Memphis has always been a city of music. Here are three songs that sum up the city’s newest young star, Ja Morant. Great NBA players have a tell, some signature tic or stylistic element that makes them who they are. Observant viewers could see a silhouette of Kevin Durant’s jumper or of Chris Paul bringing
25-under-25
Heading into a contract year, can Jaren Jackson Jr. re-establish himself as a core piece of the Memphis Grizzlies alongside Ja Morant? One year ago, Jaren Jackson Jr. appeared to be headed toward a max contract extension. He was fresh off a sophomore season in which he averaged 17.4 points while shooting 39.4 percent from
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an incredibly efficient creator despite carrying the entire load for the Oklahoma City Thunder. What if they put more talent around him? By the box score, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already looks like a star for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game last season on
Cade Cunningham is a franchise-changing talent. But the Detroit Pistons will need to be patient with him as he grows into himself. The night Cade Cunningham went first in the draft to the Detroit Pistons, Kendrick Perkins called him the most complete draftee since LeBron James. Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić may disagree, but simply
Can Michael Porter Jr. cement himself as one of the NBA’s top up-and-coming scoring dynamos in 2021-22? Michael Porter Jr. is a walking bucket. During his first season as a full-time starter with the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 19.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting. He was one of only two players leaguewide who knocked down
Jarrett Allen has done everything you could ask from a young, athletic big man. But his place with the Cleveland Cavaliers still doesn’t feel secure. Jarrett Allen joined the Brooklyn Nets in the years when the team was still reeling from giving up all their first-round picks to the Boston Celtics in a 2013 trade.
Collin Sexton has already proven he can put up big numbers in the NBA. Now it’s time to prove he can use those numbers to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win. Is Collin Sexton good at basketball? The answer has to be yes, right? This is a man who is not only in the NBA, but
After quieting critics by guiding his Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, what does Trae Young have in store for an encore? Trae Young might be the NBA’s next great villain. Like any good wrestling heel, Young seems to revel in infuriating fans. After hitting a game-winning floater in Game 2 of the Atlanta
Already a generational scoring talent, Zion Williamson may only be scratching the surface of his potential as a player. Even in an era when young stars take less time than ever to ascend, Zion Williamson’s rise is exceptional. With fewer than 100 NBA games under his belt, the 21-year-old has already established himself as one
LaMelo Ball has endless talent, creativity and imagination. What can he do for the Charlotte Hornets now that he has experience too? In a May contest against the moribund Pistons, LaMelo Ball did one of the coolest things anyone has done on the basketball court in a long time. Detroit turned the ball over and
How can we measure Luka Doncic’s greatness against expectations when he just keeps smashing them each season? Much of an NBA player’s reputation rests on what is expected of them, and whether or not they meet those expectations. If fans assume a player will offer very little and they then display consistent competence, it may
De’Andre Hunter will be crucial to the short- and long-term success of the Atlanta Hawks, provided he stays healthy enough to remain on the court. Most NBA teams fall into one of two categories: those aggressively pursuing as many wins as possible and those stockpiling talent with the hope of eventually competing for a championship.
John Collins has become one of the best offensive big men in the NBA. Is that enough to help take the Hawks to the next level? It would be unavailing to try and categorize John Collins within the broader positional category of big men. While he certainly possesses conventional qualities of both power forwards and
After cashing in this summer, can Gary Trent Jr. cement himself as a fixture of the Toronto Raptors’ post-Kyle Lowry era? Gary Trent Jr. is waltzing into a golden opportunity in 2021-22. With Kyle Lowry now in Miami, the Toronto Raptors will be reinventing themselves. Fred VanVleet figures to take over as their full-time point
How can OG Anunoby take the next step as an offensive threat, without sacrificing the defensive intensity that’s made him so essential to the Toronto Raptors? As he enters his fifth season, OG Anunoby is trying to become something that may or may not actually exist. The idea of a two-way wing holds an outsized
Lonzo Ball hasn’t ascended to stardom, but the 24-year-old is one of the smartest players in the NBA and only getting better. Lonzo Ball is not a star, and each facet of his game is grounded in that fact. Where many NBA players stretch themselves beyond their limits, Ball seems to work under no delusions
If you think a Scottie Pippen comparison is hyperbolic for Tyrese Haliburton, maybe you need to watch more of Tyrese Haliburton. Scottie Pippen has become the archetypal second-best guy. That’s kind of what happens when you win six championships as the wingman for arguably the greatest player in basketball history. But the legacy that’s been
Michael Porter Jr. was once thought to be the next great prospect, injuries stalled him initially, but now he is ready for the spotlight. The Denver Nuggets are ready. After compiling talent through the draft — whether in the lottery (Jamal Murray) or second round (Nikola Jokic) — they surged to a surprise trip to
Four years into his NBA career, Ben Simmons remains somewhat of an enigma. That’s what makes him so fascinating moving forward. What is Ben Simmons? Is he a point guard? A power forward? A point forward? Does it matter? What sounds like a philosophical quandary may go a long way toward determining whether the Philadelphia
Brandon Clarke clocks in at No. 21 on our 25-under-25 list, thanks to his impressive balance and finesse moves in a traditional power skill-set. Brandon Clarke being on this list might be a surprise to the casual observer. There’s a lot of young talent in the NBA right now, and spending one of our 25
Is Jaren Jackson Jr. the NBA’s next great unicorn big man, or is he the second coming of Myles Turner? Every time a 3-point-shooting, shot-blocking big man comes into the NBA, he instantly gets slapped with the “unicorn” label. Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is among the latest examples. The No. 4 pick
Devin Booker seized his moment the first chance he got in the NBA spotlight. After the 8-0 bubble run, what’s next for the star of the Phoenix Suns? Ever since he entered the 2015 NBA Draft pegged as a spot-up shooter, Devin Booker has spent the first five years of his career defying expectations. And
The Oklahoma City Thunder will look vastly different this season. It’s now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team. Can the 13th-best young player deliver? Praise showered down from the heavens — and from the keyboards of fans and journalists alike — when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded star wing Paul George to the L.A. Clippers in the summer
Zion Williamson comes in at No. 10 on our list, but with his potential and skill set, his ceiling is limitless. If he stays healthy while diversifying his game, he could rise even higher. As far as hype and anticipation go in watching someone play basketball, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans is at
Brandon Ingram’s game has worked well with the New Orleans Pelicans, an environment that makes the most of who he is. The thing about Brandon Ingram is that I feel the vague connection us peons feel with famous people who grew up in areas we know really well. My parents retired quite a few years
The Miami Heat have championship aspirations and the versatile excellence of Bam Adebayo is the foundation on which they rest. In the third quarter of a January game against the Raptors, Bam Adebayo brought the ball up the court to initiate the offense. It was not necessarily standard for Adebayo, the team’s center, to lead
Ja Morant is the Memphis Grizzlies‘ latest superhero but with great power comes great responsibility. I am watching Into the Spider-Verse and thinking about Ja Morant. I am watching Into the Spider-Verse and thinking about how with great power there must also come great responsibility. I am watching Into the Spider-Verse and thinking about great
Myles Turner has demonstrated that he can be great at both ends of the floor. But can he be great for these Indiana Pacers? Every year when our writers begin working on the profiles for our 25-under-25 list, I always remind them to focus on the player, not the list itself. The list is the
Jamal Murray was explosive in the NBA bubble, now he’s ready to bring that version of himself to every game. Jamal Murray is 23, and the biggest moment in his NBA career took place inside the NBA Bubble. If you blinked, maybe you missed it. If you changed the channel to check on a baseball
Luka Doncic, the Slovenian wonder boy, is a generational spectacle and No. 1 on The Step Back’s 25-under-25 list for 2020. Only a handful of players can draw fans in like carnival barkers, promising spectators grand-staged wonders they’ve never seen before. Dallas’ lone star is among them. Remember back when the 2018 draft loomed and