NBA 2K12 Style: Who Is the Best Player in the NBA 23 Years Old or Younger?
Of the players in the NBA that have asserted themselves as franchise players or potential cornerstones, who would be the best to build around? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Age and potential are everything in the NBA. Most years, the top of the NBA draft is based on some balance of potential and collegiate or international production. Can you imagine how far the basketball equivalent to Brandon Weeden would slip in the NBA draft? A 28-year-old rookie would be a second-round pick at best, but more than likely, an undrafted free agent.
In the business of building a NBA winner (which most fans hope their favorites are into), the requirement for a potential cornerstone is a combination of youth and amazing talent.
If you are starting a team, the age of 23 is ideally the latest you'd want to get your main guy. This way he is still on the upswing from an experience level, and by the time he gets there, he still has the physical ability to capitalize on what he has learned.
That is a key factor when evaluating a promising young player. When looking at their development since being in the league, has there been a noticeable increase in production?
It speaks to the term NBA talent evaluators love to throw around, which is, upside.
Here are the players that match that criteria:
DeMar DeRozan - 22 years old, 6'7" SG, Toronto Raptors
Derrick Rose - 23 years old, 6'3" PG, Chicago Bulls
John Wall - 21 years old, 6'3" PG, Washington Wizards
Kevin Durant - 23 years old, 6'9" SF, Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook - 22 years old, 6'3" PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stephen Curry - 23 years old, 6'3" PG, Golden State Warriors
Blake Griffin - 22 years old, 6'10" PF, Los Angeles Clippers
Any of these players would make a GM and fan base happy as a building block, but which one is the best to build around?
Point guards and centers are usually the hardest positions to find elite talent. This is still the case at center, but we are in a golden age for young point guards in the NBA. Of the seven players listed, four of them are lead guards.
My philosophy is always to get the point guard first, so as much as I love Griffin, KD and DeRozan, that eliminates them from my consideration.
Among the point guards, Wall is the purest in the sense of running a team. Curry is the best shooter, Westbrook is possibly the best defender and Rose is the most explosive and accomplished.
Were it my decision, I'd have to go with Rose. He has already proved he can lead a team to major contention, and his game isn't fully developed yet.
He and Curry are the most coachable, but he is far more physically skilled than Curry is. Plus there is that little thing called MVP that he won last year.
Don't let me be the judge alone. Who would you start your franchise with? Also, check out the video for some visual stimulation.
