Power Ranking the Best Young Talent on Every Team

The NBA is inundated with young talent at every position right now. There are a plethora of young point guards taking over the league and the rest of the positions aren't too far behind. 

For the purpose of this slideshow, I'm defining "young talent" as a promising player who hasn't yet hit the 25-year mark. To all those readers who are on the wrong side of 30, I'm sorry, but you're going to be considered ancient during this slideshow. 

Each team has a promising young player (or more than one in some cases) and these are the rankings of them. It is important to note that the players are ranked in terms of current level of play, not for potential. 

To make up for that, I've also included a line that lists each player's ceiling. From best to worst, those levels are: Low-end Starter, Mid-level Starter, High-end Starter, All-Star, Franchise Player, MVP Candidate and All-Time Great. 

30. Boston Celtics: JaJuan Johnson (22 Years Old)

JaJuan Johnson hasn't done much during his rookie season after he was drafted following the completion of his senior season at Purdue. But then again, he hasn't had much of a chance to since he's receiving just 3.1 minutes per game during the nine contests he's found himself in. 

The long-armed forward is putting up 1.9 points and 0.7 rebounds per game right now, numbers that will surely look more impressive when he gets more minutes. 

Ceiling: Low-level Starter

29. Houston Rockets: Chandler Parsons (23 Years Old)

Chandler Parsons has been receiving plenty of playing time in Kevin Martin's absence, but his time on the court is going to be replaced by time on the bench once the Houston Rockets are finally healthy again. 

The shaggy-haired rookie from Florida has talent in almost every facet of the game, but he lacks any one quality that's going to make him truly stand out. 

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

28. New York Knicks: Iman Shumpert (21 Years Old)

Iman Shumpert has a ton of talent and a ton of athletic ability, but he's undeniably a raw prospect at best right now. 

Fresh out of Georgia Tech, the rookie has received way more run than he should be getting and has responded with decent looking superficial stats, averaging 10.9 points, 3.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.

But if you dig any deeper, you'll realize that he's been pretty awful so far. 

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

27. Miami Heat: Norris Cole (23 Years Old)

Norris Cole has had a few terrific moments, a plethora of mediocre ones and then quite a few rookie ones. But that's to be expected for this high-upside first-year player from Cleveland State, especially while playing on a team with three superstars who all need their touches. 

Cole is going to be a solid player, but he lacks the versatility and the right situation to be anything more than a mid-level starter. 

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

26. Phoenix Suns: Markieff Morris (22 Years Old)

Markieff Morris was deemed one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the 2011 NBA draft and rightfully so. At the same time, though, his high floor was counterbalanced by a low ceiling. 

As a rookie out of Kansas, the power forward is already making his mark, averaging 7.4 points, 1.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. 

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

25. Indiana Pacers: Paul George (21 Years Old)

The first non-rookie to appear on this list, Paul George has the athletic ability and skill to succeed on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. 

A second-year player out of Fresno State, the shooting guard is averaging 10.9 points, 2.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

24. Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker (21 Years Old)

Kemba Walker has made quite a few jaw-dropping plays during this young season, his first in the NBA. But he's also struggled a lot and has been plagued by inconsistency. 

Despite his small stature—he's generously listed at 6'1"—Walker has an incredible amount of potential thanks to his quickness, offensive skills and, most of all, his heart. 

Ceiling: Franchise Player

23. Dallas Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois (23 Years Old)

Rodrigue Beaubois has always been considered an intriguing young player, but he has the annoying tendency to have supposed breakout campaigns derailed by ill-timed injuries. 

When healthy, Beaubois has averaged 7.5 points, 2.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game this season. He's filled in for an injured Jason Kidd tremendously and really helped the Dallas Mavericks keep pace in the Western Conference with three wins in his three starts thus far.  

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

22. Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors (20 Years Old)

Derrick Favors was the prized prospect the Utah Jazz got in return for sending Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets, but he has yet to truly live up to that title. 

In his second year out of Georgia Tech, Favors has been just about a league average power forward, averaging 7.7 points, 0.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.

I was expecting much bigger things from Favors and my opinion of him is definitely starting to decline a little bit, as you can tell by his ceiling below. 

Ceiling: Mid-Level Starter

21. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan (22 Years Old)

DeMar DeRozan is another player for whom I forecasted a big breakout this season. That breakout hasn't exactly happened. 

The Toronto Raptors shooting guard started off the season hot from downtown but he's cooled off to the tune of 14.6 points, 1.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Until he starts making at least 40 percent of his shots from the field, it's hard to view him as a player who's beneficial to the Raptors cause.  

Ceiling: Mid-Level Starter

20. Portland Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum (23 Years Old)

Assuming that his knee is in fact okay, Nicolas Batum is going to pick up where he left off and continue being a very productive player for the Portland Trail Blazers. 

The third-year player from France is finally fulfilling his potential, averaging 11.4 points, 1.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. That's nowhere near what he'll be doing in a few years though. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

19. New Jersey Nets: MarShon Brooks (23 Years Old)

I wanted to move MarShon Brooks up this list even higher but I couldn't quite justify it. To make up for it, I had to give the rookie from Providence the much-coveted "Franchise Player" tag. 

Brooks has the looks of a young Kobe Bryant on offense and opposing defenders already fear having to match up against him. The shooting guard is averaging a stellar 14.8 points, 1.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game during his first season in The Association. 

Ceiling: Franchise Player

18. Philadelphia 76ers: Thaddeus Young (23 Years Old)

One of the NBA's top sixth men, Thaddeus Young is one of the biggest reasons for the Philadelphia 76ers' dramatic rise to the upper echelon of the NBA ranks. 

Coming off the bench, the young veteran (Young is a fourth-year player already) is averaging 12.0 points, 1.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game with only 26.7 minutes per contest of action. He's efficient and does it all. 

Ceiling: Mid-level Starter

17. Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague (23 Years Old)

The very fact that Jeff Teague is in the lower half of this list is a great indication of just how much young talent there is in the NBA right now. 

Teague is having a terrific first season as a starter and is one of the main catalysts for the Al Horford-less Atlanta Hawks' ability to remain among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. 

Ceiling: All-Star

16. Washington Wizards: John Wall (21 Years Old)

John Wall gets a little bit too much credit thanks to his blinding speed and tremendous athleticism. The former No. 1 pick has not been very good yet, although you could definitely use the "his teammates with the Washington Wizards are [insert bad word/adjective of your choosing]" argument in his defense. 

But until Wall shows that he's more than an athletic freak, he's going to find himself pretty low in my rankings. 

Ceiling: All-Star

15. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley (24 Years Old)

Mike Conley might not have the potential that John Wall and Jeff Teague have, but you can't possibly deny in good conscience that he's been better so far this year. 

A fifth-year player out of Ohio State, Conley has led the Memphis Grizzlies to quite a few wins this season with his 13.0 points, 7.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.

His PER of 18.37 is also significantly better than Wall's 16.26 or Teague's 16.98. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

14. San Antonio Spurs: DeJuan Blair (22 Years Old)

Even though Tiago Splitter has been getting some of DeJuan Blair's time lately, the former Pittsburgh big man is still a great young player. 

In 22.7 minutes per game, Blair has averaged 10.1 points, 1.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game while taking a lot of pressure off the knees of Tim Duncan. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

13. Orlando Magic: Ryan Anderson (23 Years Old)

Ryan Anderson can shoot three-pointers. Really, really well. 

That is all. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

12. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings (22 Years Old)

I've disliked Brandon Jennings' ball-eating ways for quite some time now, but he's proving me wrong this season and has made a quantum leap forward. 

The Milwaukee Bucks point guard has helped his team get on a bit of a roll lately as they've won five of their last seven games.

Now, Jennings is averaging 20.1 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field, a mark much higher than his career average of 38.8 percent. 

Ceiling: High-end Starter

11. Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson (24 Years Old)

While I have to at least give a shoutout to Danilo Gallinari here, this spot still has to go to Ty Lawson, the standout point guard for the Denver Nuggets who may very well be one of the fastest players in NBA history. 

An extremely efficient shooter from the field, Lawson is averaging 15.7 points, 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during his third season in the league.

Ceiling: All-Star

10. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving (19 Years Old)

If this seems like a lofty ranking for Kyrie Irving, it is. It's also a deserved ranking. 

Irving has been absolutely sensational for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He's helped them win more games than even Dan Gilbert dreamed of (probably), he's been statistically dominant, he's made game-winning shots while showing experience beyond his years and he's terrified opposing defenders to no end. 

The scary thing is, he's only going to get much better. 

Ceiling: MVP Candidate

9. New Orleans Hornets: Eric Gordon (23 Years Old)

Eric Gordon was the most difficult player to place on this list. He's undeniably talented but we still have no idea how he'll function as the alpha dog with the New Orleans Hornets thanks to his unfortunate knee injury. 

Let's just leave this one up in the air for speculation. 

Ceiling: All-Star

8. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins (21 Years Old)

DeMarcus Cousins is an otherworldly talent. It's just a matter of whether or not he can harness all that potential while keeping his head on his shoulders for an extended period of time. 

After a terrific rookie season that was overshadowed by the exploits of Blake Griffin and John Wall, the second-year player from Kentucky has exploded for 14.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.1 coaches fired per game. 

Ceiling: All-Star

7. Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe (21 Years Old)

As good as DeMarcus Cousins has been, he still pales in comparison to Greg Monroe. 

Continuing in the tradition of Georgetown centers, Monroe seems destined for greatness in the NBA. As a second-year player, the big man is averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while putting on clinics of all-around basketball on almost every night. 

Ceiling: MVP Candidate

6. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (23 Years Old)

When he's on the court, Stephen Curry is an offensive magician with his dribbling skills, offensive flair and deadly quick-release jumper. 

The problem is that his ankles are made of glass. Actually, they're made of some material that's even more fragile than glass. 

Ceiling: Franchise Player

5. Los Angeles Lakers: Andrew Bynum (24 Years Old)

When he's healthy and on the court (with his jersey actually on his back and not off it like it was when he forearm shivered J.J. Barea), Andrew Bynum is possibly the second-most talented center in the league behind Dwight Howard. 

Bynum is averaging a ridiculous 16.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game during his seventh year in the league. Somehow he's still just 24 years old, though. 

Ceiling: MVP Candidate

4. Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin (22 Years Old)

No one wants to read anything about Blake Griffin. They just want to see this. 

Ceiling: All-Time Great

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love (23 Years Old)

As Bill Simmons recently wrote in an article, "If you don't think Love is one of the 10 best players in basketball right now, then you don't watch basketball."

The Minnesota Timberwolves big man who was just locked up for the near future is the best power forward in the league and HE'S STILL ONLY 23 YEARS OLD!

If he's averaging 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game right now while he's still getting better, what in the world is his ceiling? 

Ceiling: All-Time Great

2. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose (23 Years Old)

As good as Derrick Rose has been over the past season-and-20-games, he's still coming in at second on this list. 

(Mentally steeling myself for the upcoming torrent of hate comments.)

This is by no means meant to be viewed as a negative portrayal of Rose. He's a sensational talent and has a Harry Houdini-like ability to magically escape from and evade the outstretched arms of defenders as he drives relentlessly to the rim for yet another fancy, mind-bogglingly-difficult layup. 

You don't make game-winning shots and average 23.3 points, 7.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game with a 25.00 PER unless you have a serious shot at going down as an all-time great when it's all said and done. 

Ceiling: All-Time Great

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant (23 Years Old)

I would be remiss to not at least mention the talents of Russell Westbrook, James Harden and even Serge Ibaka, all of whom are still under the age of 25. But they all fall significantly short of the greatness of Kevin Durant, the two-time reigning scoring champion of the NBA. 

While carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league thus far, Durant has averaged 26.8 points, 3.2 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game with a 26.99 PER, leaving himself squarely in the MVP discussion for this season. 

It's close, but he barely nudges out Derrick Rose for this spot. 

Ceiling: All-Time Great