Who's Your Top 10 Youths?

slamminsammya

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Jul 31, 2006
9,154
San Francisco
Who are the top 10 players in the NBA under the age of 25 right now and most importantly how many of them are not Jayson Tatum? Here is my list:

1A) Tatum
1B) Luka
3) Zion
4) Mitchell
5) Jaylen Brown
6) Bam
7) Trae
8) Booker
9) Ja
10) SGA

I didnt put much thought into this besides the battle between Luka and Tatum. I think Tatum's defensive upside is far greater than Luka's while their offensive potential is similar, if arrived at by different styles, so Tatum gets the slight edge.
 

jon abbey

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Jul 15, 2005
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Tough list to crack but Ayton deserves some consideration.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
72,463
1. Luka
2. Jayson
3. Devin
4. Donovan
5. Trae
6. Zion
7. Jaylen
8. Ja
9. Jamal
10. Bam
 

TripleOT

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SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
7,758
Here’s my revised (25 and under, not forgetting LaMelo)

If I were starting a team today, Tatum would be Top 3

Doncic
Zion
Tatum
LaMelo Ball
Trae
Booker
Mitchell
Jaylen Brown
Morant
Bam

The top three are real close. Zion if he’s coached up and in tip top shape could be the most dominant physical force in the league since LeBron.

Luka nudges out Tatum because of the incredible playmaking. I can see Tatum becoming the best as he continues to get better, because of the pure scoring ability and the defense. I expect him to be a much more productive passer as he becomes more ball dominant and is surrounded by better shooters.

I think Melo Ball is a 21st century Pete Maravich, and has only scratched the surface of what he will become as he matures as a big time scorer on all three levels who is a Jason Kidd type passer.

Looking at these lists, the NBA is in great shape for the future.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Top 10 right now?

1. Luka
(Gap)
2. Tatum
3. Trae
4. Booker
5. Mitchell
(Gap)
6. Zion
7. Ja
8. Brown
9. Sabonis
10. Ayton

Luka remains the clear top-dog as the only clear-cut MVP candidate in the group. Tatum is a better defender than Luka, but Luka to me has such a huge and important edge in playmaking and is a more consistent scorer. Defense is valuable but is also something that can be provided by role players and somewhat schemed; you can't scheme-up someone with Luka's vision and playmaking ability.

Tatum, Trae, Booker and Mitchell are all roughly at the same level. Tatum is the biggest and the best defender, Trae is the best playmaker, Booker is the most complete scorer and might end up as the first with a ring, and Mitchell plays the hardest and is probably the most natural leader.

The next gap is more of a mish-mash. Zion needs to make the playoffs and be a more consistent and active player on both ends of the floor. Ja is a really underrated leader and alpha-type guy. His shooting is pretty rough but I think he's a really special player. Memphis had no business getting into the playoffs given their talent-level compared to New Orleans. Jaylen is awesome but might have a limited ceiling compared to the guys listed above him. Sabonis is awesome; terrific scorer, rebounder and passer who plays really hard. Ayton has seen his stock rise tremendously as people see what he has been able to provide for a championship-level squad.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,463
Top 10 right now?

1. Luka
(Gap)
2. Tatum
3. Trae
4. Booker
5. Mitchell
(Gap)
6. Zion
7. Ja
8. Brown
9. Sabonis
10. Ayton

Luka remains the clear top-dog as the only clear-cut MVP candidate in the group. Tatum is a better defender than Luka, but Luka to me has such a huge and important edge in playmaking and is a more consistent scorer. Defense is valuable but is also something that can be provided by role players and somewhat schemed; you can't scheme-up someone with Luka's vision and playmaking ability.

Tatum, Trae, Booker and Mitchell are all roughly at the same level. Tatum is the biggest and the best defender, Trae is the best playmaker, Booker is the most complete scorer and might end up as the first with a ring, and Mitchell plays the hardest and is probably the most natural leader.

The next gap is more of a mish-mash. Zion needs to make the playoffs and be a more consistent and active player on both ends of the floor. Ja is a really underrated leader and alpha-type guy. His shooting is pretty rough but I think he's a really special player. Memphis had no business getting into the playoffs given their talent-level compared to New Orleans. Jaylen is awesome but might have a limited ceiling compared to the guys listed above him. Sabonis is awesome; terrific scorer, rebounder and passer who plays really hard. Ayton has seen his stock rise tremendously as people see what he has been able to provide for a championship-level squad.
Sabonis is already 25
 

reggiecleveland

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Mar 5, 2004
27,957
Saskatoon Canada
Top 10 right now?

1. Luka
(Gap)
2. Tatum
3. Trae
4. Booker
5. Mitchell
(Gap)
6. Zion
7. Ja
8. Brown
9. Sabonis
10. Ayton
This is pretty good list. Not much to argue with in terms of grouping. As we have seen with Tatum, there is a big difference in being a guy counted on to win games from being a guy putting up numbers on a bad team.
 

Devizier

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Jul 3, 2000
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Somewhere
Simmons is disqualified by age, right?

I'd put Jamal Murray (still), SGA, and possibly Halliburton on that list.

Ja, Jaylen, and Sabonis come off, I guess. But honestly, it's pretty close and the NBA is absolutely loaded with talent right now.
 

Auger34

used to be tbb
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Apr 23, 2010
9,275
1. Luka
*gap*
2. Tatum
3. Zion
*gap*
4. Booker
5. Mitchell
6. LaMelo
7. Trae
8. Jaylen
9. Bam
10. Ja

Honorable Mention (Could have easily been in the 10 spot): SGA, Ayton, Jamal Murray

Honestly, after that top 3, I think 4-12 are pretty damn close together.

A ton of talent on that list and this doesn’t even include Cade, Evan Mobley or Jalen Green.
 

Jimbodandy

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Jan 31, 2006
11,406
around the way
1. Luka
*gap*
2. Tatum
3. Zion
*gap*
4. Booker
5. Mitchell
6. LaMelo
7. Trae
8. Jaylen
9. Bam
10. Ja

Honorable Mention (Could have easily been in the 10 spot): SGA, Ayton, Jamal Murray

Honestly, after that top 3, I think 4-12 are pretty damn close together.

A ton of talent on that list and this doesn’t even include Cade, Evan Mobley or Jalen Green.
I think that this 10 nails it. I'd probably flip Trae and Melo, maybe even Trae and Mitchell. But the collection and grouping is 100% accurate imo.
 

RorschachsMask

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Aug 23, 2011
5,205
Lynn
Best player in the league potential:
Luka

Top 5-10 player potential:
Tatum
Zion


Top 15 player potential:
Mitchell
Booker
LaMelo
Trae

Top 20-25 player potential:
Bam
Jaylen
Ja/SGA/Ayton/Ingram/Murray
 
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