From top to bottom, NBA has absolute talent in every age group. Every year there are some new faces who look like future All-Stars who want to be All-NBA candidates. Among the older players, some are already in clear decline in their careers, and there are others who remain MVP candidates despite their advanced age.
Who are the best players in each age group in the NBA?
age 19: LaMelo Ball (LaMelo Ball)
Hype aside, there's no question Charlotte Hornets Rookie guard LaMelo Ball is an absolute seed and association One of the most promising talents in the world. In the 10th NBA game of
's career, Ball, who was 19 years old and 140 days old, became the youngest triple-double player in league history and the fifth player to score 20+ triple-doubles in the first 10 games of his career. Joining Ben Simmons (Ben Simmons) and Oscar Robertson (Oscar Robertson) and others.
This season, Ball is averaging 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.6 steals -- 25 minutes a night for Charlotte. Even in limited minutes, Ball still managed to become the first teenager in league history to average 12/7/6 points per game, which is pretty impressive for a player who wasn't even a top 2 pick in his draft class It's an incredible achievement.
Ball's combination of flamboyant ballhandling and perimeter shooting makes him a future All-Star, and if he can work on his body and become a better finisher, he could reach even greater heights. Regardless, Ball has quickly become one of the most exciting young players in the league.
20 years old: Zion Williamson (Sion Williamson)
As a frontcourt player in the modern NBA, Zion Williamson doesn’t have a lot of 3-point shots and he’s still the most efficient and impactful in the league One of the best young players. So far in his age-20 season, Williamson is averaging 21.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 55.7 percent from the field.
Williamson's explosiveness is truly unmatched for a player of his size, making him a game-changing nightmare for opponents. Those abilities have helped Williamson be rated as an isolation scorer (Per Synergy Sports) at this point in the season.
Williamson's game may have some flaws (most notably a lack of shooting), but overall, he's a huge positive for the New Orleans Pelicans.
21 years old: Luka Doncic
In the 21 year old section, Luka Doncic is the top player winner in his age group. Despite a slow start to his third career season, Doncic still averaged 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 2020-21, making him the only player to post 26/9/8 stats so far this season. data players.
Doncic has all the makings of a future league MVP, even if it likely won't happen this year as many predicted. He's a gifted scorer, playmaker and rebounder with a passion for winning. The Slovenian superstar's first MVP is about to happen.
22 years old: Jayson Tatum (Jayson Tatum)
22 year olds had much more competition for the best player, had to go with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, He's trying to get better every year.
So far this season, Tatum is averaging 26.9 points (eighth in the league), 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 58.8 percent from the field. What's more, among players with at least 75 3-point attempts this season, TowersThum's 43.8% shooting rate is third, which is impressive. Almost 27 points a night while making fewer than four free throws per game. Tatum's 3.6 free throw attempts per night are the second-lowest among players averaging more than 25 points per game. We might one day see a 30+ point-per-game scorer, maybe even an MVP candidate.
23 years old: Brandon Ingram (Brandon Ingram)
After a slow start to his career, Brandon Ingram has completely turned things around the past two seasons, with age As he grows, he develops into an All-Star wing who will one day be even better.
This year, Ingram is averaging 24.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 57.8 percent from the field. Plus, according to Synergy Sports, Ingram has performed "very well" both as a pick-and-roll ball handler and as an isolation scorer, proving just how versatile the 23-year-old is.
24 years old: Devin Booker (Devin Booker)
Extraordinary loads have taken a toll on Devin Booker's scoring average, but given how the Phoenix Suns have played this season, the Kentucky product will undoubtedly need Make a trade-off.
Still, Booker is averaging 23.0 points and 4.3 assists this season while shooting 59.9 percent from the field, the second-best of his career. Meanwhile, his Suns are currently 7-4, second in the West and eighth in net rating (+3.6).
Booker's overall numbers make him look like a special player, but this year, we should finally be able to see what he can do at the highest level of basketball in the world: the NBA playoffs.
25 years old: Nikola Jokic (Nikola Jokic)
If it weren't for the Denver Nuggets' relatively difficult start to the 2020-21 season, more people would be talking about Nikola Jokic as the best player to start the season The front-runner for value player, as the Serbian big man has been absolutely spectacular to start with.
Jokic averaged 24.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and his shooting percentage of 58.7/43.3/80.3 is amazing enough, but the current indicator value of this center is leading the league, which is extraordinary Achievement, even after only playing about 10 games. Few bigs have Jokic's playmaking ability, as his vision as a passer is insane for a point guard, let alone a 7-footer, and now he's taking his career to the next level. The best three-point performance in the league, approaching unstoppable territory.
26 years old: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Feels like two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is off to a slow start to the season (back injury) but when you look at his stats, Realize the folly of such thinking. In the 2020-21 season, Antetokounmpo averaged 26.6 points (ninth highest in the NBA), 10.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting nearly 53 percent from the field.
Few other players in the NBA can impact the game like Antetokounmpo, dominating both ends of the top court, and the Greek monster will get every opportunity to dispel his haze this season.
27 years old: Anthony Davis (Anthony Davis)
Anthony Davis is one of the best defenders in basketball since joining the NBA nine years ago, a player who can score 25 points on any given night , he is the only one who can be compared with Antetokounmpo.
For his career, the Los Angeles Lakers big man averaged 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, making him one of only two players to average those numbers over his entire career . anotherFormer Lakers big man and underrated GOAT candidate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Davis, a seven-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA first-team selection, further cemented his legacy by winning his first championship last season. All that's left for him now is to win another ring and, without a doubt, get into the Hall of Fame and enter the list as the greatest player of all time.
28 years old: Kyrie Irving (Kyrie Irving)
Kyrie Irving can be frustrating at times, and his performance on the court is never questioned. So far, Irving has averaged 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season, shooting 63.0% from the field. Plus, Irving is currently fourth in the plus-minus mix (7.3 percent), suggesting the 10-year veteran is playing like an MVP candidate this year, … . To be sure, when Irving is healthy, he's one of the best point guards in the world, and his resume is probably close to Hall of Fame.
29 years old: Kawhi Leonard
Four-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard has undergone a major career transition, starting as a 3-D specialist who can Said he is the best defensive player in the league, and now he has also become a scorer averaging 25 points per game. In the 2020-21 season, Leonard averaged 24.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 57.6% field goal percentage per game. Leonard's load management now appears to be a thing of the past, with the two-time Finals MVP appearing in his first back-to-back games of the season, his first since April 2017.
age 30: Damian Lillard (Damian Lillard)
Over the past few seasons, Damian Lillard has been arguably the best point guard in the NBA, Damian Lillard His bombastic style outside the arc and explosive scoring ability make him one of the toughest players in the league to guard. While the high-scoring Lillard is off to a slow start this season, the Weber State product is still averaging 26.1 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting over 90 percent of his 6.8 free throw attempts in 2020-21.
Portland Trail Blazers teammate CJ McCollum is playing the best basketball of his career this season, there is no doubt that the Portland Trail Blazers have the best 1-2 backcourt in the NBA, this Will get them another playoff spot in the brutal western league.
31 years old: James Harden (James Harden)
Trade request drama aside, James Harden is still one of the best players in the world and one of the most gifted scorers the league has ever seen .
With a new system based more on ball and man movement, Harden's scoring numbers have dipped slightly this season, but he's still putting up 26.0 points a night while posting an incredible 63.5 percent from the field, It was the second-best score of his illustrious career.
Harden also leads the NBA in assists per night at 11.0, leading the league in assists per game for the second time in his career. Whether Harden will be traded this season remains to be seen, but regardless, he is clearly the best 31-year-old basketball player in the world right now.
32 years old: Kevin Durant (Kevin Durant)
Kevin Durant is recovering at an amazing pace after such a brutal leg injury. Durant hasn't looked like he's missed a shot so far in 2020-21, averaging 29.3 points (second-highest in the league), 7.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists while posting career bests The hit rate is 65.9%. forFor a player who has won four scoring titles thus far, it's still crazy to do so at such a high rate and at the most efficient pace of his career. What's more, Durant is rated as a "good" scorer as a pick-and-roll ball handler and super shooter, according to Synergy Sports. Simply put: The 32-year-old has been absolutely unstoppable this year.
This is great news for the Nets, who paired the best 32-year-old basketball player in the world with what we think is the best 28-year-old in Kyrie Irving, plus Harden. When it comes time for the playoffs, Brooklyn will be especially scary.
33 years old: Mike Conley (Mike Conley)
After an up-and-down first season with the Utah Jazz, Mike Conley has provided solid scoring and great play at point guard this season organization ability.
Conley is averaging 17.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 42.5 percent shooting from the field, and now, he's one of only seven 33-year-olds in the 2020-21 NBA season, so he doesn't face a very intense competition compete. Still, Conley is one of the best point guards in the league.
34 years old: Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry's late-career revival continues this season as the veteran point guard averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, Averaged 1.1 steals and 2.9 three-pointers per game.
Even at 34, Lowry is one of the best floor centers in the league, scoring 20 points on any given night and setting a very high level for his teammates.
35 years old: Chris Paul (Chris Paul)
Chris Paul should be the best point guard despite being the oldest. Paul's numbers have dipped this season, but he's still averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.7 assists. Paul is also the starting point for the Suns' 10th-ranked offense this season, scoring 112.3 points per 100 possessions as one of only nine 35-year-olds in the league.
age 36: LeBron James
LeBron James is doing his best to prove a myth that even at 36 he still has a strong case to be considered the best in the world A basketball player, at least in terms of the night-to-night impact he makes as a scorer and playmaker.
James puts out 24.0/8.3/7.7 numbers, making him one of only three players with a 24/8/7 stat line this year, the other two are more than 10 years younger than him kitch. Easily the highest-ranked player of his age.
Although James' approval rating has declined this season, it can be attributed to the short transition between the Lakers' championship and the start of the season, as well as James' slow play before the start of the playoffs.
Either way, James is an MVP candidate and the undisputed best player among the defending champions, which is almost incomprehensible for a 36-year-old player who currently has only four players in total in the NBA.
40 years old: Udonis Haslem
As the oldest player in the NBA and the only player in the league at 40, Udonis Haslem has yet to get a licence for the Miami Heat this season Chance, but considering Haslem is more of a coach than a player at the moment.
haslem, a member of the heat since 2003-04, was the team's rebounding leader with 5,754, surpassing all-time greats alonzo mourning and Dwyane Wade.
