, Giannis Antetokounmpo or more easily said “the Greek Freak.” Standing 6 feet and 11 inches at 23 years old, Giannis is the small forward for the Milwaukee Bucks and was just selected to his second all-star game. He is averaging an MVP-worthy stateline averaging 27ppg, 10 rpg, 5 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1.5 bpg and just helped the bucks clinch a playoff berth for the 3rd time in his 4 NBA seasons. Giannis is a player unlike any the NBA has ever seen before, he does everything the team needs and leads his squad in all five major categories for the second consecutive year. So, the fact that Giannis is averaging nearly 30 points per game without a reliable three point shot is scary; this shouldn’t be an area of concern because every year since Giannis entered the league he has improved his shooting percentages in every category from free throws to the three-point shot. Giannis has established his work ethic and is only going to get better from here.

Finally, the number one player under 25 years old in the NBA, Anthony Davis or “The Brow” nicknamed because of his unibrow. Davis has set the league on fire this year averaging an astonishing 28 ppg, 11 rpg, 2 apg, 1.5 spg, and 2.5 bpg, while shooting 54% from the field and 34% from deep. There is nothing that Davis can’t do on the court just like Giannis, but his 3 point shooting is what separates him from Giannis. Davis has struggled with injuries throughout his career and he has never made a playoff run, but if he can stay healthy and get a solid team built around him then watch out because Anthony Davis will be the best player in the league in a few years.