The Future Of The NBA
November 13th, 2008 by1.LeBron James
23 Years Old
Career Stats-27.3 Points 6.9 Rebounds 6.6 Assist 1.8 Steals
He was the most hyped player ever and so far has lived up to his potential. Drafted #1 overall 5 years ago he is now arguably the best player in the NBA. He won the Rookie of the Year award and became only the 3d player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 assist, and 5 rebounds. He is amazing at driving to the basket and finishing. LeBron is known as a do it all player because he can score, pass, and rebound very well. Only 23 years old and has already led his team to the NBA Finals. Even though Cleveland got swept LeBron had an amazing playoff performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons. He took over the game and scored 29 of his teams last 30 points. His main weakness is his shooting. If he can improve his shot then he could be so much more deadly and dominant. For now James is the face and future of the NBA. He will be great for many more years to come.
2.Chris Paul
23 Years Old
Career Stats-18.2 Points 9.5 Assist 4.5 Rebounds 2.3 Steals
Chris Paul emerged last year as one of the NBA’s best players. He had a great year averaging 21.1 points and 11.6 assist per game. He is a former Rookie of the Year and recently was on the All-NBA Defensive Second Team. He is an ideal point guard. Amazing passing abilities and a great ball handler. Also, might just be the quickest and fastest player in the NBA. Last year he almost won the MVP award. He is a leader and in the playoffs he led the Hornets past the Mavericks and he almost beat the Spurs. Paul gets to to basket almost at will and finishes well even though he is 6 feet tall. He is a great defensive player and is improving. It is safe to say Paul is the best point guard in the NBA and in a few years could be the best player in the NBA.
3.Dwight Howard
22 Years Old
Career Stats-16.5 Points 12.2 Rebounds .567 Field Goal Percentage 1.7 Blocks
Last year Dwight showed just how dominant he can be. He averaged an spectacular 14.2 rebounds per game. Also, over 20 points 2 blocks per game. At 22 he still has a lot of time to improve his game. When he develops a good post game, than Howard can fulfill his entire potential. He is a very good defensive player and is arguably the best rebounder in the league. He is a durable and dependable player due to the fact that he has never missed a game in his entire NBA career. Dwight has the potential to be an amazing center for many years to come. The sky is the limit for Howard.
4.Amare Stoudemire
25 Years Old
Career Stats-21 Points 9.1 Rebounds 1.5 Blocks .541 Field Goal Percentage
Amare is quickly becoming one of the best players in the NBA. He was drafted straight out of the high school and became the first high school drafted player to win NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He is a very versatile big man. He can hit a mid range jump shot or post someone up. Stoudemire could be #3 if not for his knee problems. His career can end with one slip or fall. If you did not know about his knee problems you probably could not tell he even has knee problems at all. He plays aggressively and has a knack for scoring inside the paint. He plays with heart and passion and if he stays healthy then he will be a great player for many more years.
5.Chris Bosh
24 Years Old
Career Stats-18.9 Points 9 Rebounds 1.2 Blocks
Bosh is full of potential and has all the tools to be one of the NBA’s best players. Even though he played out of position his rookie year he still managed to lead all rookies in blocks and rebounds. When he moved to his natural power forward position Bosh really began to produce great numbers. At 24 years old he is already the leading rebounder in Raptors history. He has a good post game and is developing a very nice mid-range jump shot. He has become a leader for the Raptors and led them to a great season last year. Bosh has so much potential. A big man with his combination of mid-range shooting and inside game is hard to find.
6.Deron Williams
24 Years Old
Career Stats-15.3 Points 8.1 Assist 2.9 Rebounds
Deron is quickly becoming one of the NBA’s best players. Even though he came off the bench in his rookie year he still managed to get 10.8 points and 4.5 assist per game. Ever since he became a starter he has been one of the NBA’s best point guards. He is a good shooter and an excellent ball-handler. In addition he is a great passer and can finish in the paint. Williams is the kind of player that makes his entire team better. He is a smart player and had a great shooting percentage last year at .507. Williams is still young and has room to improve. The debate between him and Chris Paul over who is the NBA’s best point guard will be a good one for years to come.
7.Carmelo Anthony
24 Years Old
Career Stats-24.4 Points 7.4 Rebounds 3.4 Assist
Ever since Carmelo was drafted he has been one of the best scorers in the league. If not for LeBron then Carmelo would easily have a Rookie of the Year Award trophy. Carmelo is a great scorer and a pretty good rebounder. He has a good shot and can drive to basket with ease. The only downside to Carmelo’s great offensive abilities is his poor defense. If his defense was improved he would easily be top 5 on this list. He needs to play defense with a passion. The good is he is only 24 and has many years to be a better defender. If that does happen he will be the complete package.
8.Al Jefferson
23 Years Old
Career Stats-13.4 Points 8.1 Rebounds 1.1 Blocks
Al Jefferson had an excellent breakout 2007 season. He averaged a double-double with over 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. He is a great post player and is not afraid to clean the glass. In the beginning of his career Al barely got to play only starting 8 games in his first two seasons. In 2006 he finally got a chance to start and played pretty well averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds. Al has the potential to be the NBA’s best power forward.
9.Andre Iguodala
24 Years Old
Career Stats-14.8 Points 5.7 Rebounds 4.1 Assist 1.9 Steals
Last year Andre emerged as one of the NBA’s better players. He can score, rebound, and pass. In addition he is also a great defender who can get a steal or a block very easily. His offensive game is improving and it showed last year averaging a career high 19.9 points per game. He still needs to work on his jump shot and his ability to score in the paint. Andre is already a leader helping the 76ers win a couple of playoff games last year. Andre has tons of potential and is becoming a star.
10.Josh Smith
22 Years Old
Career Stats-13.6 Points 7.4 Rebounds 2.7 Blocks 1.1 Steals
Josh is entering his 5th NBA season and he is still only 22 years old. His strength is clearly his defense. His career average of 2.7 blocks is amazing. He has tons of potential to be a great player but he needs to improve his offensive game. If he added a good offensive game to his already great rebounding and defense then he could be one of the NBA’s best players. He has a low .445 field goal percentage and .703 free throw percentage. Josh is a physical freak and will be a great defensive player for many years.
11.Brandon Roy
24 Years Old
Career Stats-18.1 Points 5 Assist 4.6 Rebounds
Roy has been very good ever since he was drafted 6 overall in 2006. He won the Rookie of the Year and followed that with an excellent sophomore season. He can score and has shown he can be a good passer. Also, he is a good rebounder for a guard. He has a good offensive game while his defense is improving. In a few years Roy could be one of the NBA’s best scorers. He is a main part of the Blazers young core and is oozing with potential.
12.Rudy Gay
22 Years Old
Career Stats-15.6 Points 5.3 Rebounds
Last year Rudy emerged as a good scorer. He also showed off his improved rebounding abilities. Rudy can drive and finish inside very well. He is also developing a very nice jumper. Rudy carried the Grizzlies last year in the few wins they managed to get. He is becoming a leader and a great player at the same time. He has great potential that has gone very unnoticed so far because he plays in Memphis. He is only 22 years old and a lock to be a future All-Star.
13.Kevin Durant
19 Years Old
Career Stats-20.3 Points 4.4 Rebounds 2.4 Assist
Kevin was last years NBA Rookie of the Year. He deserved it after having a very good year. He showed that he has the potential to be a deadly scorer. Durant also showed he needs to adapt to the physical NBA game. Only 4.4 rebounds per game is very disappointing for Durant who averaged over 10 a game in college. He needs to hit the weight room so he can clean the boards better. Durant is only in his second year and 19 years old. With some more muscle Durant could easily be a top player on the NBA.
14.Andrew Bynum
20 Years Old
Career Stats-7.2 Points 5.6 Rebounds 1.3 Blocks
Last year Bynum showed flashes of super stardom before getting injured. He was averaging over 10 rebounds and 2 blocks before his injury. He was playing excellent defense. He was shooting a ridcoulous .636 from the field to go along with over 13 points per game. Bynum is only 20 years old and is full of potential. With defenses focusing on Kobe and Gasol, Andrew will most likely have more than enough open looks and scoring opportunities. If he stays healthy he can be a great center for many years.
15.Luol Deng
23 Years Old
Career Stats-15.6 Points 6.4 Rebounds
Luol has shown that he can potentially been a great player in the league. He has shown he can be a scorer averaging 18.8 points per game 2 years ago. He is a pretty good rebounder and can pass pretty well. He needs to improve his shot if he wants to be great. Luol already has decent inside scoring ability. Deng might never be an NBA All-Star but he will definitely be a solid player and scorer for years to come.
Honorable Mention
Danny Granger
Kevin Martin
Greg Oden
Raymond Felton
Andrew Bogut
Al Horford
Michael Beasley
Derrick Rose
O.J Mayo
Raymond Felton
About the author:
This article was originally published at rootzoo.com, by amateur sports writer “The Dream.” He’s a big-time favorite on rootzoo and is most known for his expertise in fantasy hockey. He also loves analyzing the most recent NCAA football scores.
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