5 Emerging NBA Stars

Every year, there is a player who breaks out into the scene. For instance, Victor Oladipo emerged as a top five shooting guard in the NBA last season. Some of these, for example, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis are destined for stardom. Then there are those who require a little more time to reach stardom, for example, Stephen Curry who blossomed a little later. They won’t be stars forever and there are plenty of up and coming young players who are looking to reach that level. Here are five promising young rising stars who are looking to emerge as stars for the future of the NBA.

Jayson Tatum, Forward, Boston Celtics:

Jayson Tatum had a very impressive rookie season. One of the question marks for Tatum was his three-point shooting. Tatum answered those question marks by shooting 43.4% from three in his rookie season. With Gordon Hayward out for the season within the first five minutes, nobody from Boston benefitted more than Tatum. Tatum continued to improve throughout his rookie campaign. Tatum took the next step both offensively & defensively throughout the playoffs, as he showcased himself as a complete scorer with the ability to take over a game. Tatum looks ready to be an All-Star and will be for a long time with an opportunity to be an all-time great.

Devin Booker, Guard, Phoenix Suns:

Devin Booker is a natural born scorer. In fact, he averaged 24.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds with a true shooting percentage of 56.5% and shot 38% from three during his third year. In just three years, Booker is quickly becoming one of the NBA elite scorers as he has showcased his ability to create his own shot whenever he wants and the ability to score from all three levels. Booker is continuing to improve as a facilitator as Phoenix had him running the point last year. One area of improvement for Booker is to put in more effort and improve as a defender. As Booker takes the next step, expect Phoenix to continue to put pieces around Booker & Ayton.

Donovan Mitchell, Guard, Utah Jazz:

With the loss of Gordon Hayward, nobody expected Utah to have the type of season they did last year. An even bigger headline, is that nobody expected Donovan Mitchell to have the type of rookie season that he did. Mitchell averaged over 20 points a game along with 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals a game. Mitchell was even better in the playoffs averaging 24.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists a game while leading to the second round past a tough Oklahoma City team. As Mitchell continues to improve as a facilitator, his game will only improve as he has already showcase that he’s one of the elite scorers. He is an All-Star caliber player right now and will be an All-Star for years to come as he has a chance to be something special in this league.

Ben Simmons, Point Forward, Philadelphia 76ers:

Ben Simmons is a game changing talent with his unique size (6’10-240) & skill set on both ends of the floor. Simmons' abilities to run a team and make those around him better with his passing ability are second to none. Simmons can get to the rim at will and finish at a high rate due to his size and his slippery handles. If Simmons develops a jumper, he will see his game go to another level and he will be in the MVP race every year for a long time. Although, he’s an All-Star right now and will be yearly, should Simmons develop a jumper expect greatness from him for a long time.

Nikola Jokic, Center, Denver Nuggets:

Nikola Jokic had a very impressive season and still went under the radar last season. Jokic averaged 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. Jokic was also the quickest player to record a triple-double in NBA history. Jokic's ability to pass the ball is a beauty to watch, and he showcased that he’s the best passing big man in the NBA. His footwork, soft touch around the basketball, and the ability to stretch the floor, make him a perfect big for today’s NBA. You have to watch him play to see how big of an impact he makes on the court which is superstar level impact. Denver nearly made the playoffs last season and he was a huge reason as to why. As Jokic continues to ascend to superstar level, expect him and Denver to get more recognition and to cause havoc in the Western Conference playoffs.