NBA Youngsters on the Cusp of All-Star Status
As The Who once said (and would say), the kids are alright. And those kids, who are still alright, are due to make their respective marks on the 2015 NBA All-Star Game in New York City on Feb. 15.
In fact, five of the 24 players who will suit up for the East and West at Madison Square Garden are currently 24 years old or younger. Of those, one (Kyrie Irving) is already an All-Star MVP, two (John Wall and Anthony Davis) will be first-time starters, two (DeMarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson) will be making their debuts at the midseason showcase, and one (Thompson) will turn 25 a week before doing so.
But the Association's stores of young talent run much deeper than that quintet. Of the 26 players who were popular among fans but not popular enough to earn starting nods or supporting ones from coaches this year, seven haven't yet been alive for a quarter century.
And that's to say nothing of the scores more who will be peddling their wares during All-Star weekend's lead-up festivities, from the Rising Stars Challenge to the Slam Dunk Contest.
With that in mind, here's a look at seven of the most promising pros under the age of 25, each of whom was either in the running for an All-Star bid this year or will be next year, whether or not the league expands the rosters.
Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs
1 of 7
The next season that Kawhi Leonard stays healthy through the opening months will be his first as an All-Star.
Leonard's had "franchise cornerstone" written all over him ever since he tallied three double-doubles for the San Antonio Spurs against the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals. His subsequent showing, as Finals MVP in 2014, only solidified that future for the San Diego State product.
Where once a supporting role alongside the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili was Leonard's greatest impediment to stardom, now it's Kawhi's body that's dragging down his seemingly inevitable ascent. He's already missed 18 games this season—first a nasty eye infection, then a mysterious injury to one of his massive mitts.
The Spurs went 9-9 in those games, as opposed to 21-9 in the 30 games that Leonard has been healthy enough to impact. If not for those absences, Leonard would rank second at his position in rebounding (7.9 per game) while leading the league in steals (2.0 per game).
Leonard's scoring numbers this season (15.6 points, 45 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three) may not be all that impressive, but considering how many physical impediments (i.e. blurred vision, torn ligament in his shooting hand) he's had to overcome, Kawhi, now 23, might only be scratching the surface of his tremendous potential.
And once the time comes for Duncan and Ginobili to hang up their sneakers for good, it'll be more important than ever for Leonard to actualize that potential as the Spurs seek a smooth transition into their next era.
"I'm trying to see what way I could lead,'' Leonard told NBA.com's Ian Thomsen. "So when the opportunity comes it won't just hit me in the face.''
…and cause another injury.
Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic
2 of 7
Nikola Vucevic could be described as the Eastern Conference's answer to DeMarcus Cousins. Like Boogie, Vooch is a fantastically skilled and productive center on a team that's currently toiling in lottery territory, despite showing signs of progress earlier this season.
Unlike Cousins, Vucevic didn't have an injured All-Star to replace. Nor has Vucevic's coach yet been fired, though that could change soon, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
This isn't to say that Vooch is on Boogie's level. His 19.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 29 double-doubles (second most in the NBA) aside, Vucevic isn't quite the load down low that Cousins, arguably the NBA's premier back-to-the-basket operator, has become.
And, remember, when comparing East vs. West in today's NBA, the former is almost always a step or two behind the latter.
In any case, Vucevic, 24, will have a much better shot at cracking the East's All-Star roster once his Orlando Magic start winning games more regularly. Otherwise, he'll have to bide his time until an injury or two open up enough room for a guy whose productivity is somewhat tainted by the lack of success that surrounds him.
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards
3 of 7
There are nights when Bradley Beal looks like he's already an All-Star—his 29 points in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, 33 to help the Washington Wizards eke out a victory in Houston, 26 more in an overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors.
But offensive nights like those don't yet come frequently enough to consider Beal one of the elite players at a position (shooting guard) that's currently short on them. Nor are Beal's scoring exploits (15.1 points on 42.7 percent shooting) enough to overcome his shortcomings elsewhere, in the opinion of NBA.com's David Aldridge.
"Bradley Beal is a wondrous offensive talent, but he's got to become more consistent at the defensive end. See: Thompson, Klay," Aldridge wrote.
The numbers bear that out. According to ESPN, Thompson ranks 12th among shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus (0.98). Beal, on the other hand, is 28th (0.09).
Indeed, Thompson's All-Star selection trailed league-wide recognition of his growth into a bona fide defensive stopper. But Thompson's rise toward the top of the same spot that Beal occupies on the floor also came courtesy of greater consistency from Klay, who's no longer so dependent on insane hot streaks to help the Golden State Warriors win from game to game.
Once Beal finds his own groove in D.C.—and his 44.5 percent mark from beyond the arc suggests that he will—he should be able to ride the Wizards' winning ways to an All-Star nod of his own, right alongside his backcourt buddy, John Wall.
Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons
4 of 7
Elsewhere in the NBA draft class of 2012, Andre Drummond has—like a number of other Detroit Pistons—looked much more like an All-Star since Josh Smith was jettisoned just prior to Christmas. In 20 games sans Smith, Drummond has averaged 12.4 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals while converting 50.5 percent of his field goals.
In truth, those numbers aren't all that different from those Drummond posted prior to Smith's departure (12.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 0.9 steals, 48.2 percent shooting). Nor are they better than the ones he put up as an NBA sophomore (13.5 points, 13.2 boards, 1.6 blocks, 1.2 steals, 62.3 percent shooting).
The difference comes, in part, from a shift in how the Pistons use Drummond. Early on in the 2014-15 season, Detroit head coach Stan Van Gundy made a concerted effort to get Drummond the ball down low. Long term, it made sense for the Pistons to allow Drummond, the franchise's best bet for future superstardom, to acclimate himself to being a go-to guy on offense.
The short-term results, though, were far from pretty, in part because Drummond's low-post game remains rudimentary.
"Nowadays, everyone wants six, seven different moves," Drummond told Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney. "For me, I'm not primarily a low-post player. I'm a rebounder. I run, block shots, and do all the dirty work. I feel like for me I needed to keep it simple and if I could get three basic moves, then I could use that."
As Mahoney went on to explain, the fact that Drummond's doing what he's doing to the league, without much in the way of refined basketball skill, is what makes him such a tantalizing talent:
"Drummond is working, bit by bit, to resolve the holes in his game. Yet already he creates profound advantage by way of basic skill and productive instinct. How far might a steadier post game take Drummond? What might a bit more balance do for one of the brightest young bigs in the league and, in turn, the Pistons?
"
The answer: Get him to the All-Star Game.
Brandon Knight, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
5 of 7
When Drummond was a rookie, he spent much of his time catching lobs from Brandon Knight. Nowadays, both are closing in on All-Star consideration, though Knight has achieved such relevance in a different city.
Knight turned out to be a surprisingly strong candidate for consideration among the Eastern Conference reserves, in large part because of the role he's played in the Milwaukee Bucks' inspiring turnaround.
"For me, it's based on team success," he told The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Shandel Richardson, before it was announced that Knight wouldn't be going to New York City. "That's the only reason that I'm being considered at all. I've got to continue to focus on that. That's the most important thing for me right now. I can't think about myself."
Knight, though, could be excused if he were to think about himself. According to Basketball Reference, he's one of only eight players in the NBA averaging at least 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals. The other seven will all be suiting up at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 15.
With an all-time great point guard (Jason Kidd) as his newest mentor on one of the Association's up-and-coming teams, Knight, 23, has everything going for him that a young player of his ilk needs to jump to that next level.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, G/F, Milwaukee Bucks
6 of 7If popularity is any factor—and when it comes to the All-Star Game, it certainly is—Knight might not be the first of the current Bucks to represent Milwaukee in the midseason exhibition. While Knight barely registered a blip on the fan-vote radar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee's second-year stud, finished 10th among Eastern Conference guards with just over 55,000 ballots.
Not bad for a 20-year-old kid whose name most can barely pronounce properly. Millions of observers will have an opportunity or two to learn how to say the Greek Freak's surname during this year's All-Star weekend, when Antetokounmpo is due to partake in both the Rising Stars Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest.
Both events should do plenty to raise Antetokounmpo's profile. The Slam Dunk Contest, in particular, has done wonders for the All-Star prospects of its participants. John Wall, last year's champion, will make his first All-Star start this time around. Paul George's rise to national prominence can be traced back to his glow-in-the-dark dunks from 2012.
Granted, it'll take a lot more than some fancy acrobatics for Antetokounmpo to become an All-Star, much less edge out the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony among the voting populace.
But exposure like that can't hurt a guy who, at 6'11", is already tall enough and quick enough to play all five positions, and may one day have the bulk and the skill to do so effectively. His 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a jack-of-all-trades for the likely playoff-bound Bucks point to Antetokounmpo already being well on his way.
Gordon Hayward, SF, Utah Jazz
7 of 7
Yours truly was tempted to put Andrew Wiggins in this spot, what with his prodigious talent and rapidly improving play (19.8 points, 47.7 percent shooting, 36.8 percent from three over his last 21 games).
But Wiggins, 19, still has a ton of room for growth, with all the good and bad that implies. And it may be years before his Minnesota Timberwolves are winning often enough to put Wiggins in the All-Star Game for reasons beyond his individual ability.
Gordon Hayward, on the other hand, is much closer to fitting the bill than his rookie counterpart. The 24-year-old Indianapolis native already shares All-Star-caliber company, as one of 10 players averaging better than 19 points, four rebounds and four assists per game.
As for Hayward's Utah Jazz, their 17-30 record isn't anything to write home about, though this squad appears to be much further along in its rebuild than the 8-39 T-Wolves are in theirs. With a solid supply of young help (i.e. Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert) already around him, and more likely on the way in this year's draft, Hayward is poised to lead the Jazz out of their post-Jerry Sloan dark days into much brighter times.
And he'll reap the rewards, monetary and otherwise, that come with it.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
