Basketball is a young mans game. Sure every gym has its share of gym rats in their 40s that can come out and play solid ball, slowing the game down and offering sage advice that nobody really cares about, but when it comes down to it, the game is meant for those guys that love to run out on the fast break after every rebound. The NBA is the same way. Players like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant are among the most respected in the league, but it is the youth that drives this league. So the question is, who are the five best players under 30?
LeBron James (24 years old)
There could not be a more obvious choice in the NBA. He has led his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to an NBA Finals at the age of 23. He is averaging 27.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists a game on the number one team in the league. He is a freak of a player. He is part power forward, part shooting guard, and part point guard. When you look at him you do not see a great player to call the next Jordan, Magic, or Larry Bird. You simply see the next player that players will be compared to in the future.
No other player can have such an effect on the game that teams are starting to clear out cap space openly two seasons before he is a free agent. Though ESPN may deem Michael Jordan to be the last player so special that he captured an entire world’s attention, it will be James that next ascends to the level of popularity and greatness that every newspaper will follow his every move in every venture he pursues.
Videos found on YouTube from www.nba.com
Dwayne Wade (26 years old)
Back in 2006 Dwayne Wade had put on a show so special and dominant, that he won the NBA Finals MVP as his Miami Heat came back from a two game deficit to win the franchises first championship. He was then expected to be the great competitor that James was to battle every season. Well two years of injuries took from super star to star search, but this season he has healed and is continuing his all around performance in the Olympics.
The man leads the league in scoring at 29.1 points per game, is averaging 5.1 rebounds despite being just 6 foot 4, is third in the league with 2.3 steals a game, and is leading his team with 7.1 assists. This man is single-handedly keeping the Miami Heat in postseason position. Shawn Marion is unhappy and sulking, still, Mario Chalmers is a rookie point guard, and Michael Beasely has not been able to upend Udonis Haslem for the starting power forward spot despite all his talent. Wade is perhaps an even more complete player than James because he is an exceptional defender as well as a magician driving to the rim.
Before Youtube and nba.com, what did we do to pass the time?
Chris Paul (23 years old)
Chris Paul gets the next spot because of what he does for his team. He makes them winners. He made them winners the moment he stepped on the court. This team did not make the playoffs until his third season, but this team was a .500 team when it was dealing with the travesty of Hurricane Katrina. Just the fact that this club did not fall into a deep losing-streak depression is amazing.
Meanwhile the 2006 Rookie of the Year has managed to average 20.4 points, 11.2 assists, and 2.8 steals a game. For those keeping track, that means he leads the league in assists and steals. His true greatness comes in his effect on other players. Tyson Chandler was lost in the middle in Chicago, but once he signed with the New Orleans Hornets he became machine catching lobs and grabbing rebounds. Peja Stojakovic was quickly becoming guy you did not feel so bad leaving open in the corner, then Paul made defenders shuffle their feet deciding whether to block the path to the rim or stop the kick out pass.
This YouTube mix is apparently just an NBA TV collection set to some music, but it makes the point.
Dwight Howard (23 years old)
This league may be returning to a game dominated by point guards, but Howard has managed to become a post stud. It is not just that he is big and talented and has little competition. This 6 foot 11 beast may be called Superman for the cape he wore while winning the slam dunk competition last season, but he can leap over buildings and has the strength of ten men as well.
Howard is the least accomplished so far, but he is a 20-10 guy with the ability to easily lead the league in blocks. What more could you want out of a center. He is also able to make Jameer Nelson look like a serviceable point guard. Nelson is not. He is overpaid cannot penetrate and is a streaky shooter at best, but with Superman on the Orlando Magic, Nelson is averaging 16.6 points a game, 5.3 assists, and is shooting over 50 percent. It is Howard’s ability to draw the double team and then pass out of the post that makes him and Nelson so good this season. The Magic are even bound for the playoffs as one of the top seeds now.
This is an impressive mix from 34v34 on Youtube
Tony Parker (26 years old)
Those first four are generally accepted without much argument, but after those players the field is much wider. Some would say Carmelo Anthony, but he has yet to have as much success in the NBA as in national competitions. Some would say Deron Williams, but he simply plays dreadful defense. There are countless other candidates, but the winner has to be Tony Parker.
He won the NBA Finals MVP for his play as his San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavs. He is too quick to keep out of the lane, can hit a tear drop, has court vision, and has added a decent three point shot to his game. Most people forget about him in such conversation because he is a seven year vet on a team that has won three championships and spread the stats around as well as it shares the basketball. His greatness comes because he can play in any system and, as the 2007 Finals displayed, can take the lead if he needs too.
This is a single game of pure dominance parsed and set to music from the NBA on YouTube