10 Young Players Ready to Lead Now
As Kobe Bryant reaches his twilight, LeBron James nears the end of his prime and Kevin Durant hits his peak years, the NBA circle of life marches forward, with new youngsters ready to carry their teams and the league into the future.
There are a group of such players, still at the quarter-century mark of their lives or younger, who are stepping up to take the mantle.
In reviewing who those players are, I asked myself, “If I could build a team around anyone 25 and under, who would I chose?” While statistics were a large part of the criteria, some of this was also subjective, based on maturity and character.
Also, while I emphasized this season in the statistical portion of the rankings, the history of players, both positive and negative, regular season and postseason, was factored in.
Perhaps for that reason, it turned out that all the players I listed were in at least their third seasons. While I am enjoying the exploits of those like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Mirotic, they may be ready to lead soon, but they are not ready to lead now.
The players I chose are listed here, bottom to top, based on the combination of criteria outlined above.
Stats for this article were obtained from Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com/Stats.
10. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
1 of 10
Kyrie Irving can score. His crossover is a thing of beauty. He can get to the rim almost at will, and now that he has LeBron James to take some of the offensive pressure off him, his efficiency is greatly improved.
He’s averaging 20.8 points and 4.6 assists per game this year, and his 61.4 percent true shooting percentage is impressive. His offense is fine.
And there are times when he's been downright brilliant, such as during the All-Star Game last year when he won the MVP.
There are other issues with Irving, though, which are problematic. His defense is awful. And while we heard he was going to be better this year based on his World Cup play, it’s hard to put too much stock into guarding inferior competition.
According to NBA.com/Stats, opponents shoot 2.2 percent better when they’re squaring off against him, and that’s in spite of the fact he’s usually tasked with the easiest defensive assignment.
Apart from that there are the squabbles (well chronicled here by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley) with Dion Waiters, which came to light last season.
In other words, there are signs of growth from Irving this year, but when he was the leader of the Cavs, and not James, things didn’t look very good. That causes me hesitation. He makes the list, but barely.
9. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
2 of 10
DeMarcus Cousins has been steadily showing improvement where he needs to the most—in personal maturity. And as a result he has the ability to shoot up from No. 9 on this list to No. 3 before the end of the season. His biography is holding him back, though.
Cousins has had a history of childish antics, such as when he gave Reggie Evans the “choke sign” while Evans was shooting free throws. The controversial Sacramento Kings’ center has had problems with coaches, officials and opponents.
Everyone’s been looking for that one year where he finally grows up, but it hasn’t happened that way. He’s been maturing, but it’s been incremental. Every season, he’s slightly less disastrous than the year before.
And so far this season, it looks like he may have made that progression from being a minus in the locker room to a plus. His stats are outstanding—23.5 points on 51.2 percent shooting to go with 12.6 boards, 2.4 dimes, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals—but the number that stands out above everything is the number of technical fouls he’s been whistled for: only two.
The maturing of Cousins has more than a lot to do with the fact that the Kings are winning. The only reason he isn’t higher on this list is he needs a full season of this caliber before I’m sold on it.
8. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
3 of 10
Kawhi Leonard is the heir apparent to the San Antonio Spurs’ legacy. Don’t ask me, ask Gregg Popovich who recently spoke to Michael Lee of the Washington Post about Leonard:
"We're trying to loosen up a bit and give him more of a green light. He's getting more license. When you're a young kid, you're going to defer to Timmy and Manu and [Tony]. Now it's like, ‘To heck with those guys. The Big Three, they're older than dirt. To hell with them. You're the Big One. You've got to go do your deal.' So, we're trying to get him to be more demonstrative in that regard.
"
Leonard makes this list based on a combination of his potential and winning Finals MVP last season. However, statistically, he’s not quite on the level of the others on this list.
His 16.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals aren’t bad numbers—particularly when you consider the balanced nature of the Spurs’ attack. And it is true that Leonard’s eye infection probably isn’t helping matters.
But Popovich’s enticing Leonard suggests that even he feels like his star-in-the-making should be doing more than he actually is.
Until Leonard shows he can bring his game to an elite level on a consistent basis, it’s hard to put him higher than this, even with the Bill Russell trophy at home.
7. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
4 of 10
Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors really like each other. And I mean “like-like," but not love. In fact the Warriors chose Thompson over Kevin Love when they refused to involve him in any type of trade talk this summer.
Then they gave him a four-year, $70 million extension. So, he returned the affection by giving the Warriors a 41-point gift in their home opener. Two nights later, he notched another 29 points.
Lately, though, he’s been returning to earth. Over his last 10, per Basketball-Reference.com, he’s averaging 18.7 points with a below-average 53.7 true shooting percentage. That’s much more consistent with his numbers from last year (18.7 points and 55.5 percent).
There’s also the question of whether Thompson can carry an offense. His “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry is the catalyst for the Warriors. Thompson has shown improvement in creating for himself, though, but even that seems somewhat dependent on those around him.
Defensively, he’s becoming stout, and the conversation for best two-way shooting guard is down to him and Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls.
Thompson’s breakout year might be not quite as breakout as everyone was saying at the start of the season, but he gave us a taste of his ceiling. I’m just not sure if he can ever sustain that level of production.
6. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
5 of 10
The Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler is getting buckets and if he keeps up at this rate, he’s going to be getting paid. Unable to reach an extension, Butler decided to “bet on himself.” I’m hearing that he’s banned from Vegas now. Who can afford that kind of payout?
Butler was already in the conversation for best wing defender in the NBA, but now he’s added an offensive arsenal that no one expected, scoring 21.7 points per game on a hugely efficient 60.2 true shooting percentage. And unlike Thompson, he seems to be getting better, averaging 23.0 points over his last 11.
Butler is also contributing 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. His 2.5 offensive win shares rank sixth-best in the NBA.
Furthermore, on a team featuring a former MVP (Derrick Rose), the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Joakim Noah) and in all likelihood a future Hall of Famer (Pau Gasol), Butler has emerged as a true leader.
The only reason he’s not higher on this list is that of everyone who is, he’s the closest to his ceiling, if he’s not already playing above it.
5. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
6 of 10
Blake Griffin offers an interesting dilemma in terms of where to place him. In some ways, it’s surprising that he’s still young enough to even qualify for this list, but he really is only 25 years old.
Griffin has highlights that are eye-popping, but that’s not the totality of his value. When Chris Paul went out for a while last season, he showed just how good he can be, averaging 27.2 points, 8.8 boards and 4.4 dimes in his fellow superstar’s absence.
And when he needed to expand his game, he added a jumper.
That said, there’s a fine line between adding a jump shot and settling for one, and he seems to be doing more of the latter of late.
Last season, he had a career high in scoring (24.2) and attempts (17.0).
This year, he’s getting 1.2 fewer points on .9 more attempts. That suggests he’s getting into the habit of settling for jumpers rather than doing what he does best, crash the rim. (And by the way, anyone who criticizes Griffin for dunking needs to completely re-examine their position about everything).
This is my issue with Griffin. There’s so much reason to believe he could be great, but then there are things that make you worry. He was grabbing 16.4 rebounds per 100 possessions his rookie year. That number has declined every year of his career. It’s down to 11.4 now.
This year his usage is up to 32.1 percent, but his player efficiency rating is down to 22.6.
All these things are representative of effort and commitment. And while all of that is falling off, he’s doing the BGCP3TV with Paul. A pair of superstars who can’t get past the second round, playing below their potential while goofing around just looks bad.
All those are tiny red flags that raise issues about his commitment to winning, and it’s why he’s knocked down a few positions here.
4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
7 of 10
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is a straight-up, pure-as-gold shooter. He’s also a mighty fine passer.
He’s on pace to hit 616 threes and 1,504 assists by the end of his third season. To put that in perspective, only Stephen Curry and Nick Van Excel have hit those numbers in four seasons, and they barely did it.
So in terms of play, it’s hard to find fault with Lillard. But that’s only the cake under the icing. The really delicious part is what he does with the game on the line.
In the regular and postseason’s combined, with no more than 24 seconds on the clock, Lillard is 10 of 26 with the game on the line—six of those three-point shots. That makes his effective field-goal percentage in those situations 50 percent, which is a remarkable rate.
And when the chance came hit the biggest shot of his life, he was so cold-blooded he could give Dracula chills, knocking down the three that clinched a first-round series win over the Houston Rockets.
3. John Wall, Washington Wizards
8 of 10
All John Wall does is keep getting better and getting ignored while he does. Just an offhand observation here, but maybe it’s time to start involving him in the "best point guard in the league" conversation?
Consider this: Chris Paul is averaging 17.9 points, 9.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Wall is notching 17.6, 10.0 and 4.7 respectively. Now, being fair, Paul’s shooting is far more efficient (64.0 percent true shooting percentage to Wall’s 51.4 percent) and that matters.
You can make an argument for Paul or Curry to be over Wall, but it’s time to give Wall a place in the conversation. And perhaps, he’s owed an apology for not even being included on the World Cup team.
He’s done it in the regular season and he’s done it in the postseason, leading his Washington Wizards to a first-round victory over the Chicago Bulls last year.
While he does need to work on his efficiency, he’s starting to put all the pieces together, and I would not be surprised if there were an MVP in his future.
2. James Harden, Houston Rockets
9 of 10
James Harden is still only 25, as shocking as that seems. And he might be the MVP this year.
First, consider that his Houston Rockets currently own the league’s second-best record. Now consider that they’ve had their starting lineup intact for two games, and they’ve been at least three starters shy 30 percent of their contests.
What’s the common denominator they’ve had through a plethora of injuries? Harden.
He’s averaging 25.2 points, 6.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. Guess how many other players are hitting 25, six and six this year? If you guessed none, you’re right. In fact, he’s looking to become just the 10th player to ever do that and the fourth to do it by 25.
And while some might point to his defensive weaknesses, it’s worth pointing out that he’s gotten appreciably better on that end of the court. Dare I say he’s even good?
His opponents are shooting 4.2 percent below their normal rates against him and 9.6 percent lower from deep, so it’s not hard to make a case that he’s a part of the reason the Rockets have held onto their status as an elite defense, even with Dwight Howard having missed half the Rockets’ games.
James Harden’s name legitimately deserves to be in the MVP conversation, right now, and that’s why there’s only one player 25 or under I’d take over him.
1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
10 of 10
Have you heard that Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans is having a breakout year? In other news, basketball floors are made of wood and NBA balls are orange.
How well is Davis playing? Well enough that the fact that he’s in the process of recording the highest player efficiency rating in NBA history doesn’t fully tell how well. Nor does the fact that his PER is 6.7 points higher than any 21-year old in history. (Shaquille O’Neal is second at 28.5.)
No, what makes Davis truly, horrifically, diaper-fillingly terrifying is that he’s nowhere near his ceiling. Remember, just five years ago he was 6’3”. He grew up playing as a point guard, and over the last few years he’s been learning the power forward position.
He’s still filling out and getting stronger. He’s still learning things like how to post up, which are basic to his position. And more petrifying that a steroid-addled, rabid-zombie apocalypse, he’s yet to incorporate the types of individual skills through offseason work that great players do.
Imagine Davis adding a three-point shot? He’s already shooting 48.7 percent from long two. It’s not impossible to see him extending that range to three.
Or he could put on muscle and improve in the post.
Or he could use that guard agility he grew up with to work more on his handles and passing ability.
Or he could put one offseason of work into doing each of those, and then turn 24!
There is no telling what his peak could be, but when he’s already getting statistical comparisons with some of the greatest of all time, it’s hard not to think he could end up being named with them.
When all is said and done, Davis will be so popular, young men will be getting hair implants above the bridge of their nose just so they can be more like him. That’s how good this kid is going to be.
