Every basketball fan loves to see exciting new talent break through.
So, who are the young guns most likely to be the biggest stars in the NBA in the years to come?
Aleksej Pokuševski
This Serbian-born giant is currently the youngest player in the NBA to be an active pick for his team. He turned 19 at the end of 2020, having joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 draft, as 17th overall pick.
Pokuševski was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he quickly made an impact after his NBA debut in March. He scored 23 points in his first game, becoming the youngest player in the franchise’s history to score more than 20 points. In fact, only LeBron James has scored five 3-pointers at a younger age than Pokuševski did it.
He had already made history before joining the NBA, as his debut at the age of 17 for Olympiacos made him the youngest player to compete in the EuroLeague. However, the record for youngest player in the NBA still belongs to Andrew Bynum, who had recently celebrated his 18th birthday when he first turned out for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets, in 2005.
Patrick Williams
Another young player who joined the NBA in the 2020 draft, Williams doesn’t turn 20 until August 2021. He played his college basketball with the Florida State Seminoles before getting picked by the Chicago Bull as the fourth overall choice in the draft.
By December, he had made his debut and scored 16 points, as well as posting four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. At the time of writing, he has recently scored a career-best total of 24 points in a match against the Brooklyn Nets.
While the Bulls suffered a disappointing season, there is a lot of hope that Williams could become a major figure for them. He says that he is looking to become more aggressive and that he is “up for the challenge” of becoming the player that people want to see and that fans of basketball betting will be keeping a close eye on.
LaMelo LaFrance Ball
Ball was born in the same month as Patrick Williams and joined the NBA at the same time, in the 2020 draft. In his case, he joined the Charlotte Hornets as the third overall pick, having played in Australia rather than choosing college basketball in the US.
Of course, he was a bit of a celebrity even before joining the NBA, as he and brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo caused a stir with their high school basketball performances. His first NBA game came against the Cleveland Cavilers just before Christmas and he played against brother Lonzo’s New Orleans Pelicans at the start of 2021.
Ball became the youngest NBA player to ever score a triple-double when he achieved it against the Atlanta Hawks at the start of year, at the age of 19 years and 140 days. This record was made up of 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. His off-field activities include the launch of his own clothing line.
Anthony Edwards
Another NBA player born in August 2001, Edwards played for the Georgia Bulldogs in his college career, before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves as the third overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Edwards made his NBA debut in December and scored 15 points, as well as chalking up 4 rebounds and 4 assists against the Detroit Pistons. By March 2021, he had become the third youngest player in the league’s history to score over 40 points in a game, managing this feat against the Phoenix Suns.
Here you have it, the youngest players in NBA currently. Check out who are the youngest players ever in NBA history in this article by TwinSpires Edge: https://edge.twinspires.com/nba/the-youngest-players-in-nba-history/
