The NBA is rich with young talent as each draft class produces phenomenal players.
For rebuilding teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, that is definitely the case. They acquired several high-lottery picks in the last couple of draft classes.
For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky decided to go against the grain a bit and ranked the 23 best players in the league who are 23 years old or younger.
Traditional young star rankings usually include players who are a bit older, but with most players already on their second contract by the time they’re 25 years old, it was important to put a reasonable cutoff age for players that are solely on their rookie deals still.
As one can imagine, the Thunder had multiple entries on this list. Let’s take a look at which Thunder players made the cut.
No. 23: Jalen Williams
AGE: 21.8
“Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams was one of the most productive players in the NBA during preseason action.
The lottery pick ranked third-best in both assists and steals, and he was both versatile and efficient as a scoring threat, managing 21 points on just 8 field-goal attempts in his final preseason performance. Ja Morant is the only player who scored more points in the paint than Williams did during the preseason.
Williams looks more than ready to contribute at a high level in the pros, and he should get significant playing time for the rebuilding Thunder.”
No. 9: Josh Giddey
AGE: 20.3
“Josh Giddey only just turned 20 years old, but he led the league in assists during the preseason. He is already one of the game’s finest playmakers and dazzling passers, and that’s especially exciting when remembering that he is also 6-foot-8.
Giddey still needs to improve his jump shot in order to unlock the next level of his game. But the Thunder hired longtime Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland, and Giddey’s jumper already looks better.
If the jumper keeps falling, Giddey has the makings of a perennial All-Star.”
