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The NBA is the world's largest men's professional basketball league and is considered to have only the best players in it. Every year, players from across the globe as well as players from top colleges join this league and make it bigger and better.
Naturally, a lot of the college players coming into the NBA will be younger and uncut, looking to be like the stars they watch on their television sets. Some take time to realize their potential, while others, grow into superstars really quickly. With that in mind, here is the best starting 5 of the NBA, consisting of players who are all just 24 years old or under.
PG: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers) - 23 years old
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Ben Simmons has been the starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers in the last 2 seasons and has done a phenomenal job at it. He had to sit out his whole first season due to a foot injury but returned to win the Rookie of the Year in 2018 after a fabulous season and has been very injury-free.
Simmons has already won a bunch of awards in his first 2 seasons, he was the 2018 ROTY, 2018 NBA All-Rookie first team selection, and a 2019 All-Star Game nominee. He became the 3rd rookie to record a triple-double in his first 4 games and became the first rookie since Magic Johnson to record a triple-double in the playoffs.
Simmons has been lethal in his 2 seasons with the 76ers, averaging 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. His size and athleticism at the point guard spot have been one of the biggest conundrums the opposition had to solve to prevent mismatches. He is also a superb defender, averaging 1.6 steals and just under 1 block a game.
Simmons does not have a jump shot, which limits his ceiling at the moment. Yet, defenses find it very hard to stop the 6 ft 10 in guard on the offensive end and who knows how good he can be if he develops a jumper too.
Honorable mentions: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks - 20 years old)
SG: Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) - 22 years old
Donovan Mitchell's rise to basketball stardom has been exponential. After being drafted #12 in the 2017 NBA Draft, Mitchell became a force to reckon with in the 2nd half of the 2017-18 season and led the Utah Jazz into the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, almost winning Rookie of the Year, before losing out to Ben Simmons.
Mitchell has become one of the best shooting guards in the NBA already, at 22 and has drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade, with his ability to score at will and showing up for his team in crunch time situations. Mitchell has established himself as the go-to player for the Jazz.
He is an amazing athlete as well and showed his insane dunking skills by winning the 2018 Slam Dunk competition and was a 2018 NBA All-Rookie first team nominee. He is rarely injured and has missed a combined 6 games in his 2 seasons. He is primarily known for his scoring ability, rather than his passing.
Mitchell has averaged 22.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in his career and is more of a volume shooter than an efficient one, shooting 35% from the 3 on 7 attempts a game. He is a great defender too and has averaged 1.4 steals a game. Mitchell will look to take another step in his career this season and lead the Jazz to greater heights.
Honorable mention: Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns - 22 years old)
SF: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks): 20 years old
Luka Doncic came into the NBA at 19 years old in the 2018 NBA Draft, but was one of the most accomplished rookies, winning the EuroLeague MVP and Liga ACB MVP in 2018 as well as the Liga ACB and EuroLeague title with Real Madrid, all at the age of 18.
Unlike college players, Doncic had been playing with veterans since 16 and was one of the most hyped players coming into the NBA Draft. Doncic was drafted #3 by the Atlanta Hawks and immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young and 2019 1st round pick.
He put up a show in his rookie season, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists, becoming just the 5th rookie after Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Tyreke Evans to average 20+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds in his first season in the league. Doncic also became the youngest player to record three triple-doubles and has 4 out of 5 triple-doubles recorded by teenagers.
His performances last season won him the Rookie of the Year award and he was almost selected for the NBA All-Star Game as well. Doncic has only played one season till now, but he has become one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA and can only get better.
Honorable mentions: Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics - 21 years old)
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) - 24 years old
It is crazy that Giannis Antetokounmpo is only 24 years old, but has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA and won the MVP for the 2018-19 season. Giannis has put himself in another tier with respect to the other players on this list and is easily the best one among them.
Giannis was drafted at #15 by the Milwaukee Bucks and this might turn out to be the biggest steal of the past decades. He steadily improved every year and is all set to turn into the face of the NBA once LeBron James finally retires.
In his 6 NBA seasons, Giannis has won the 2019 NBA MVP, has been a 3-time NBA All-Star nominee, a 3-time All-NBA team nominee, a 2 time All-NBA Defensive team nominee and the Most Improved player in 2017.
Last season, Giannis averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks and almost led the Bucks into their first NBA Finals since 1973-74. It is crazy that Giannis is only 24 and has already become one of the best that the league has to offer.
Giannis still does not have a reliable jumper and usually enjoys driving into the paint rather than take a 3, which is something he has can work on and push himself to newer heights in the NBA.
C: Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) - 23 years old
Karl-Anthony Towns came into the NBA as the #1 draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has become one of the best centers in the league in a short period. He had a record of 303 consecutive starts, the longest streak since 1970 and has missed only 5 games, all of them in the last season.
Towns came into the league known for his defense more than his offense and yet, he became one of the best scorers in the NBA at the #5 spot. He is a 3-point threat and became the first player in 2016-17 to have at least 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, and 100 3-pointers in a season.
He is a 2-time NBA All-Star, 2018 All-NBA 3rd team nominee, 2016 unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie first team nominee. Towns has averaged 22.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. Towns has also shot at an amazing 39.2% from the 3-point line from the 3-point line and is one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA.
While he is always criticized for his lack of effort on the defensive end, Towns has been getting better each season and there is no telling how good he can become once the 2019-20 season is underway.
Honorable mention: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets - 24 years old)
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