Let’s rewind for a moment to the inaugural Emirates NBA Cup last year.
The Indiana Pacers were playing one of the league’s most exciting brands of basketball and were led to the final by Tyrese Haliburton. While the 24-year-old was certainly a rising name in the league, the In-Season Tournament propelled him to new heights. He tucked away the Boston Celtics in the quarterfinals, gave Damian Lillard a dose of his own Dame Time in the semis and pushed LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the final.
That’s the type of stage the NBA Cup can provide. Once again, we’ve seen some young, rising stars make themselves known to a much wider audience. The semifinals may be missing some of the more glitzy, glamorous and big market teams like the Lakers, Celtics and New York Knicks, but these young players are showing exactly why they’re ready to become household names.
Jalen Williams
Jalen Williams was forecasted as the star no one’s talking about heading into last year’s playoffs. While he was really good in the first round, averaging 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 52.9 percent shooting, the Dallas Mavericks got the better of him in the second round. His scoring dipped by four points and his field goal percentage by 10 percent as the Oklahoma City Thunder were ousted in six games.
Taking those lessons into the offseason, Williams has come into 2024-25 and looked nothing short of an All-Star. He’s averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three. As versatile as can be defensively, Williams has even played some minutes at center after Chet Holmgren got injured.
There used to be a time where you could distinguish between Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams by saying "the guard, not the center." Not any more.
Jalen Williams, a 6'5" guard, is now playing center for the Thunder. Look at this rim protection!!! pic.twitter.com/TmlifjJYXz
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 14, 2024
Now in the NBA Cup Semifinals, Williams will have a chance to show Las Vegas and more why he’s an integral part of the best team in the West.
Alperen Şengün
Alperen Şengün and this iteration of the Houston Rockets haven’t had a chance to showcase themselves in the postseason yet, adding that much more intrigue to their advancement in the Cup.
The 22-year-old is a rare breed, able to playmake from the perimeter and battle powerfully inside. This season, he’s averaging 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while also notching a steal and a block per game. Against a battle-tested Golden State Warriors team in the quarterfinals and often going up against Draymond Green, Sengun finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
He’s as versatile as a center comes on the offensive end. Against a Thunder team missing Holmgren and lacking interior size beyond Isaiah Hartenstein, Rockets fans will be expecting a big performance from the man at the heart of Houston’s 17-8 record.
Alperen Sengun tonight:
26 PTS
11 REB
5 AST
3 STLOnly Giannis and Jokic have more 20/10/5 games this season. pic.twitter.com/VTgf8S05fS
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 12, 2024
Jalen Johnson
If not for the 65-game minimum introduced for awards eligibility last season, Jalen Johnson would’ve been one of the favorites to win Most Improved Player. At the power forward position, Johnson’s unique blend of athleticism, scoring and passing makes him a really fun player to watch.
New York Knicks fans may not agree, as he posted 21 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks to help the Atlanta Hawks dump New York out in the quarterfinals. Now in year four, Johnson is stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks. The Milwaukee Bucks will have their hands full come Saturday, and NBA fans will be treated to seeing one of the league’s rising young stars on a national stage.
Jalen Johnson is playing with insane confidence. Here he turned the corner on the P&R, saw Giannis and Lopez, i.e. two of the best rim protectors in the league, and decided to dunk on both of them. pic.twitter.com/t2Vn02yZgg
— Francesco Semprucci (@fra_sempru) December 5, 2024
