The kids of the NBA are all right. Heck, they're better than all right. As a collective, they're great, intriguing, polarizing, beacons of hope, the whole shebang.
Scottie Barnes, TOR
Nationally, the Scottie Barnes mega leap has many wondering whether the Raptors must trade Pascal Siakam. Really, the strides being made by the 22-year-old should have us pondering just how many All-NBA teams he'll make for his career, across multiple iterations of a Toronto franchise built around him.
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Chet Holmgren, OKC
He is erasing field-goal attempts from every imaginable angle and spot on the floor. They're not just clippable highlights, either. Holmgren is leaving a meaningful defensive dent, infusing the kind of fear in opponents that has them belting out mid-rangers rather than chancing three-point attempts he can reach or challenging him at the basket.
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Alperen Sengun, HOU
The Rockets are outscoring opponents by 15.8 points per 100 possessions with him the court. The team's net rating without him? Minus-8.1. It's still early, but that differential matches the eye test: Şengün has been one of the NBA's most impactful players, bar none, in the early going.
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Cam Thomas, BKN
It isn't immediately clear what the next frontier will be for Thomas. Live-dribble passing is a biggie. Ditto for an improved clip from deep. His defensive energy may always ebb and flow. But the degree to which he's shined without monopolizing the Brooklyn Nets offense is nothing if not a harbinger of more good things to come.
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Victor Wembanyama, SAS
What we're witnessing now is universes from projectable. Wembanyama, at freaking 19, in only his second NBA appearance, took over a game featuring Kevin Durant. This is someone, a kid, without limits.
Link to Original Article (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10096842-which-22-and-under-nba-prospects-are-shining-brightest)