There is a load of players who are young, talented, and ready to stand firmly behing King James as the future of the NBA. Some players on the list are already impacting their teams in ways that have made them all-stars and MVP candidates. In order to be eligible for this list, the player must be 24 years old or younger at the date of this articles posting OR have been selected within or after the 2004 NBA draft. 2009 NBA draft candidates will not be included in this list (sorry Blake Griffin). The list will be the top twenty young players to watch. Some players may be better than others today, but we are trying to evaluate their potential for the future as well as today. Cleary a player who has been in the league four years will often be better than a rookie, but that doesn’t mean they will be higher on this list. A player’s future contributions to their teams and the league are the deciding factors here. In descending order:
20. Rodney Stuckey – PG – Detroit Pistons
19. Russell Westbrook – PG – Oklahoma City Thunder
18. Mario Chalmers – PG – Miami Heat
17. Danny Granger – G/F – Indiana Pacers
16. Al Horford – C/PF – Atlanta Hawks
15. Rudy Gay – SF – Memphis Grizzlies
14. LaMarcus Aldridge – PF/C – Portland Trail Blazers
13. Raymond Felton – PG – Charlotte Bobcats
12. Ben Gordon – SG – Chicago Bulls
11. Rajon Rondo – PG – Boston Celtics
10. Josh Smith – F – Atlanta Hawks
09. Michael Beasley – F – Miami Heat
08. Brandon Roy – SG/SF – Portland Trail Blazers
07. Deron Williams – PG – Utah Jazz
06. Greg Oden – C – Portland Trail Blazers
05. O.J. Mayo – PG/SG – Memphis Grizzlies
04. Derrick Rose – PG – Chicago Bulls
03. Chris Paul – PG – New Orleans Hornets
02. Kevin Durant – SG/SF – Oklahoma City Thunder
01. Dwight Howard – C – Orlando Magic
