Ranking the Top 25 Players Under 25 Years Old in the NBA, Midseason Edition
The amount of young talent in the NBA is absolutely ridiculous.
Nearly every team has a player who hasn't turned 25 years old yet but is already establishing himself as a high-quality player or still waiting to display his massive reserves of potential. The Memphis Grizzlies are one notable exception, however, as they don't roster a single player who's 24 years old or younger.
But how do these under-25s stack up?
We're not talking about potential. We're not concerned with historical resumes. All that matters is the here and now, as we're interested in their level of play during the 2014-15 season, with a slight emphasis on recent form.
All-Stars and should-be All-Stars abound at the top of these rankings.
Honorable Mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal, Alec Burks, John Henson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nikola Mirotic, Jabari Parker, Mason Plumlee, Lance Stephenson, Tristan Thompson
25. Rudy Gobert
1 of 25
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: C
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 6.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 2.2 blocks, 21.8 PER
Welcome to Rudy Gobert's breakout season.
The French center with a monstrous wingspan has forced the Utah Jazz to make him a featured part of the rotation, as he's dominated on the glass, provided some adequate—albeit limited—offense and posted a block percentage that leads the league. When Gobert is on the floor, he rejects 7.9 percent of the opposition's two-point shots. To put that in perspective, Anthony Davis' 6.1 block percentage is the No. 2 mark throughout the Association.
Is it any wonder he's now being called "The Stifle Tower" for his swatting prowess? It's absolutely one of the NBA's best nicknames, and it fits one of the up-and-coming young studs quite well.
The next step for Gobert involves maintaining his level of play when he's on the court for more than 21.4 minutes per game. The amount of time he spends on the bench during the average contest limits his impact, and there's often a tradeoff between volume and efficiency.
24. Andrew Wiggins
2 of 25
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: SG/SF
Age: 19
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 12.6 PER
Andrew Wiggins got off to a slow start when first transitioning from Kansas to the NBA, but he's picking up steam while cementing himself as the prohibitive favorite for Rookie of the Year.
Since Dec. 23, the reigning No. 1 pick has averaged a scorching 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from beyond the arc and 75.2 percent at the charity stripe. He's still settling for far too many tough looks from mid-range zones, but all the shot-making tools are starting to manifest themselves in his play.
As Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry explained in a fantastic breakdown of Wiggins' improvement, the small forward is finally feeling comfortable:
"Wiggins is ascendant. He has started every game, and he's getting better pretty fast. According to Justin Zormelo, a player development consultant who helped prep Wiggins for his rookie season, he's just starting to get comfortable. 'Now that he's adjusted to moving to a new city and [has] played a lot of games, you see his game jumping off the charts.'
"
He's only going to keep getting better.
Wiggins will be a part of these under-25 lists for five more seasons. Something tells me he'll never rank as low as No. 24 again, even if we're not using potential as part of the argument for the present-day order.
23. Enes Kanter
3 of 25
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: PF/C
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, 18.0 PER
Enes Kanter hasn't developed as quickly as the Utah Jazz might have hoped, but he's still become a quality big man at 22 years old.
It took the No. 3 pick of the 2011 NBA draft a little while to regain his momentum after an injured ankle knocked him out of the lineup for four early January games. But after taking his starting spot back from Rudy Gobert, Kanter has averaged 19.6 points and 10.8 rebounds during his last five outings, shooting 50.6 percent from the field in the process.
The Kentucky product (well, kind of Kentucky product) is by no means a high-quality center. He struggles rotating to the proper spots, doesn't contest shots well around the rim and constantly seems as though he's relying on his teammates for help doubling down on his man. But his offensive game and rebounding skills are advancing, allowing him to remain valuable, both to the Jazz in the present and future and on the market as a potential trading chip.
With Gobert seemingly displaying a higher ceiling, Kanter could be more expendable than ever for the rising Jazz organization.
22. Jonas Valanciunas
4 of 25
Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: C
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 12.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.1 blocks, 20.5 PER
Jonas Valanciunas definitely hasn't progressed all that quickly for the Toronto Raptors.
The 22-year-old came into the league as a player with ridiculous amounts of upside, but he hasn't become more than a per-minute standout who head coach Dwane Casey doesn't rely on all that heavily. Valanciunas is still playing only 26.4 minutes per contest, and it's hard for the Raptors to use him down the stretch because his defense has been rather lackluster.
Nonetheless, the talent lives on, even if the majority of it remains unrealized by this Lithuanian center. After all, he's averaging 17.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes in highly efficient fashion, shooting 55.4 percent from the field, draining 81 percent of his free-throw attempts and rarely coughing the ball up to the opposition.
But no matter how well he plays on that per-minute basis, he isn't actually helping Toronto stay alive in the race for one of the Eastern Conference's top spots. When he's on the bench, the Raptors are outscoring their opponents by 12.3 points per 100 possessions. When he plays, they're being outscored by 0.5.
This will get better in the future, but Valanciunas' development into an elite center is still very much a work in progress.
21. Ricky Rubio
5 of 25
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: PG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 16.0 PER
Ankle injuries have limited Ricky Rubio to just five games played during the 2014-15 campaign, but we can't forget about him entirely. It's not as though his ability has suddenly dried up, as he's still one of the league's best distributors, a strong rebounding point guard and a pest on the defensive end of the floor.
Of course, Rubio's ascension up the ranks is ultimately limited by his lack of a jumper.
He's not as poor at shooting as Rajon Rondo or Elfrid Payton, as he does tend to knock down some of his wide-open three-point attempts. But averaging 9.4 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting from the field is cause for concern.
Those numbers are actually misleadingly high too, since Rubio was drilling 57.9 percent of his two-point looks from beyond 16 feet in 2014-15, and that range made up 40.4 percent of his total field-goal attempts.
Both of those numbers are easily career highs. The Spanish floor general took just 25.2 percent of his tries from that range last year, and he connected at a 30.8 percent clip. When Rubio gets healthy, expect those shooting numbers to regress.
Then again, he'll also maintain his passing skill, and he should only be improving on the defensive end, so it should all balance out.
20. Jared Sullinger
6 of 25
Team: Boston Celtics
Position: PF
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 14.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 18.0 PER
"After an inconsistent month of December on the offensive end, the 22-year-old has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, capped by Monday’s stellar performance against one of the top frontcourts in the league," CBS Boston's Brian Robb wrote about Jared Sullinger after the big man scored a season-high 27 points in a Jan. 12 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Defense is still a challenge for an athletically limited Sullinger. Effort is not, and that's allowed the former Ohio State Buckeye to keep improving on the offensive end while making a significant impact on the glass.
Sullinger's range has continued to expand as his NBA career progresses. Though he's only shooting 30.3 percent from beyond the arc, that's coming on a career-high 3.5 attempts per game. Brad Stevens has allowed him to experiment with his offensive arsenal, and the C's have been exposed to some new skills they might make use of in the future.
Right now, everything in Beantown revolves around determining which players are keepers. Despite the medical red flag that accompanied him during the 2012 NBA draft, Sullinger has most assuredly become one.
He may not be a franchise centerpiece, but he's a great complementary part.
19. Victor Oladipo
7 of 25
Team: Orlando Magic
Position: PG/SG
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, 15.9 PER
Near the end of his rookie season with the Orlando Magic, Victor Oladipo talked about his desire for improved shooting, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
"They're going to let me shoot it. So I'm not going to be afraid to shoot it. I'm just going to continue to keep shooting with confidence," Oladipo said. "I can work on it; it's not like I don't work on it. The only way I can better it is if I continue to shoot it, so I'm just going to continue to shoot with confidence."
Well, he's gotten better.
The combo guard is scoring more as a sophomore, and he's shooting with increased efficiency all over the court. His three-point percentage has risen from 32.7 to 37.3—a much more respectable number. While he made only 44.8 percent of his two-point attempts as a rookie, he's drilled 48.2 percent of them this year, getting into the paint and finishing at the rim with far more frequency.
Oladipo still isn't the bona fide defensive stalwart he was hyped up as while coming out of Indiana. His passing could also use a lot more work if he's going to continue lining up at the 1 for Orlando. But with increased efficiency, he's turning into a star player, one who's never afraid of handling the ball and eating up a crunch-time possession at the end of a close game.
18. Tobias Harris
8 of 25
Team: Orlando Magic
Position: SF/PF
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, 16.7 PER
During the 2012-13 season, Tobias Harris began the season struggling to make any sort of positive impact for the Milwaukee Bucks. After the Bucks traded him to the Orlando Magic in February, however, he almost immediately broke out, averaging 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during his 27 outings in a new location.
In 2013-14, injuries forced Harris to start slowly once more. He played in only 33 games before the All-Star break, posting 13.7 points and 7.5 boards per contest. But after those midseason festivities, he improved once again, dramatically elevating his field-goal percentage while scoring at an even higher rate.
Throughout his career, it's been one slow start followed by a surge midway through the season, when many other young players are hitting the wall.
But this year, he's begun the campaign in impressive fashion. Does that mean he's still going to get even better after the All-Star Weekend is held in New York City?
17. Kemba Walker
9 of 25
Team: Charlotte Hornets
Position: PG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, 18.7 PER
Kemba Walker's meniscus injury is going to hold back the Charlotte Hornets rather significantly.
Though he's by no means an efficient scorer, he still provides his team with some much-needed offensive spark. He's going to miss plenty of shots, but at any point during the 48 minutes of action, he can dazzle the opposition with a healthy mix of crossovers and step-back jumpers. That ability to create his own shot is highly beneficial on a squad that typically has trouble producing points.
"Credit goes to Steve Clifford and his staff for turning Jefferson's injury...into an opportunity for reset," wrote Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney. "Kemba Walker played some of the best basketball of his career in response and the Hornets on the whole now more closely resemble the team that finished in the top five in defensive rating last season."
Back when he was thriving for UConn, Walker had a certain knack for making his impact felt in the biggest moments. Pitt's Gary McGee will always agree, and he's but one example.
Whether we're talking about late-game situations or when his team is missing a star, that's remained true in the Association.
16. Jrue Holiday
10 of 25
Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Position: PG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, 18.7 PER
Though the New Orleans Pelicans have continued to win games while Jrue Holiday misses time with a stress reaction in his right leg, the dynamic point guard and former All-Star is still quite clearly a valuable player. He hasn't been able to replicate his one season—really, more of a half-season—of brilliance with the Philadelphia 76ers since arriving in the bayou, but he's a two-way floor general with great defensive skills on the ball.
At this point, we know just about who Holiday is.
More careful with the ball than before, he's become more efficient while taking fewer risks. Of course, that's partly because he has more options around him and doesn't have to shoulder such a heavy offensive burden, instead focusing on sparking his squad with equal measures of scoring and distributing.
During the 2014-15 season, the Pelicans have scored 104.8 points per 100 possessions when their 24-year-old point guard is either resting on the bench or wearing street clothes. But when he plays, they're torturing the opposition to the tune of 111.7 points over the same span.
Essentially, Holiday has helped them turn an offense that would rank No. 18 into one that would finish behind only the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors.
15. Brandon Knight
11 of 25
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Position: PG
Age: 23
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 17.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 18.3 PER
It took a year to gain his footing, but Brandon Knight is now breaking out with the Milwaukee Bucks. On the surface, his 17.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game don't look like that much of an improvement over last season's respective marks of 17.9, 3.5 and 4.9.
But let's dig a bit deeper.
During the 2013-14 campaign, Knight slashed 42.2/32.5/80.2. This year, he's knocking down 43.9 percent of his shots from the field, 40.8 percent of his looks from beyond the three-point arc and 89 percent of his tries from the charity stripe.
How's that for improvement?
Plus, Knight is finally turning his physical gifts into some quality work on the defensive end. At the halfway point of the season, he already has two defensive win shares; he had 2.2 in his first three professional go-rounds combined.
If you're looking for the primary on-court reason for the Bucks' stunning turnaround, you've found him. And he's still only 23 years old.
14. Greg Monroe
12 of 25
Team: Detroit Pistons
Position: PF/C
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, 20.8 PER
Wasn't Greg Monroe supposed to be unhappy, unmotivated and ineffective after signing a qualifying offer and returning to the Detroit Pistons against his will?
That sure hasn't seemed to be the case, especially with the waiving of Josh Smith creating more opportunities for him to go to work near the basket with floor spacers stretching out the defense. From Dec. 26 onward, which marked the beginning of the Pistons' post-Smith winning streak, Monroe has averaged 16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting an even 50 percent from the field.
The 24-year-old has always been better as a center than a power forward, but with more space around him, he's been perfectly fine at the smaller position. According to 82games.com, Monroe has produced a net player efficiency rating of 4.9 while lining up at the 5, but it's still a strong 3.5 when he plays the 4, thanks to some improved defensive showings.
Is there still a chance the man fondly known as "Moose" might end up staying in the Motor City after all?
13. Derrick Favors
13 of 25
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: PF
Age: 23
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.6 blocks, 22.4 PER
Derrick Favors' offensive game has exploded during his fifth professional season.
Always a strong player in the pick-and-roll sets the Utah Jazz run quite frequently, he's been fantastic when diving to the rim and catching the ball with momentum during the 2014-15 campaign. His power and athleticism are now accompanied by more finesse than ever before.
Favors made only 26.3 percent of his mid-range jumpers from beyond 16 feet last season. Now, despite taking even more of them, he's hitting 37.7 percent of those looks. And this has translated into the post, where a face-up jumper has allowed him to torture defenders with an even wider array of options from the blocks.
Though he hasn't been a dominant point-preventing big for the Jazz, this offensive improvement has been quite the exciting development. His upside now seems significantly higher, and he should be receiving a lot more credit for these improvements than he does while playing for a Utah squad that racks up losses and falls firmly below the national radar.
It's time the world recognizes the player Favors has turned into.
He's one of just 16 qualified players this season to play over 30 minutes per game and post a PER above 22. And it's worth listing each of the other 15 just so you can see what sort of category this is and how hard it is to sneak into it: James Harden, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Klay Thompson, Pau Gasol, Jeff Teague, LeBron James, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nikola Vucevic, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins and Dwyane Wade.
At what point does Favors earn nationwide acceptance in that class?
12. Draymond Green
14 of 25
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SF/PF
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, 15.9 PER
We can't forget about Draymond Green.
Though he doesn't put up the glamorous numbers posted by his teammates in the Golden State Warriors backcourt, Green has been absolutely vital to the Western Conference-best efforts. His relentless hustle creates plenty of opportunities, his defensive versatility allows him to play just about anywhere, and his attitude is indomitable.
Green, who's leading the NBA in defensive win shares, has had an on/off impact that borders on unfair. When he's sitting, the Dubs outscore their opponents by only 2.8 points per 100 possessions. That's still a positive number, but it pales in comparison to the 17.1-point difference when he plays.
Grantland's Zach Lowe nearly put Green on his Western Conference All-Star squad, writing the following about the defensive stopper who may well earn a max contract—or something close to it—this summer:
"Green is a legit defensive player of the year candidate who can withstand Randolph in the post and envelop point guards with his long arms. He's a great passer—not a good passer, a great one. Only one thing stands between Green and a run for the Western Conference All-Star team: He has to become a better 3-point shooter.
"
The forward is hitting just 33.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. That really may be his only major weakness right now.
11. Gordon Hayward
15 of 25
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: SF
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, 19.6 PER
There must be a black hole around Salt Lake City.
Somehow, Gordon Hayward is putting up fantastic numbers and doing whatever he can to help the Utah Jazz remain competitive, but no one seems to be recognizing his efforts. It's like everything Hayward does gets lost to the outside world, as he should be getting far more credit for averaging 19 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while maintaining much higher levels of efficiency than he did during his first year as a No. 1 option.
Any guesses how many players have matched or exceeded each of those per-game marks in 2014-15? Only eight others—James Harden, Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, Blake Griffin, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gay and Kobe Bryant.
But let's make the criteria even more stringent. How many have done so with a true shooting percentage above 57?
Hayward, James, Curry and Harden are the only ones. The Jazz obviously aren't nearly successful enough for this particular small forward to draw any MVP consideration, but let's at least recognize the fact that he's paired up with three legitimate candidates at this point in the season.
10. Andre Drummond
16 of 25
Team: Detroit Pistons
Position: C
Age: 21
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 12.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.8 blocks, 19.9 PER
Only 19 players in the NBA are defending at least eight shots at the rim per game, via NBA.com's SportVU data. It's already impressive that Drummond is among that group, as he's putting himself in position to make a lot of plays right around the basket.
But the 21-year-old big man is also in the top half of that group (barely) when it comes to field-goal percentage allowed, as he's holding the opposition to 48.3 percent shooting. Drummond still doesn't block a ridiculous number of shots, but he's used his athleticism to become an extremely impactful player when he's protecting the hoop.
Meanwhile, he's remained an efficient offensive player in small doses and one of the NBA's very best rebounders.
It would be nice if Drummond eventually developed some post moves that could help him become more of a go-to scorer, but for now, he's been just fine relying on putback opportunities. It's virtually impossible to keep Drummond off the offensive glass, and he knows it.
9. Nikola Vucevic
17 of 25
Team: Orlando Magic
Position: C
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.8 blocks, 22.1 PER
Baxter Holmes' entire profile of Nikola Vucevic for ESPN.com is very much worth reading, but here's the most pertinent part for our purposes:
"Three years later [than the trade that sent him from Philadelphia to Orlando as a mere footnote], the 24-year-old is having a more efficient offensive season than [Dwight] Howard and rebounding at a higher rate than Shaquille O'Neal did through his first four seasons in the league.
'He's probably the best player in the league that nobody knows,' Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. 'I don't think you hear anybody talking about him, but when you look at his raw numbers they are superstar and All-Star worthy, but nobody knows it.'
Said Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: 'You can't just say he's a good, young player anymore. He's a very good NBA basketball player who is multiskilled and a big target. There's not a whole lot that he can't do from the center position.'
'He may very well be an All-Star center in the East at some point soon,' Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens echoed.
"
Vucevic isn't just putting up great fantasy numbers. He's become an efficient volume scorer with a well-rounded offensive arsenal, he's a huge threat on the glass, and his defense is getting better by the day.
And somehow, this 24-year-old center still seems to have a rather large reserve of untapped potential.
8. Kawhi Leonard
18 of 25
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Position: SF
Age: 23
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, 20.0 PER
The San Antonio Spurs really don't seem to lose with Kawhi Leonard in the lineup.
Since the reigning Finals MVP returned from his latest injury, the defending champions have gone 6-1, with their lone loss coming in a road game against the Chicago Bulls. On the 2014-15 season as a whole, San Antonio has posted a 21-8 record when Leonard plays, which would put it on pace for a 59-win season if he suited up in every contest.
When he sits? The Spurs are 9-9, giving them an even .500 record.
Leonard should shine when he's given a chance to serve as more of a featured option, but for now, he seems perfectly content to function as a complementary piece in the vaunted Spurs system. After all, it works when he lines up next to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Still, this 23-year-old is on the verge of already becoming a truly elite player. He's performed on the biggest stage, gone toe-to-toe with the best player in the world and come out on top (though not necessarily in terms of sheer individual performance), and he continues to improve as a two-way standout.
7. Paul George
19 of 25
Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: SF
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: N/A
Paul George still exists.
He may have broken his leg during a Team USA exhibition in Chicago, but he remains a member of the Indiana Pacers, rehabbing so that he can come back and regain the level he was at before his brutal and devastating injury. After all, George was an unquestioned star during the 2013-14 season, becoming a potent offensive force and still playing some of the best wing defense in the league.
That year, he averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 86.4 percent at the charity stripe. His PER was a stellar 20.1, and he managed to earn 10.8 win shares—6.4 of which came on the defensive end.
Obviously, he hasn't done anything in 2014-15. But he's still a star and deserves recognition before he turns 25 on May 2 and becomes ineligible for any future iterations of these rankings.
6. Kyrie Irving
20 of 25
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: PG
Age: 22
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 22.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, 21.1 PER
Kyrie Irving is a defensive liability, though it's worth noting he's been more engaged in recent weeks as the Cleveland Cavaliers have begun winning games. But it almost doesn't matter, because this point guard is that good at putting up points.
When Irving exploded for 55 points—including the cold-as-ice three-point winner over Nicolas Batum—against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 28, he scored more points in a single game than anyone else has during the 2014-15 campaign. And, once more, he showed the world just how dangerous he is when his ball-handling skills are matched by his jumper.
As Grant Hughes explained for Bleacher Report, the circumstances make his game even more impressive:
"James' presence helps, but Irving had to go it alone against a Blazers team tied for the fourth-best record in the league and, more importantly, sitting at No. 4 in defensive efficiency coming into the contest, per NBA.com. Piling up 55 points without James, with Kevin Love hitting just three shots, while being guarded in shifts by Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews is no small task.
It's work best suited for an alpha dog. An elite point guard. An All-Star.
"
Irving has been an offensive stud for a while now. This season, he's better than ever while producing for a competitive team.
This 22-year-old is only going to keep moving up the ranks.
5. Damian Lillard
21 of 25
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Position: PG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, 21.7 PER
Irving's Wednesday night explosion has trumped Damian Lillard's best game of the 2014-15 season, but the Rip City floor general has the superior body of work. That's especially true since Lillard has finally become an asset on the defensive end, navigating screens like they're no longer brick walls and thriving as a passing-lane pest.
For the first time in his career, the Weber State product has a positive defensive box plus/minus, which indicates that Portland is better with him than a league-average defender in his place. He even has 2.2 defensive win shares this season after totaling 2.5 in his first two seasons.
And he's continued to be great on offense, asserting himself as one of the league's best three-point marksmen and flat-out dominating during clutch situations, defined by NBA.com as the last five minutes of games separated by five points or less.
Lillard is one of 11 players to play 100 or more minutes in that situation, and he's been ridiculous. He's turned the ball over only twice—total, not per game, or anything of that nature—while averaging 30.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per 36 minutes. Thanks primarily to him, Rip City is outscoring the opposition by 14 points per 100 possessions in crunch time.
4. Klay Thompson
22 of 25
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 23.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, 22.7 PER
Klay Thompson is no flash in the pan.
Scoring 37 points in a single quarter against the Sacramento Kings is certainly his signature moment, but he's by no means a one-quarter wonder. He's been utterly fantastic all year for the Golden State Warriors, improving as much as any other player in the league by creating shots for himself, pulling off little tricks like a hesitation dribble in transition that freezes defenders and lets him blow by them, continuing to play excellent defense and becoming a much better drive-and-kick player.
Those per-game numbers you can see up above are undeniably impressive. They're even better when you realize that Thompson is knocking down 48.1 percent of his shots from the field, a scorching 45.6 percent of his three-point looks and 85.9 percent of his free-throw attempts.
Only 21 players in NBA history have scored at least 23 points per game while posting a .610 true shooting percentage or better. Right now, Thompson is one of them, and he's the only qualifier who joins the list while taking more than seven three-point tries per game.
A lockdown defender who's this good at scoring? Yes, please.
3. John Wall
23 of 25
Team: Washington Wizards
Position: PG
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, 20.8 PER
What doesn't John Wall do well at this point? Other than shoot perimeter jumpers, of course.
Wall is a whirling dervish in the open court, capable of blowing past just about any defender en route to the rim. His hesitation and change-of-pace dribbles have both been fantastic, and he uses them better than arguably any other player in the Association. The 24-year-old point guard is also a master of driving and finding open teammates in the corners, especially when he uses his patented look-off to steer a big in the wrong direction.
Few players are capable of averaging double-digit assists and still scoring over 17 points per game. Fewer still can do that while maintaining enough energy to play elite point guard defense, which Rob Mahoney expanded upon for Sports Illustrated:
"Wall's ability to cover so much ground so quickly creates all kinds of opportunities for Washington's defense, both scripted and improvised. By design, Wall is expected to step over in protection of the lane in some pick-and-roll scenarios, which theoretically leaves him vulnerable to a quick kick-out should no other Wizard be in range to cover his original man. Wall manages these situations about as well as one could. There's no perfect way for an NBA defense to bend and rotate without risk, and Wall increasingly helps the Wizards to minimize theirs.
"
That two-way blend is quite the potent one.
2. DeMarcus Cousins
24 of 25
Team: Sacramento Kings
Position: C
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 23.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.6 blocks, 25.2 PER
According to my FATS projections (based on historical comparisons and explained in full here), the Sacramento Kings are a bit different when DeMarcus Cousins is on the floor.
When he's on the bench, the team plays like a 21-win squad. The closest statistical profile belongs to the 2002-03 Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by Ricky Davis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Dajuan Wagner. Those Cavs went 17-65 that year, eventually earning the No. 1 pick and landing LeBron James that summer.
But when Cousins is playing, the Kings look like a remarkably different team.
With the man fondly known as "Boogie" steering them some modicum of success, Sacramento has played like a 56-win unit. This time, the best match comes in as the 1998-99 Utah Jazz. You know, the same Jazz who were led by Karl Malone and John Stockton, going 37-13 during the lockout-shortened season before losing in the Western Conference semifinals to the Portland Trail Blazers.
That's a huge difference, and it's pretty indicative of why Cousins would be earning MVP consideration if overall team success weren't a factor for voters.
Oh, and he doesn't turn 25 until August. Not bad for the league's best true center.
1. Anthony Davis
25 of 25
Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Position: PF/C
Age: 21
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 24.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 2.9 blocks, 31.9 PER
This one is pretty obvious, no matter how good DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall have been in 2014-15.
Anthony Davis is averaging 24.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field. He's leading the league in blocks per game. He never turns the ball over. His ability to jump passing lanes is just ridiculous. He's on pace to post the highest PER in league history, beating Wilt Chamberlain and everyone else who's ever laced up sneakers on an NBA court.
I could go on and on, but how about this?
Throughout the decades of basketball in the Association, Davis is just the third player to average at least 24 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks per game with a true shooting percentage above .600. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did so in 1976-77 during his age-29 season. David Robinson achieved the feat at 25 and 29.
Davis is 21.
Enough said.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current heading into Jan. 29's games.
.jpg?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
