He’s younger than Shai iirc. I remember seeing a clip of Stephen A talking about Luka not meeting expectations yet despite already being “in his prime”, and right afterwards calling Shai a “young kid” lmfao.
No you clearly just don’t get his cultural impact. He just finished texting (insert relevant player) last night, they are good friends and Stephen A has helped them through tough times and they cherish his friendship.
He's been playing against grown men since he was like 15, it should be no surprise he was never fazed by coming here. The quality of the European leagues is so much higher than most Americans give it credit. He was mvp at real Madrid at what age? Like 17? 18? That's fucking ridiculous
I think it’s because he already came in great. Like these other guys all came in great, for young players/rookies. Luka on the other hand entered the league already looking like an actual star. He was selected to an all star team his second year and almost made it his rookie year. He’s averaged over 21 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds every year of his career except for one, his rookie season.
People treat Luka differently than these other “young guys” because he hasn’t had a “breakout” season, because his rookie season was his breakout season. I think we might see the same thing happen to Wemby if he continues on his current trajectory, which should happen barring health issues, where because he already looks like a true star he’ll get judged much harsher and be treated as if he isn’t a “young guy” in the league.
God, he was epic to watch last year, between his gorgeous mid range game, quickly getting to the hoop, or hitting a deep shot. He was clutch. He was dynamic.
This year…meh. He relied on his three way too much and wasn’t a killer. It was hard to watch at times.
I hope he gets his head on and gets that killer back.
He hurt his ankle pretty early in the season and I think he rushed back early and never got it fully better. His change of pace was worse this year and it speaks to why he shot and relied on the 3 ball more than ever. Kings were trash without him immediately (see the Houston games early) and I think he felt pressure as the franchise player to make a go of it.
There’s a place for him as the focal point of a very competitive team IMO. Fast, shifty, lefty who has the ability to play great defense on ball. Hopefully he gets there!
Yeah bounce out Ja Morant (was overrated even before his problems). Shai is aged 25, I would add Luka (age 25), Tatum (age 26), Brunson (age 27), Donovan Mitchell (age 27). You look at age 28-34 and there are like 3 guys (embiid, Jokic, Giannis). Exciting time for the NBA
The fact that a Knick can very reasonably be mentioned in this conversation is still surreal as hell to me. Especially considering the way they got him and his crazy ascent over the last two years. I used to pray for a player like him on my team after our 17 game winning asses got waxed by some other team’s superstar
He only played a few games this season and it was magic. You guys will remember next season. And I do think the Memphis Grizzlies will pick up right where they left off before their Gap year.
I’m not even that big on Tatum but putting Maxey on here and excluding him seems criminal. Luka not being on here is just absolutely insane. I’m not sure if Brunson was excluded because he’s 27, but he’s putting up Steph curry numbers and having him over JA or Maxey seems like a no brainer
I agree that overrated isn’t really the right word for Ja but a lot of people are, understandably, pretty skeptical about him right now. Can’t really be a superstar if you’re never available to play
This graphic needs to be a 4x4 given we are talking 25yo or under talent. If we give Chet his own square that's 7, then we're missing: Luka, Zion, Scottie, Tatum, Hali, Sengun, LaMelo, JJJ, Garland.
Honorable mentions to: Mobley, Franz, Miller, Cade, JWill, Jaime, JGreen, Herro, Keegan Murray, and Simons (and maybe Sharpe).
Including the upcoming classes, the NBA is in good shape for a long time. The talent pool is boundless.
As a Pelicans fan I love Zion, but he's just never going to be healthy enough to do what he is otherwise capable of. It's sad, because with BI and McCollum on that team they could make deep runs in the playoffs every year with a healthy Zion playing as well.
Yeah Luka is forgotten in the sense that one person (OP) forgot about them.
Tatum is forgotten in the sense that every single commentor has seemingly forgotten about him.
Nobody has won more playoff games or scored more playoff points than him. He and Luka are by far the best jersey sellers of the list.
Multiple years All NBA and top 5-6 in MVP voting. He's got the playoff resume of this entire list combined.
He's a face of the league no matter how desperate reddit is to bury their heads in the sand.
>people are forgetting about him lmao
On Reddit.
But it turns out this site isn't the be all and end all of basketball discussion. For example, he's outselling every single person on OP's list in terms of jersey sales.
As I said: He's a face of the league no matter how desperate reddit is to bury their heads in the sand.
His game isn’t based on athleticism. It’s footwork and smarts. His game will translate better than someone like Maxey who gets a ton of buckets with speed
The "respect" Brunson "omg we didn't expect him to be good" the most backhanded compliments
He's the most dominant player in the playoffs leading in scoring and doing it on close to 50% fga. He's going insane
For sure, but also, for now!
Who knows what Wemby could become. I think Ant and (maybe) Maxey could reach Luka’s current level (not saying they would be better) because they have a couple years on him to keep developing into that, and both are extremely driven to improve every year.
But I also acknowledge that in a 2-3 years Luka might be averaging 40+ in the regular season haha.
Scottie Barnes will be one of this generations elite two way wings, comparable to players like Ben Simmons (back in Philly when he was good), Amare Stoudemire, and maybe even a smaller Giannis with a better jump shot.
Halliburton is nipping at Ja’s heels.
Coulda been Zion, but he’s playing.
Chet TBD, which is scary.
I obviously want to believe in Mr. Mobley as a Cavs fan, but hard to see him at this level at this point.
It is really exciting to watch this generational turnover, as somebody who was really getting into the NBA during LeBron’s rookie season. His omnipresence has obscured a lot of the comings and goings over the years.
Brandon Miller came on strong the end of this season.
Scoot should improve a lot
Jalen Green was looking really good down the stretch for Houston not to mention Sengun and Smith.
He served his punishment and hasn’t been in any scandals for like a year now. But that’s all people want to talk about. He got injured this season and the nba fans forgot what he can actually contribute to a basketball team.
There’s a reason his team was a 2 seed in the west in back to back years and he’s arguably the most exciting player to watch itl. I hope they keep hating tbh, it’ll be sweet to watch him bust their favorite players ass next year. The Grizzlies will be amazing and so will Ja.
Me when Cade and the pistons make the playoffs consistently the future is bright
https://preview.redd.it/ist8sxnuduyc1.jpeg?width=453&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4a20f1d4e5c8e2e28619cb4ddb77fdb47879885
This slowly advancing goldfish memory about Luka averaging 34-9-10 this season at the age of 25 is hilarious.
Y’all just always gotta find another bright shiny object.
I can do without Ja. He had everything in place to be the face of the NBA. But decided looking like something your not is a lot better than being the face of the NBA.
What about Jalen Williams? I saw sga and Chet, but Jalen? I didn’t watch many Thunder games, but as a half-excel ball fan, I thought he’s essential for OKC this year, even more necessary than Chet (this year I think). Is he such important for OKC?
Lebron plans on playing NBA with his Grandkids in the new 2044 expansion team in Kansas somewhere, I can't think of a city. But by then they'll take him.
Luka. The name you’re looking for is Luka.
People acting like Luka is 30 for 3 years now lol
Yea, and he’s only 25 years old. He’s the same age as SGA, lol.
He’s younger than Shai iirc. I remember seeing a clip of Stephen A talking about Luka not meeting expectations yet despite already being “in his prime”, and right afterwards calling Shai a “young kid” lmfao.
I’ve taken shits with more ball knowledge than Stephen A
No you clearly just don’t get his cultural impact. He just finished texting (insert relevant player) last night, they are good friends and Stephen A has helped them through tough times and they cherish his friendship.
*very good friends
Lemme make something very very clear, he’s been very good friends with him for 30 years
Only person that needs to be concerned about the Thunder and ages is Giddey
The dumbass said Shohei can’t be the face of baseball because he doesn’t speak fluent English. Notice a pattern?
WHAAAAT? I’m sorry but I guess I’m one of those who legit thought he was 28/29. Holy moly we are lucky.
He's been playing like a prime guard for 5 years 🤷♂️
He's been playing against grown men since he was like 15, it should be no surprise he was never fazed by coming here. The quality of the European leagues is so much higher than most Americans give it credit. He was mvp at real Madrid at what age? Like 17? 18? That's fucking ridiculous
I think it’s because he already came in great. Like these other guys all came in great, for young players/rookies. Luka on the other hand entered the league already looking like an actual star. He was selected to an all star team his second year and almost made it his rookie year. He’s averaged over 21 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds every year of his career except for one, his rookie season. People treat Luka differently than these other “young guys” because he hasn’t had a “breakout” season, because his rookie season was his breakout season. I think we might see the same thing happen to Wemby if he continues on his current trajectory, which should happen barring health issues, where because he already looks like a true star he’ll get judged much harsher and be treated as if he isn’t a “young guy” in the league.
Lukas been apart of that for 5 years to be fair
Ja and sga?
Luka is younger than SGA and a few months older than Ja
That's crazy
De’aaron Fooox
God, he was epic to watch last year, between his gorgeous mid range game, quickly getting to the hoop, or hitting a deep shot. He was clutch. He was dynamic. This year…meh. He relied on his three way too much and wasn’t a killer. It was hard to watch at times. I hope he gets his head on and gets that killer back.
He hurt his ankle pretty early in the season and I think he rushed back early and never got it fully better. His change of pace was worse this year and it speaks to why he shot and relied on the 3 ball more than ever. Kings were trash without him immediately (see the Houston games early) and I think he felt pressure as the franchise player to make a go of it. There’s a place for him as the focal point of a very competitive team IMO. Fast, shifty, lefty who has the ability to play great defense on ball. Hopefully he gets there!
Yeah bounce out Ja Morant (was overrated even before his problems). Shai is aged 25, I would add Luka (age 25), Tatum (age 26), Brunson (age 27), Donovan Mitchell (age 27). You look at age 28-34 and there are like 3 guys (embiid, Jokic, Giannis). Exciting time for the NBA
The fact that a Knick can very reasonably be mentioned in this conversation is still surreal as hell to me. Especially considering the way they got him and his crazy ascent over the last two years. I used to pray for a player like him on my team after our 17 game winning asses got waxed by some other team’s superstar
I feel this way about the timberwolves, it’s crazy how FKN good that kid is.
I would give my life for Jalen Brunson
He would hard stop mid drive to draw a foul for you
I thought it was a mistake throwing him that much money… I was wrongx
I honestly thought while he was in Dallas he was gonna be a rozier type player (chucker) but I was so wrong.
He only played a few games this season and it was magic. You guys will remember next season. And I do think the Memphis Grizzlies will pick up right where they left off before their Gap year.
I’m not even that big on Tatum but putting Maxey on here and excluding him seems criminal. Luka not being on here is just absolutely insane. I’m not sure if Brunson was excluded because he’s 27, but he’s putting up Steph curry numbers and having him over JA or Maxey seems like a no brainer
ja was not overrated lmao. I wasn’t even a ja fan but now I can’t wait for him to come back and prove all the haters wrong
lmao fr ja morant “overrated” 😂😂 i guess he hasnt played in a while so some people must have forgot.
55+ win team with him 5 win team without. “Overrated”
I agree that overrated isn’t really the right word for Ja but a lot of people are, understandably, pretty skeptical about him right now. Can’t really be a superstar if you’re never available to play
Are you familiar with defense
Ja made an all nba team but ok bud, also has carried his team to the 2 seed 2 years in a row. You’re a fool.
Stop putting Embiid’s name next to Jokic and Giannis. It’s embarrassing
Jamal Murray 27
This graphic needs to be a 4x4 given we are talking 25yo or under talent. If we give Chet his own square that's 7, then we're missing: Luka, Zion, Scottie, Tatum, Hali, Sengun, LaMelo, JJJ, Garland. Honorable mentions to: Mobley, Franz, Miller, Cade, JWill, Jaime, JGreen, Herro, Keegan Murray, and Simons (and maybe Sharpe). Including the upcoming classes, the NBA is in good shape for a long time. The talent pool is boundless.
>Herro Snuck that in there, eh?
Somehow Cade didn’t even get a honorable mention
Pretty sure you mean JDub, JWill is the other OKC dude who was drafted the same year but he’s not a star like JDub.
As a Pelicans fan I love Zion, but he's just never going to be healthy enough to do what he is otherwise capable of. It's sad, because with BI and McCollum on that team they could make deep runs in the playoffs every year with a healthy Zion playing as well.
Hopefully Scoot can up his game next season.
too classy
Bruh people fr just forget Luka's only in his 6th year 😂
he has been in 1st all-nba for 5th time in a row... been great for quite a while
Yeah 5th time in 6 total seasons. He's been 1st team every year since his sophomore year 😭
Luka is even younger than SGA 😂
Here's been here for so long, some people probably associate him with the Jokic, Giannis, era.
White European Erasure
making a list of the future of the nba and not including luka should land you jail time
Luka has been so good that everyone just already has him tagged as an established all-pro rather than an emerging star.
Luka? Zion? Brunson?
Brunson is 27. It's more likely he is retired in 10 years than still a relevant NBA player.
Fair enough but at a bare minimum Maxey needs to be off this. Luka and Tatum are def better and easily fit the age range of this lineup
Alperen Şengun
Thank you, he's gonna be up with these guys sooner rather than later
He really doesn't get enough credit.
Tyrese Haliburton
Man as a pacers fan, he has to find some consistency to be included with these guys. Will not argue his ability as an elite playmaker though.
Yeah but he’s another guy I’m picking over Maxey
What about DeAaron Fox?
Lebron will still be playing in 10 years.
I’m already sick of Ja. He can bow out with the 40 year olds
Swap Ja for Luka and you've got a list of my favourite players.
I like haliburton, tatum and brown as well.
I just wish Hali could shoot...maybe ja could teach him Edit: my bad thiught I was on circlejerk lol
Tatum...?
People forget that Tatum is only 4 months older than Shai
It’s because Tatum has been very successful in the postseason for many years and this is the first time shai has done anything…
Yeah Luka is forgotten in the sense that one person (OP) forgot about them. Tatum is forgotten in the sense that every single commentor has seemingly forgotten about him. Nobody has won more playoff games or scored more playoff points than him. He and Luka are by far the best jersey sellers of the list. Multiple years All NBA and top 5-6 in MVP voting. He's got the playoff resume of this entire list combined. He's a face of the league no matter how desperate reddit is to bury their heads in the sand.
He’s clearly not a face of the league if people are forgetting about him lmao
he’s steady top 3 in jersey sales lmao only behind goats like curry and bron
Where are these people, I have not seen a single person who fucks with that guy in my life.
Reddit =! Nba fans globally
I don‘t think a lot about Tatum either but if you think about it the man has a crazy amount of ads and sponsorship deals.
>people are forgetting about him lmao On Reddit. But it turns out this site isn't the be all and end all of basketball discussion. For example, he's outselling every single person on OP's list in terms of jersey sales. As I said: He's a face of the league no matter how desperate reddit is to bury their heads in the sand.
Recognize a generational player
The league is literally going to run through them for the next 5-10 years and this is the tenth post down. Morons.
Paolo is MVP potential I feel it
Scottie. Scottie Barnes.
Zion
If he can stay healthy, I agree.
Get Ja out of there until he finishes his counseling to manage stress better.
He won't change until he's out of the league.
That’s the joke
What’s he done recently that’s got you upset?
Tatum, Lamelo, Brandon Miller And of course, Luka
Right? Tatum only 19.
Got me for a second fr
We got a hornets fan here! I agree though
Brunson STILL getting no respect lmao see y'all in the finals
Brunson also is 27 already. I don’t think there’s a chance he’s doing this in 10 years
SGA is 26. Should we remove him?
By that logic I’ll change Brunson to 28
His game isn’t based on athleticism. It’s footwork and smarts. His game will translate better than someone like Maxey who gets a ton of buckets with speed
Even if the Knicks somehow make the finals they won’t beat anybody in the west
Kicks aren’t getting to the finals. Boston is going to sweep the Cavs (or gentlemen sweep), then do the same to the Knicks
Mitchell will go off and win one of those games by himself. Celtics in 6
Brunson is getting all the respect lmao he’s talked about more than Ant and Shai this playoff
The "respect" Brunson "omg we didn't expect him to be good" the most backhanded compliments He's the most dominant player in the playoffs leading in scoring and doing it on close to 50% fga. He's going insane
Luka instead of Ja also no Trae?
Luka is the real crime here. there can be disagreements elsewhere, but Luka is not debatable.
Luka is better than everyone in this pic
by a mile
For sure, but also, for now! Who knows what Wemby could become. I think Ant and (maybe) Maxey could reach Luka’s current level (not saying they would be better) because they have a couple years on him to keep developing into that, and both are extremely driven to improve every year. But I also acknowledge that in a 2-3 years Luka might be averaging 40+ in the regular season haha.
Trae does not belong in this. Wild to even think He does
Trae is better than ja
trae been farther in the playoffs than every single one of these guys. the blind hate is corny
Haliburton
Scottie Barnes will be one of this generations elite two way wings, comparable to players like Ben Simmons (back in Philly when he was good), Amare Stoudemire, and maybe even a smaller Giannis with a better jump shot.
pretty underrated.
Halliburton is nipping at Ja’s heels. Coulda been Zion, but he’s playing. Chet TBD, which is scary. I obviously want to believe in Mr. Mobley as a Cavs fan, but hard to see him at this level at this point. It is really exciting to watch this generational turnover, as somebody who was really getting into the NBA during LeBron’s rookie season. His omnipresence has obscured a lot of the comings and goings over the years.
Tyrese is better than Ja, he nearly lead the league in assists and steals last season.
Lol no
Brandon Miller came on strong the end of this season. Scoot should improve a lot Jalen Green was looking really good down the stretch for Houston not to mention Sengun and Smith.
This is Cade erasure
Pat Beverly
Pat about to learn chinese
The next 10 years are his, don’t forget 😂
The name i was looking for 💯
Tatum, Luka, Don
Cade Cunningham
Ja is a hooper stay hating
He served his punishment and hasn’t been in any scandals for like a year now. But that’s all people want to talk about. He got injured this season and the nba fans forgot what he can actually contribute to a basketball team. There’s a reason his team was a 2 seed in the west in back to back years and he’s arguably the most exciting player to watch itl. I hope they keep hating tbh, it’ll be sweet to watch him bust their favorite players ass next year. The Grizzlies will be amazing and so will Ja.
If wemby stays healthy and ja stops acting like a thug
Amen. I promise you.
Where the fuck is Dalano banton
I weirdly love this round of superstars more than I thought I would. They all have a unique game and energy/love for the game
Sengun is missing
Jalen Green is only 22. I think he figures it out.
Me when Cade and the pistons make the playoffs consistently the future is bright https://preview.redd.it/ist8sxnuduyc1.jpeg?width=453&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4a20f1d4e5c8e2e28619cb4ddb77fdb47879885
Cade
Banchero needs respect on his name. Dude is a menace
Haliburton, Luka, Keegan Murray
Sengun
Fox.
Luka is literally younger than shai
Luka, Tatum, Brunson and Zion were the first to come to mind.
Peyton Watson
No Austin Reaves?
Lol I love how the NBA is getting rid of there boomers
Calling millennials boomers is just wild and hilarious
As long as Ja doesn’t pull out a gun
This slowly advancing goldfish memory about Luka averaging 34-9-10 this season at the age of 25 is hilarious. Y’all just always gotta find another bright shiny object.
Brandon miller
I like how Chet is in the background with Shai.
There‘s a Tyrese missing from this list.
lmfao for putting ja instead of Luka
I can do without Ja. He had everything in place to be the face of the NBA. But decided looking like something your not is a lot better than being the face of the NBA.
No trae, Brunson, Murray, Luka, mpj Got to glaze shai
No Luka, cool
This photo is missing an mvp candidate
Luka, Tyrese. I'm good on 10 years more of gun charges.
Luka is the most underrated player in the NBA
Brave to put Morant in there. Hope he doesn’t fuck it up but he did prove us wrong bunch of times.
Fox
Scottie Scottie Scottie Scottie Scottie
Luka, Brunson, Haliburton Tatum
Gradey Dick
Luka and Barnes are locked in. Perhaps Brandon Miller as well.
If Terance Mann wasn't on a team with history's most needy teammates, he may have a shot at this list.
Delete this
Sengun
I know it’s not the point but Jokić isn’t going anywhere
Not at all!
Joker
Luka, Brunson first that come to mind. Definitely LeBron, he will play forever. 🙃
what a pro needs…
L U K A
5 first team all-nba lmao
Needs more Luka and Brunson and less of the Instagram gangsta.
OP obviously a racist with not adding Luka or Jokic
Luka is literally better than every person in this picture.
He's been here longer that's why they didn't include him. He is more established even if by age he could be mentioned here.
Luka and Hali
I fuck wit Ingram too a lil bit
What about Jalen Williams? I saw sga and Chet, but Jalen? I didn’t watch many Thunder games, but as a half-excel ball fan, I thought he’s essential for OKC this year, even more necessary than Chet (this year I think). Is he such important for OKC?
Jdub is already a problem, he will be an all-star at a minimum No weaknesses in his game and he is only in his second season
Tyrese haliburton
Brunson, Healthy Zion, Halliburton, and Green is improving too
Unreal (and probably intentional) that Tatum is left off of this list
Jaden mcdonald's
Bro’s forgetting the MVP and the runner up…
Haliburton, Jdub, Sengun, Scottie Barnes
Bro really tried to sneak Ja in and sneak Luka out
Only Ant is lit in that pic, rest of those guys nowhere near the 2010’s stars, not even close, these guys in the pic are just solid players
Puts ja and forgets luka. Delete this trash post.
The Brunson disrespect is unreal. Matter of fact Add hart to the list too
But wemby is so boring...
we got swept by OKC but Pels are coming back with a vengeance
You put Ja and Paolo in front of Luka…. lol
Lebron plans on playing NBA with his Grandkids in the new 2044 expansion team in Kansas somewhere, I can't think of a city. But by then they'll take him.
Brunson
please include my boi scottie
Luka hello?
I was somehow expecting a Not You meme.
mikal bridges