The Top 25 NBA Players Under The Age of 25: #10 - #6
Posted by Matt McCready on 07.10.2007
411's Matt McCready continues his look at the top NBA players under the age of 25. In part four of the series some poop hits the fan as a surefire top 5 pick falls into the sixth position. Who could it be?!?!
How the players are rankedTo determine the ranking of the players on this list they are evaluated equally on their performance last year and their overall potential level. For example, while Andrea Bargnani is ranked highly on potential he also had the worst season on the list last year and is graded justly. On the other hand, Gerald Wallace had a terrific season last year but the combination of his age, league experience and injury history causes his potential score to be amongst the lowest. Finally, players have to be UNDER the age of 25 and completed a season of play in the league so no Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.
If everything goes right he could be the next… Paul Pierce
Loves saying after a basket Whoop Deng it is!
Upon entering the league
Deng was the second ranked player of his high school class behind LeBron James and could've been a top ten pick out of prep school but chose to attend Duke University despite the NBA not having a mandatory collegiate year at the time. He only stuck around for his freshman season and entered the 2004 edition where he was selected 7th overall by the Phoenix Suns who, in a mad attempt to clear cap room to sign free agent-to-be Kobe Bryant (the money eventually went to superior player Steve Nash), were unwilling to pay a rookie level contract and sold the pick to the Chicago Bulls for under 3 million dollars. The feeling at the time was that Deng was a top three talent and was a steal (he was drafted behind players like Devin Harris and Josh Childress). That turned out to be a good assumption.
Why he's so good
The native of Wow, Sudan (by far the coolest sounding hometown in existence) is as complete a player as anyone on this list. He's a tall small forward at 6-9 and his Tayshawn Prince-like lank-bo arms give him an advantage on both ends of the court. His quick hands and defensive instincts give opposing players fits and allows him to come up with an abundance of steals. Offensively, Deng is not only a good scorer, he's an efficient one. Deng rarely forces things on the offensive end and plays within his limitations, which pretty much include drives and mid-range jumpers. Deng's increased driving ability has resulted in more trips to the line every year since entering the league.
Why he'll get even better… While his scoring is impressive, it would be nice to see Deng add a little range to his jumper as he's shot a paltry 26 percent from three point range over his career.
Luol is a workhorse who played in all 82 games last year. His standout athletic gifts (namely his length) are not ones that diminish with age.
Overall: Deng will probably never be a guy to build a championship team around but is a perfect second banana.
9. Emeka Okafor C/PF, Charlotte Bobcats
Emeka Okafor and the Charlotte Bobcats are yearly guests of George Bush. This is a reflection of the Bush Administration's adjusted White House policy to exclude championship teams and only invite those who reflect their cabinet's performance.
If everything goes right he could be the next… Artis Gilmore Best zinger ever said by Emeka Okafor to Luke Walton after an unsuccessful attempt by Luke to pick up Tara Reid at a bar (true story) "Wow, what hurt more? That or when I rejected you nine times in the game last night?"
Upon entering the league
Intense speculation surrounded the 2004 NBA Draft on who would be the number one pick. Would it be Dwight Howard? The consensus high school player of the year who stood nearly seven feet tall, had a chiseled physique that could only be compared to a young Shaquille O'Neal, the athleticism of a slam dunk champion and the quality character of a devout southern Christian or would it be Emeka Okafor? The NCAA Tournament champion, tourney MVP, showed consistent improvement throughout college and was also an exemplary student (he graduated in three years instead of four). The only real knock on him were concerns over a back injury.
Maybe it was the back issues or maybe it was Dwight's immense potential but Okafor fell to second. When it comes to second overall picks, there aren't many better.
Why he's so good
The old saying is that defense wins championships and even though the Charlotte Bobcats do suck, they do sport one of the best defensive players in the league. Emeka Okafor can block shots better than Rosie O can block out the sun. Good size, exceptional timing and fundamental positioning make him a force around the basket where he's also one of the best rebounding bigmen in the world. Offensive players are a dime a dozen in the NBA but Okafor is one of the few who can truly change a game on the other end of the floor.
Why he'll get even better
Okafor is a hard working man and his offensive game shows it. His shooting percentage went up nearly ten percent this year and his mid-range jumper is now a viable weapon.
Overall: Okafor has a lot of Alonzo Mourning in him. Do not be surprised if he retires with a couple Defensive Player of the Year awards on his shelf.
8. Chris Paul PG, New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul's game is virtual insanity. Minus the dumb oversized hat.
If everything goes right he could be the next… Isiah Thomas Breakfast equivalent Eggo Pancakes
Upon entering the league Throughout his final NCAA season, many experts were projecting Chris Paul not only to be the biggest contributor immediately upon entering the NBA but also the player with the greatest upside. So far, they've been at least half right. Despite the evidence that he was the most talented player available in the draft, Paul fell all the way to 4th on draft day in 2005. With the exception of Deron Williams at number three, I'm sure both Milwaukee (Andrew Bogut) and Atlanta (Marvin ‘Afterthought' Williams) are kicking themselves for overlooking the talented point guard.
Why he's so good: Even at 22, Paul is one of the most complete guards in the NBA. Not only that, but by all accounts Chris Paul is one class act. Reminiscent of the late, great Ray Charles.
"Jamie Foxx is clown shoes next to Chris Paul!"
Why he'll get even better: The biggest knock on Paul during his rookie year was the lack of range on his jumpshot and this was never more noticeable than during international competition last summer.
Team USA's mantra was to field a younger roster with the theory of building team chemistry for future tournaments and thus Chris Paul was named the starting point guard at only 22 years old. However, most teams in the tournament would lay-off Paul, play zone and clog the lane for possibly passing lanes and dare him to take long range jumpshots which he would typically miss. Eventually the bulk of the playing time went to Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls.
Paul's work ethic is respected and it's evident by the improvement of his three point this season shooting a respectable 35 percent. With all the talk that fellow 2005 draft alum Deron Williams has received concerning his improvement this year, Paul actually improved in nearly every statistical category as well.
Overall: Paul has all the tools (quickness, court awareness, defense) to eventually be the best point guard in the world and the future might be sooner than we think.
7. Andre Iguodala SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers
"No really Nate, I don't think you're a gimmick. You deserved to win that Slam Dunk contest…really. Keep practicing and maybe next year it won't take you fifteen attempts to throw one down. C'mon don't make that face. Who's my little man?"
If everything goes right he could be the next… Scottie Pippen I think a good nickname for him would be… Iggy Funk. Like Iggy Pop with way more funk and way less heroin.
Upon entering the league
As the charisma black hole Dick Vitale loves to scream/yell; the NBA Draft is all about ‘Poe-TENshall, Poe-TENshall, Poe-TENshall!'. Luckily for the Philadelphia 76ers, the eight teams picking in front of them listened to Dick and passed on the best athlete in the draft – Andre Iguodala. The only player from that draft who is ranked higher than Andre is Dwight Howard.
Why he's so good
Andre Iguodala might be the only player on this list whose basketball skills at the NBA level are above average in every category. The only concern about Andre 10000 coming out of college was his scoring. His shooting mechanics were questioned but they've since been refined to make him a complete player. He has great court awareness, easily finding the open man and is as unselfish as superstar players can get. He does a great job at both setting up and finishing fast break opportunities which he can create himself as one of the league's premiere ball thieves. His defense is off the charts. He has long arms, excellent lateral quickness, the speed to never be beat down the court in fastbreak situations, the strength to not be posted up and great defensive instincts.
Overall: Igoudala is already one of the league's most complete players. One extra year as ‘the man' with Philly will do wonders to help him adjust to his role. If his offense continues to improve at the rate it has then he'll be first-team All NBA soon enough.
6. Carmelo Anthony SF, Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony and one of his ‘thugged out' friends
If everything goes right he could be the next… Rick Barry Right hook is not to be confused with… Mike Tyson's
Upon entering the league
Carmelo Anthony's intention to enter the NBA draft presented an interesting dichotomy for NBA scouts. There were three elite prospects entering the draft and each came from a different background.
LeBron James was the high school phenom. He was an athletic freak with skills who dominated teenage basketball to the degree that he considered entering the draft as a junior out of high school.
Darko Milicic was the European unknown. A seven footer with athleticism who, like James, had yet to be challenged by elite competition and whose game had not been picked apart by NBA scouts due to the difficulty and cost of extensive international scouting.
Carmelo Anthony was the traditional American collegiate golden boy. If this draft had happened ten years earlier, there wouldn't have even been a debate on who would've been chosen first. A freshman with a classic offensive game who carried his NCAA team to the championship is what every hard-nosed cigar chomping general manager would've looked for.
In a sign of the times, the high schooler went first, the European mystery went second and the known collegian champion went third.
Why he's so good
Well, you could already make the argument that he's the most offensively gifted player in the world. Jab steps, fadeaways, post moves and more are all part of Melo's offensive arsenal. Athletically Carmelo is well above average in the NBA. He can attack the basket with explosive quickness where he has the strength to finish at the basket. He's also a good player in transition. Melo has excellent size for the shooting guard position and rebounds at a high rate.
Overall: Carmelo could go down as one of the best scorers of all time but until he rounds out the rest of his game he'll remain outside of the elite NBA superstars.
WHAT?!?!?! Carmelo didn't even make the top 5???? Who could these players possibly be?
Tune in next week for the conclusion of ‘THE TOP 25 NBA PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 25!!!!!!'
