10 Players Who Are the Future of the NBA
Kobe Bryant is nearing the end of his farewell tour. Tim Duncan, if he is indeed human, is nearing the end of his run. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have entered the second halves of their careers. But thanks to an influx of dynamic youth, the future of the NBA is as exciting as ever.
The last few drafts (as well as the one coming this summer) have restocked the league's talent pool with several who have the potential to be stars. As the old guard is phased out, these are the players who will capture our attention for years to come.
The players featured in this slideshow are all under the age of 25 and possess a skill or skills indicative of the general direction of the NBA.
Nikola Jokic
1 of 10
Age: 21
Skill of the Future: Shooting and passing from the 5
Long gone are the days of the lumbering center, catching the ball on the block and then commanding a double-team or slowly backing his way into a traditional post move.
The Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic is the prototype for new 5s. He can handle the ball on the perimeter and shoots and passes like a guard.
Among the 68 players Jokic's height (6'10") or taller who are qualified for the minutes leaderboard this season, he's third in assist percentage. His three-point percentage of 35.3 ranks in the upper half of players his size who've attempted at least 50 treys.
Oh, and he does the things a big man typically does too. Among rookies, he's second in rebounds and fifth in blocks per 36 minutes.
His all-around game and stat-stuffing production have even led ESPN's Jeremias Engelmann to declare Jokic this year's best rookie. "Simply put," Engelmann wrote. "When he's on the floor, he has been the best rookie, and by a large margin—large enough for him to be my pick for rookie of the year."
Kyrie Irving
2 of 10
Age: 24
Skill of the Future: Volume three-point shooting from the 1
Point guards who can shoot aren't new, but point guards who can effectively launch in volume from deep are.
Steve Nash, perhaps the sweetest shooting 1 of all time, averaged a career-high 4.7 three-point attempts per game during the 2007-08 season. The Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving has averaged that many or more in four of his first five seasons.
For his career, Irving is shooting 37.8 percent from deep (more indicative of his shooting ability than the 31.1 percent he's shooting this season) and his quickness and tight handle give him the ability to create a shot for himself whenever he wants.
Kawhi Leonard
3 of 10
Age: 24
Skill of the Future: Defending literally everything
Being able to switch all screens (or at least at positions 1 through 4) is a defensive strategy that's gaining favor all over the NBA. To be able to do it effectively, you need smart defenders with length and athleticism.
No one embodies those three traits on the defensive end as much as the San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard. He can shut down a point guard's drive off a pick-and-roll, stymie a wing with a close-out as soon as he catches the ball and hold a big man at bay in the post.
And he doesn't just do it on the defensive end. Leonard is averaging 21 points and his three-point percentage of 46.2 ranks second in the NBA.
His dominance on both sides of the ball is why he led the league in Real Plus-Minus until recently being overtaken by Stephen Curry.
And it's why tweets like the following from fellow Spur Kyle Anderson aren't crazy: "Good win tonight. always fun to watch/be apart of! That man Whi is looking like the best player in the league!! #MVP"
Anthony Davis
4 of 10
Age: 23
Skill of the Future: Possibly all of them
The only question mark on the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis at this point is injuries. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to become the best player in the NBA.
Despite playing for a losing team and averaging 63.8 games per season, Davis is eighth in the NBA in Win Shares since he entered the league in 2012.
For his career, the 6'10" Davis is averaging 20.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.3 steals. The list of players who were able to hit those averages over the course of their first four seasons is short.
| 1 | David Robinson* | 1990 | 1993 | SAS | 314 | 37.8 | 12.2 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 24.2 |
| 2 | Anthony Davis | 2013 | 2016 | TOT | 260 | 33.9 | 9.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 20.8 |
| 4 | Hakeem Olajuwon* | 1985 | 1988 | HOU | 304 | 36.1 | 11.8 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 22.5 |
| 5 | Bob Lanier* | 1971 | 1974 | DET | 324 | 34.9 | 12.6 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 21.9 |
Davis, even with the injury concerns, could end up being this generation's big man.
Jabari Parker
5 of 10
Age: 21
Skill of the Future: Playmaking 4
At the moment, Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker's game is probably more traditional than futuristic, but the ingredients are there for him to be a versatile 4 who can create for himself and others.
And since a much-needed lineup change for the Bucks in Milwaukee, Parker is showing signs of becoming just that.
Since Jason Kidd sent Michael Carter-Williams and Greg Monroe to the bench (the latter eventually returned to the starting lineup) on February 9, Parker is averaging 18.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 50.3 percent from the field.
His combination of size and athleticism has been on brilliant display over the last 20 games, as he stalks the baseline on drives by teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their chemistry inside has led to plenty of glimpses of the future in which Antetokounmpo draws multiple defenders in the paint before hitting Parker for a baseline jumper or dropoff for a dunk.
Andrew Wiggins
6 of 10
Age: 21
Skill of the Future: Defending every position and running point forward on offense
Andrew Wiggins entered the NBA surrounded by an immense amount of hype. In an October, 2013, piece for B/R detailing the potential branding power of Wiggins, Jared Zwerling shared this from a source associated with Under Armour:
"Everybody is excited about (Wiggins') talent. From everything you see or hear, he's the next kid coming into the NBA that's going to demand, on talent alone, a significant amount from a brand. That type of commitment and interest for a rookie has really died down since LeBron and maybe Kevin Durant being the last one.
"
Now nearly through two seasons in the league, some of the hype surrounding Wiggins has faded. In fact, some may even say he's been a slight disappointment.
Even still, only 10 other players in league history matched Wiggins' averages for points, rebounds and assists, while hitting as many threes through their first two seasons.
And playing for a coach whose offense is anything but progressive certainly hasn't helped Wiggins either. Patience is key with Wiggins. The natural tools and physical talent hasn't left him.
Kristaps Porzingis
7 of 10
Age: 20
Skill of the Future: Playmaking 4 (at Arvydas Sabonis' height)
Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks does things 7'3" players should not be capable of doing. He handles the ball like a wing and has shown flashes of a shooting stroke that evokes thoughts of Kevin Durant.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale recently tweeted a list of NBA rookies who averaged at least 10 points and 1.5 blocks, sorted by made threes per game. Here's the top five of the 28-man list. The distance between No. 1 and No. 2 is almost alarming.
| 1 | Kristaps Porzingis | 2015-16 | 20 | NYK | 14.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| 2 | Vince Carter | 1998-99 | 22 | TOR | 18.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| 3 | Andrei Kirilenko | 2001-02 | 20 | UTA | 10.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| 4 | Karl-Anthony Towns | 2015-16 | 20 | MIN | 18.1 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| 5 | Kevin Garnett | 1995-96 | 19 | MIN | 10.4 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
As Porzingis continues to grow more comfortable with the speed and physicality of the NBA game, he's going to be a nightmare to try to contain.
Ben Simmons
8 of 10
Age: 19
Skill of the Future: Playmaking 4
Ben Simmons, the presumptive No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, has the potential to be the quintessence of the playmaking 4: a 6'10", more athletic version of Draymond Green.
Then writing for Grantland, Zach Lowe defined the position as it was seen within the league last season:
"A few executives have dumped the term 'stretch 4' altogether and replaced it with 'playmaking 4'—a term I’m officially stealing right now. Shooting is nice, but it’s not enough anymore as defenses get smarter, faster, and more flexible working within the loosened rules. Spot-up guys have to be able to catch the ball, pump-fake a defender rushing out at them, drive into the lane, and make some sort of play. If they can’t manage that, a possession dies with them.
"
Simmons can be one of the players responsible for the next step in that evolution. Instead of just avoiding the death of possessions, he can start them.
He has the ballhandling and passing ability to run a break in transition or operate a pick-and-roll in the halfcourt. If he can add a three-point shot (something Green had to do too), he'll be one of the league's most dynamic offensive threats.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
9 of 10
Age: 19
Skill of the Future: Point Giannis
Antetokounmpo's last six weeks of basketball should be the goal for Simmons. Since Kidd benched MCW, the Greek Freak has been playing point guard on offense and is averaging a ridiculous 19.1, 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
His inability to shoot from deep (for now) hasn't hurt him, because as long as he has the ball, defenses have to pay attention to him. Once he adds that and starts making defenders pay for going under the screen, the sky's the limit for Point Giannis.
"It's scary. It's thrilling," Sports Illustrated's Andrew Sharp wrote. "He's a human triple double playing point guard and guarding power forwards, and even now, you get the sense that he's only scratching the surface."
Karl-Anthony Towns
10 of 10
Age: 20
Skill of the Future: Possibly all of them
As difficult as it is to imagine, the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns has the potential to be a slightly bigger, better-passing version of Anthony Davis.
Let's start by comparing the rookie years of both.
| 1 | Anthony Davis | 2012-13 | 19 | 21.7 | .559 | .009 | 16.8 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 5.1 | .159 | 2.3 |
| 2 | Karl-Anthony Towns | 2015-16 | 20 | 22.9 | .596 | .066 | 18.9 | 10.3 | 1.1 | 4.5 | .156 | 2.7 |
In an article declaring Towns' rookie campaign the all-time best of any Kentucky product, Favale wrote that he's, "...one of the architects of a new play style for bigs like himself and Davis..."
Even as the NBA continues to get bigger, more athletic and more skilled, finding players truly capable of that style will be difficult. But thanks to his potential to legitimately do everything on a basketball court, Towns is already there.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
