Where should Victor Wembanyama rank? Here’s the answer, along with the other best young NBA stars.
We are entering a new era of the NBA with Victor Wembanyama as one of several young stars vying to become the face of the league.
Now that the NBA’s 2023-24 season is less than a month away from tipping off, as we did last year, we have decided to re-rank the 23 best players who are under 23 years old.
But why 23? Well, it is not just because that was the number worn by Michael Jordan. Typically, NBA publications rank 25 players under 25 years old. You can read versions of that here, here, and here. I wanted to try out a similar thought experiment but with a new twist.
By the time NBA players are 25 years old, many have already graduated to their second contract and are in vastly different chapters of their careers than the league’s young players. It is harder to compare players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, who will each earn more than $30 million next season, to players on rookie scale contracts.
The following rankings, meanwhile, are based predominantly on how we see NBA projections for next season. It is not as predictive of their future success or their potential in the league.
NOTE: For this exercise, all players included must be born after Oct. 24, 2000.
The most prominent name presently connected to Tennessee State is coach Eddie George, once one of the NFL’s most prominent running backs. While George did not attend Tennessee State, over 100 NFL players have. Among them are Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent and Ed “Too Tall” Jones, the top overall pick in the 1974 draft who played 15 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.
Saturday’s game is prominent in that it’s the first time Notre Dame has played a program from the Football Championship Subdivision. If that had to happen, and many Irish fans weren’t happy about it when it was announced, at least the Irish are playing a historically Black university and not some seemingly random FCS school that the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world love to schedule to inflate their College Football Playoff resumes.
Statistically, here are the top returning players on this year’s Tigers from 2022:
This mock trade suggested by James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network has the Brooklyn Nets trading Nic Claxton for Josh Green and picks.
The Brooklyn Nets have made it through an important part of their offseason as they have made their trades and free-agent moves to make the team the best it can be for next season. Now that the summer league has came and went and Brooklyn got a good look at their draft picks in Jalen Wilson and Noah Clowney, the Nets can turn their sights towards training camp.
With that being said, Brooklyn, like every other team in the NBA, is still looking to get better however they can. At this point, most of free-agency has passed so the Nets may not be able to go that route and get any player of substance unless they change their mind on someone like Christian Wood for example.
A trade can happen at any time during this offseason and given the fact that Brooklyn is open to trading some of their wings for more balance among the roster, a deal could still happen before next season starts. In the meantime, let’s ponder a mock trade suggested by James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network in which Brooklyn gets players and picks in exchange for an important player on the roster:
A month ago, Notre Dame received its first 2024 recruiting class commit in shooting guard [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag]. He was recruited out of Bloomington Central Catholic in Illinois. But he has decided that that school is no longer sufficient to continue his athletic growth. He has announced that his final year before joining the Irish will be sent at IMG Academy, the famous sports prep school in Bradenton, Florida:
Certa, a three-star recruit weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 165 pounds, is heading to a school that has produced some quality talent. Among them are Purdue star and reigning national player of the year Zach Edey and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot. Several alumni also have gone onto the NBA, including Anfernee Simons, Dwight Powell, Josh Green and Jonathan Isaac. What’s more, Kyle Brey, son of former Irish coach [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag], is the coach of the varsity football team.
While Certa’s decision is a loss for the state of Illinois, it’s necessary for him to take the next step in his game. Here’s hoping it works out for him and eventually, the Irish.
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The Mavericks are the slowest team in the league, but there may be a solution.
The Mavericks defeated the defending-champion Warriors on national television, and Luka Doncic looked every bit the part of an MVP candidate.
Doncic finished Tuesday’s victory with 41 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. It was an utterly masterful performance in which Doncic narrowly outperformed the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry.
After the game, TNT analyst and eleven-time NBA All-Star Charles Barkley interviewed Doncic. He asked the Slovenian-born superstar if he feels that the Mavericks need to play at a much faster pace than they have thus far.
Doncic was candid and with a knowing smile, he reminded Barkley that he is slow. This was one example of criticism doubters had about Doncic before he fell to No. 3 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Some scouts felt that Doncic had a slow first step and that he lacked explosiveness.
Chuck: "Do you guys think y'all need to play at a much faster pace?"
Now that we’ve seen what Doncic can do in the NBA, Barkley’s observation about the Mavericks is technically correct. His team plays at an average speed of 3.99 miles per hour, which is indeed the slowest mark in the league.
It is especially noticeable for Dallas when it is in the open court. It takes the Mavs an average of 8.6 seconds to shoot the ball after forcing turnovers, via InPredictable, which ranks as the slowest in the NBA for the second year in a row.
That obviously hurts them when they are attempting to score in a transition offense. The Mavericks are currently shooting 46.7% (which is the worst in the league) while averaging 15.6 points per game (second-worst in the NBA) on these opportunities.
When it is all said and done, however, how damning is this for the Mavericks? Tim Cato put everything in context (via The Athletic):
“They have the league’s third-best half-court offense, per Cleaning the Glass, which has made up for the lack of easy fast break points or offensive rebounding … But Dončić has a tempo at which he plays that won’t change, and the Mavericks have a roster that isn’t suited for anything other than the heliocentric style that they play.”
Doncic absolutely plays at one of the most unique tempos in basketball.
But listen to how Kevin Durant, a basketball genius, describes the way Doncic moves on the court. Right away, it becomes clear that Doncic’s change-of-pace, stop-and-start speed is definitely a feature and not a bug (via EuroHoops):
“He plays at a nice pace that’s why I think he can make them shots that way. Like those crazy shots that he be making, the passes that he throws it feels like he is just walking on the track. … He got a nice pace.
He gets you up in the air because everybody is pressing him, he might get a foul on one play, boom now you loosened up, now he gets into the paint and pump fakes you, you jump, and he pump fakes you again because he moves so slow, one leg fade you know his pace is so incredible to me.
He’s deceptively quick too. He’ll get around you fast, slip around you fast for a layup and then slow down, that’s how he’ll get a lot of fouls too. Because he’ll act like he doesn’t have any athleticism. And he can get around you and he got a big body so he be trying to trick people into thinking he can’t get around you. And he slows down, you chase him down and he’ll slow down, and get a layup and one so you got to be on point with that dude.”
Durant describes Doncic as a “deceptively quick” player and notes that the Dallas superstar will sometimes slow down and “act like he doesn’t have any athleticism” before scoring on his defender.
There is a method to the madness for Doncic, but it tends to take a long time to come to fruition. The average offensive possession for the Mavericks lasts 15.55 seconds, per PBP Stats. That is an eternity by NBA standards and (by this point, to no surprise) is the slowest of any team in the league.
But the average offensive possession for Dallas is actually slower when Doncic is off the court (15.75 seconds) compared to when he is playing.
Dallas can absolutely play slow if its offense is high-powered by Doncic. They average a stellar rate of 117.6 points per 100 possessions when Doncic is on the court. When he rests, however, their offensive rating (105.5) drops significantly.
In the 199 minutes that Luka Doncic and Josh Green have shared the floor, the Mavericks have a 119.0 offensive rating and 98.1 defensive rating, resulting in a 20.9 net rating.
Among 720 NBA 2-man combos that have played 150+ minutes, Doncic-Green ranks 10th in net rating.
Perhaps one solution is more minutes for Josh Green, who is a legitimate sleeper candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player. As noted by Cato, Green’s mere presence on the floor “pushes this team’s tempo past its usual crawling status” and the numbers back this up.
The Mavericks play at a faster pace when Green is on the court (96.2) relative to when he is not (94.0) this season, per PBPStats. Their offense moves much quicker when Green plays (15.0 seconds) compared to when he does not (15.9 seconds) as well.
Remember how Dallas is the slowest team to shoot after forcing a turnover? Green is the exception, showing excellent flashes both during leak outs as a scorer and as a promising playmaker as well.
Green is averaging 1.31 points per possession when finishing in transition, per Synergy, which ranks 81st percentile in the NBA and is by far the best among anyone on his team.
He is only averaging 19.5 minutes per game, but he currently leads the Mavs in raw plus-minus. The positive point differential when he is on the court suggests that whatever it is he is doing is translating to winning basketball.
It is clear that playing him alongside Doncic is a good idea, but Kidd might want to give him a go as more of a primary option in the second unit to see if they have anything there. If he can tire opposing defenses with a high-tempo offense while Doncic rests, that could go a long way in the postseason.
Even if he proves to make the most sense as a tertiary option in Doncic’s ball-dominant offense, though, that will give them a spark of the energy and speed that they desperately need.
In a redraft of 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers take Josh Green with Tyrese Maxey off the board early.
The Philadelphia 76ers lucked into a star player in the 2020 NBA draft when Tyrese Maxey fell into their laps at No. 21 overall. Maxey fell because of concerns about his 3-point shooting while at Kentucky. All of those doubts have been put to rest.
In his second NBA season, Maxey averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 42.7% from deep and playing multiple positions due to the Ben Simmons holdout saga and then the addition of James Harden. Because of what he has been able to do out on the floor, Maxey leaped in 2020 redrafts.
Bleacher Report has Maxey going No. 5 in its 2020 redraft with Josh Green, who originally went 18 to the Dallas Mavericks, going at No. 21 to Philadelphia:
He’s been limited to 14.0 minutes per game for his career, and he doesn’t get many shots up when he’s out there, but Josh Green is already a plus defender. His 35.9 three-point percentage (albeit on just 78 attempts) is encouraging.
If he becomes a consistently above-average outside shooter while maintaining his commitment to the defensive end, Green has the chance to develop into an ideal fifth starter for a team with plenty of scoring and creation at the other four spots.
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It makes sense Maxey would go early (No. 5) considering what he has accomplished. He has been incredible and is a prime candidate to make an All-Star appearance in 2023.
As for Green, he has the potential to a top shooter, but he needs playing time. Considering that coming out of the 2020 draft, he would have been playing next to Simmons, maybe that could have helped him develop a bit more with shooting at a premium in Philadelphia.
Coby White, Jarrett Allen, Josh Green and Cam Johnson are coaches at the Basketball Without Borders camp in Australia.
Basketball Without Borders Asia began its 12th camp on Sunday, and four NBA players are helping coach the youth players during the four-day event.
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green and Phoenix Suns wing Cam Johnson traveled to Australia to help train 60 of the top male and female prospects throughout 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
There were 41 former Basketball Without Borders players who were on the 2021-22 opening-night roster, according to the NBA. Josh Giddey played at this same Asia camp in 2018, and Green, who was born in Australia, was a member of BWB Global in Los Angeles in 2018.
Basketball Without Borders is an international program hosted by the NBA and FIBA. Since its launch in 2001, there have been 64 camps in 30 countries with more than 3,800 participants haling from 133 countries and territories. There have been 105 former members of BWB who went on to play in the NBA or WNBA.
See the full roster of players on the NBA website.
Kidd believes player development will be a big component of the Mavericks taking the step to the next level.
On Thursday, Hall of Famer Jason Kidd was introduced as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks during a press conference alongside team governor Mark Cuban and new general manager Nico Harrison.
Kidd, who most recently served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, will embark on his third head coaching position after previously leading the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. He has amassed a 139-152 record in five seasons with three playoff appearances.
He takes over a roster led by All-NBA forward Luka Doncic with several other up-and-coming players. He believes player development is a big component of the Mavericks taking the step to the next level, and singled out Josh Green as one player that he wants to work with.
We feel like if we get the right guys on the coaching staff that have developed before we have done it at a very high level. … We feel that, with a little hard work and some fun, we can get a Josh Green to the next level; that’s why we’re here. We’re here to help develop. It’ll be fun but, everybody has to do their part and it starts with hard work.
Green played sparingly with the Mavericks as a rookie this season, averaging just 2.6 points and two rebounds in 39 appearances. He even had a stint in the NBA G League with the Salt Lake City Stars, in which he averaged 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in six games.
The Mavericks, as a team positioned to make a deep playoff, simply didn’t have enough minutes for Green. With Kidd now taking over, Green could have a chance to further develop and become a regular contributor in the rotation next season.
This summer is shaping up to be a big one for Green, too.
He was among the players named to Australia’s final, 12-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics. He has been practicing and scrimmaging this summer and will have additional opportunities to grow and develop with his country in the coming weeks.
The experience gained by playing with Australia will certainly help him as he continues to prepare for his second season with the Mavericks. Australia boasts several NBA players and that should prove to be a great opportunity for Green to learn on and off the court.
Australia tips off its Olympic run on July 25 vs. Nigeria.
Green, who was born in Sydney, will make his first appearance with Australia in the Olympics.
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green was among the 12 players named to the Australian 12-man final roster for the Tokyo Olympics, the team announced on Saturday.
Green, who was born in Sydney, was among the 24 players listed as finalists to play with the Australian men’s basketball team. He will make his first appearance with Australia in the Olympics, something he previously said was a dream of his.
In addition to Green, the Australian team will also feature NBA players Aron Baynes, Matthew Dellevedova, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Patty Mills and Matisse Thybulle. Australia will be among five countries that will hold a training camp this month in Las Vegas.
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 3, 2021
Preliminary play in basketball, which will feature 12 teams spread across three groups, will begin July 25 and run through Aug. 2. The quarterfinals will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase.
The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.
When the Dallas Mavericks were on the clock last year in the NBA draft, the organization selected guard Josh Green from the University of Arizona with the 18th pick.
However, they almost took Saddiq Bey from Villanova.
According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, some within the Mavericks organization wanted to draft Bey. Others wanted to take Green because of his analytical grade. Because of the split, some executives and scouts were upset when Green was the selection.
The revelation was made by Wasserman on Thursday after Bey was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team following a strong first season with the Pistons. He was chosen one pick after Green by the Pistons and certainly had a good year.
Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 70 games while setting the Pistons rookie record for most 3-pointers made. His 175 3-pointers marked the third-highest by any rookie in NBA history and he also had the most games with at least six 3s with five.
Was told Mavs' decision to take Josh Green over Saddiq Bey frustrated number of key execs/scouts. Some wanted Bey. Analytics said Green and won. Bey went one pick later and was just named to First Team All-Rookie.
While Bey certainly had the better season, it may not be fair to compare the two players. Green was on a veteran-heavy team competing for a championship and did not play often, while the Pistons allowed Bey to log heavy minutes and play through his mistakes.
Green can still develop into a heavy rotation player like Bey; he showed flashes throughout the season of his potential. The jury from last year’s draft is still out, obviously, and it is far too early to tell if the Mavericks made a mistake taking Green over Bey.
The Mavericks have a litany of issues to sort through, and the decision to select Green over Bey hardly seems worth sweating at this point. But, when it is all said and done, Bey could very well be one of the top players from the draft.
Dallas certainly hopes the same will be said about Green.
