Top 25 Under 25

[ballsohard]

Top 25 Under 25

Today, Generic Wolves Reporter and I went through the best players under 25 years old and placed arbitrary rankings on these players. We went through these players and looked at potential married with current production to make these determinations. I will say before we begin, 15-25 was by far the hardest tiers to pick. There are a lot of guys who really have the same set of skills that youre comparing something like athleticism or potential to rank them higher or lower.

Without further adu, here are the honorable mentions. These are guys with the potential to be key cogs on a team, but haven't quite made it to the upper echelon of 'Top 25 under 25'. And because they didn't make it, they did not deserve a write-up or formatting. Work harder next year guys and we'll be happy to write about you next year:


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Honorable Mentions

(In no particular order)

C Hassan Whiteside Toronto Raptors C
PF Bismack Biyombo Houston Rockets PF
PG Isaiah Thomas Seattle Supersonics PG
C Jonas Valanciunas Utah Jazz C
PG Tyreke Evans Washington Wizards PG
SF Chandler Parsons Sacramento Kings SF
C Enes Kanter Milwaukee Bucks C
SF Gordon Hayward Chicago Bulls SF
PG Jeremy Lin Atlanta Hawks PG
SG Jrue Holiday Dallas Mavericks SG
SF Khris Middleton Milwaukee Bucks SF

[JNR]

25. Andre Drummond - VanMemphis Grizzlies - C


Drummond barely made it on over other defensive centers like Biyombo and Whiteside. What puts him on our radar is his athleticism and his already high rebounding and defensive abilities. Drummond will likely always been an offensive gamble, but he will be a force in the middle for years to come in VanMemphis.

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24. Danilo Gallinari - Chicago Bulls- SF


When you see a guy 24 years old, standing 6’10 averaging 18 PPG on 49% FG and 36% 3Pt sitting at #24 you may ask why so low? Gallo’s unexpected rise has shocked even his coach, but he’s pretty much filled out his potential and is a player without a position on the defensive end. Gallo is a steal on his current deal, but I wouldn’t expect him to rise from here.

[JNR]

23. Kemba Walker - Milwaukee Bucks - PG


While his efficiency won't blow you away, Kemba Walker made moving Kyrie Irving to SG an easy decision for Milwaukee. Kemba was averaging almost 7 assists and 2 steals a game before he went down with an injury. At 22 and with a healthy gap between his current skills and his potential, he still has plenty of room to grow.

[ballsohard]

22. Specer Hawes - Boston Celtics- C

When creating this list, I had Hawes as an honorable mention. Then i saw he was better than Drummond, Whiteside, Bismack, and Jonas and knew he had to be on this list. Hawes not only gives you the defensive desires of your Center, but he also performs on the offensive end and rebounds well. Hawes could be a top player for any team looking to contend and may be availible!

[JNR]

21. Ricky Rubio - Utah Jazz - PG


This is one that if you tried to put him higher on the list, I wouldn't really argue with you. He's averaging 11 assists a game and playing good defense on a team vying for the playoffs. His only real problem is his shooting, which is putrid. Plus, as strange as it sounds at 22, he's probably already reached his potential on defense and passing. But overall, he's a young guy who will make his team better, and every team should want a guy like that.

[ballsohard]

20 - Serge Ibaka - Miami Heat - PF


The emergence of Ibaka allowed the Heat to make Spencer Hawes expendable. Ibaka is a double-double threat every night and is a top 10 shot blocker at this point in his career. While he's likely to make a couple of all defnesive teams in his career, he's not a liability on the offensive end like the player below him (Rubio). Ibaka has a great looking stroke from midrange and scores at a 50% clip.

[JNR]

19. Draymond Green - Toronto Raptors - SF


A 23 year-old rookie, Green is likely going to be over 25 by the time he is a true impact player in this league. But he is already proving he will be a stat-sheet stuffer, as he's put up 8 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and a steal per game. Green's ability to impact defense will be very valuable to the Raptors, and it won't be too long before he is a stock (steals plus blocks) nightmare for opposing offenses.

[ballsohard]

18. - Demarcus Cousins - Sacramento Kings - PF/C


When Cousins fell to #3 in the draft, the Kings organization knew there'd be a lot of Boogie nights in Sacramento. Cousins is a 2 way big man with a unique skillset. He can score, rebound, defend, shot block, force turnovers, and pass a little. This sounds like the making of a top 5 player under 25, right? His achilles heel is staying on the floor. Whether it's from his volitile temper or his lack of discipline, Cousins picks up fouls at an alarming rate. Kings GM nola will either have to learn to mitigate this or move on from it sooner or later.

[JNR]

17. John Wall - Boston Celtics - PG


Wall is averaging 15/10/4, which is really nice. His efficiency and shooting isn't spectacular, but he seems to have a bit of room to grow offensively, which should help him as the years go on. My favorite part about him besides his athleticism is he is in his third year at 22 years old. That sort of experience is invaluable for a young guard coming into the league.

[ballsohard]

16. Jimmy 'Buckets' Butler - VanMemphis Grizzlies - SG


Jimmy Buckets as the call them in VanMemphis has a bright future and is already performing like a top player. Butler has the defensive potential to be akin to a build wall blocking players form getting into the interior. Add that to his near full arsenal on the offensive end and his near elite athleticism and he will be a terror to the league for years to come. Also, when you figure he's with honorable mention Andre Drummond and soon to be ranked Kawhi Leonard, we can see many years in the limelight for Jimmmmmeh!

[JNR]

15. Michael Beasley - Phoenix Suns - SF


Super Cool Beas is averaging 21 and 9 while shooting 40% from 3. He probably doesn't have a ton of room to grow, but he's a versatile player who would be the best power forwards on most teams. Unfortunately, he's on the same team as someone else yet to be revealed on this list.

[ballsohard]

14. DeAndre Jordan - Golden State Warriors - C


When i look at Jordan's skillset, i see Titan Chandler-lite. Jordan, a near carbon copy of the 2 time league champion and 1 time playoff MVP plays very much like Chandler. He defends rebounds, and blocks shots at an elite level. Where Jordan drops off a little is scoring and FT shooting which he is putrid at. While he's not a scorer, when he does make attempts, he is efficeint. Jordan has a bright future ahead of him, a few league leader in blocks awards, and some all league defensive teams are in his future. With the right surroundings, he can possibly accomplish more than Chandler.

[JNR]

13. Kyrie Irving - Milwaukee Bucks - SG


Kyrie is already a dynamic scorer in his second year. His efficiency is decent and he's shooting 3s at nearly 40%. So why didn't he crack the top 10? Well, it would be nice to see more dimensions in his game. Hopefully as he grows he'll become more defensive minded so that he isn't just a volume scorer on one side of the basketball.

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12. Damian Lillard - New Orleans Hornets - PG


When ranking Lillard above Irving, we looked at a lot of things.
1. Lillard is doing more with less talent. He's already produced 8 more wins than the archrival Bucks and lower ranked Irving
2. As a rookie, he's at 23 ppg and shooting a mildly efficient 44%
3. He's so good at his position he wasn't forced to move over to the 2
4. He's already a slightly more willing passer

Lillard looks to be a perfect fit on a roster without a lot of scorers. His 'head down and score' mentalitity is something this Hornets squad ached for and is going to be needed for years to come. Paired with All-OK center Andrew Bynum and a few other players, the Hornets may be a team to watch in years to come.

[JNR]

11. Blake Griffin - Seattle Supersonics - PF


That Griffin is 11th on this list speaks to the volume of young talent in the league. Blake is scoring 1.47pps and .625 TS% while averaging 21 points a game. He should be higher, to be honest. He's 24 but it's possible he's already reached his peak as far as scoring and defensive capability. The good news is, that peak is really damn high!

[ballsohard]

10. Klay Thompson - Denver Nuggets - SG

If i were to mold a SG out of Klay,Klay Thompson would be the way I'd do it (see what i did thurrr). Klay ran into the league, started scoring 20 ppg shooting 45% from 2 and 39 % from 3 and has the potential to be a very solid defender. Along with his stats, he won the Rookie of the year award after the media blasted the Nuggets for not taking Leonard #1 and drug a not so talented Nuggets team to the conference finals. Klay is back at it this year doing roughly the same thing stats wise and has lead the team to playoffs again. Can he make the finals this year?

[JNR]

9. DeMar DeRozan


DeMar is averaging 23/5/4 on decent efficiency. His game isn't as complete as others on this list, but he gets to the line at a great rate for a wing player -- over 7 attempts per game. As long as he retains that aspect of his game, DeRozan will be the scoring leader of this Mavs unit for years to come.

[ballsohard]

8. Kawhi Leonard - VanMemphis Grizzlies - SF

Leonard is already a valuable player for the Grizzlies racking up 14 points -6 rebounds - 2 Assist- 1.8 Stl per game. With that he's already pretty efficient at 44% shooting and 39% from 3 with ton of potnetial to grow on that end. What's that? Oh yeah he just has the potential to grow to be the greatest defender this league has ever seen, and that's good because I for one can't wait to see him face off against Durant in the playoffs once he's grown up.

[JNR]

7. James Harden - Chicago Bulls - SG


Harden averages 19/5/7 with .592 TS% and a 21.6 PER. He's also quickly approaching 2 steals per game territory, which is a great weapon for a guy who doesn't project to be an elite defender. If his handles were a little better, he'd be in the Penny/TMac/Jalen build of elite point guard mismatches. As it is, he's a great asset at shooting guard. Plus he's averaging 1 amazing beard per game, better than anyone in the league.

[ballsohard]

6. Derrick Rose - Portland Trailblazers - PG

Rubber meets road. A lot of guys on this list are potential filled players that have a lot of room to be superstars. With Rose, you've got a guy under 25 who's already a superstar. Rose is averging 24-8 at the PG position for the thin Blazers. What's more scary than his past production, is that after losing top player and future HOFer Ron Artest, Derrick's Rose fully bloomed.

[JNR]

5. Russell Westbrook - San Antonio Spurs - PG


What is it that puts Westbrook this high on the list? Is it the ring? Is it the efficiency, .585 TS% and 23.5 PER? Is it the fact that he is a triple double threat every night? Is it his embarrassing lack of strength? Yes. It's all of those things.

Except for the last one.

[ballsohard]

4. Paul George - Utah Jazz - SF

Talk about a guy who has it all. in the mold of Demi-God's of Past, George posseses an elite frame and skillset. The one thing that sets him apart from the sim-Gods of the past is his 'just above average' athelticism. Outside of that, George can drive, shoot the mid range, shoot the 3, pass, defender the perm at an elite rate, rebound the ball on the defensive end, and force turnovers. Pretty much anything you ever wanted in a wing.

[JNR]

3. Anthony Davis - Detroit Pistons - C


This kid is absolutely terrifying. He's going to end up as rookie of the year, he's averaging 21 and 9.5, he's putting up ridiculous advanced statistics -- oh and by the way he just turned 20. The Pistons have had a lot of young talent, but Davis could be the top 5 player he's been looking for. He's Top 5 under 25, at least.

[ballsohard]

2. Kevin Love - Phoenix Suns - PF

His reality show Rebound your love with Kevin Love never took off, but his career sure did. Love won a championship before his rookie contract expired and has only accended as a player since then. Love is one of the greatest rebounders this league has ever seen already, is one of the most fundamentally sound defnders in the post, and drops in 28 ppg 5 assist and 11 rebounds per game. He's a nightmare to defend, hes a nightmare to score against. You can't pack the paint because he can shoot, cant put a wing defnder on him bc he can post him up, and you can't double him because of his passing. We're experiencing one of the greatest players in sim-history.