Post by kobe24 on May 25, 2010 21:54:46 GMT -5
All Youngin’ Team - UOSLR’s Best 22 and Under.
When I did this list 5 years ago there were quite a few players to choose from, but this time around it wasn’t as easy. So since there aren’t many great players 21 years old or younger, I decided to bump the age up to 22. First though, I will take a look back at the list 5 years ago.
C: Dwight Howard – Since this article 5 seasons ago, Dwight has been traded 3 times. The most recent being a few days ago when he was traded from the Lakers to the Sonics. Dwight has basically been a mirror image of what he is in real life, aside from the FT shooting. He is a great rebounder and shot blocker, but he struggles at times on the offensive end.
PF: Josh Smith – Josh now plays for the Orlando Magic and is one of the best defensive players in the league. Similar to Dwight, Josh’s offensive game never really developed. Josh has put up 20+ PPG in a few seasons, though he didn’t shoot to well. His size and athleticism makes him one of the most unique players in the league.
SF: LeBron James – James has since been traded to the Warriors and has put up great numbers. The biggest knock on James though, is that he can’t get it done in the playoffs. No one really knows why, maybe he doesn’t have the right supporting cast or he is just running into better teams. It seems the most talented guy in the league could be headed to another team this season though as the Warriors are shopping him around a bit.
SG: Gerald Green – Green was sort of on this list by default. Since the article, Green has just been an average player. He never really blossomed into a great player like it seemed he would. He would be a solid starter on most teams though. But he definitely shouldn’t have been on the same list as the three guys mentioned above.
PG: Louis Williams – Williams made the list last time because Telfair had been out the whole season, but Telfair has proven to be the better PG. Williams could never really get over the turnover problems and it doesn’t seem he ever will. He is still very young though and can do some good things for a team off the bench. I’m sure a team will take a chance on him if the Pistons don’t bring him back.
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Center: Derrick Favors
The Line: 12.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG
The Nets acquired the services of Favors last year when they traded away Amare Stoudemire to the Timberwolves. The Nets are going to need Favors to be one of the best big men in the league and soon if they expect to make their CY. Favors already has the ratings, but we haven’t yet seen him put up huge numbers. The season is still very young though. Favors is only 20 and still has a ton of room to grow, but I’m not sure if the Nets have the time to wait. Favors isn’t going anywhere though, the Nets are making the correct move by making him off-limits. Probably shouldn’t even hear offers for him because a few might sound enticing. Favors is the type of player you don’t trade though. Great size, athleticism, and improving skill, any team would be lucky to have this guy. Favors reminds me of Dwight a bit who was the center on this list 5 years ago. It doesn’t seem like he will be that first option type of big guy. But more so a solid 15-17 PPG third or non option like Dwight is. As he learns the game a bit more his rebounding and defense should improve. The Nets are working hard to make him a great shot blocker. He should be averaging near 3 when they are done camping him. Favors is the best up and coming center in the league, will the Nets be able to surround him with good enough talent to make their contract year? Favors will have to improve quite a bit again next year if the Nets expect to make their CY safely.
Power Forward: Perry Jones
The Line: 23.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.9 SPG
Jones isn’t listed at PF, but he deserves to be on this list and since he would be the best PF under 22 if he played there, he makes the list. Jones is only a rookie, but he is already looking like he will be the best player in the league very soon. He is bigger than LeBron and can play C and PF more effectively, but it doesn’t seem like he will ever be the passer that LeBron is. Jones is just what the Knicks needed to climb their way back into contention in the east. It looks like he will lead them to the playoffs in his first year which is an amazing feat for a rookie. Jones could be in the running for MVP as soon as his third season, which is almost unheard of unless you are LeBron James or..Perry Jones. I raved about Favors being the best up and coming center, well this guy is the best up and coming player in the league. He can do it all on the court. Score in the post, shoot the three, defend and rebound at three positions and is an above average passer for a guy with his size. His size might be his greatest asset at SF, you aren’t going to run into too many 6’11’’ 230 lb small forwards. The Knicks are lucky to have Jones, him alone will make them a very good team for a long time.
Small Forward: Kevin Durant
The Line: 24.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG
Like last time, the best player on the list comes from the SF position. Kevin Durant is the reason why I had to list Jones at PF. Durant is already one of the best scorers in the league at only 22 years of age. Durant is an amazing FT shooter, in the first 26 games of last year he made 113 out of 117 FT attempts. Durant has been getting stronger every year and he is becoming a dangerous post threat, which compliments his great midrange and three point shooting. Durant is a great rebounder because of his size and is a pretty good passer when he wants to be. And perhaps most importantly he doesn’t turn the ball over much for a #1 scoring option. Durant’s defense is still coming along, slowly but surely. Durant is just an average defender right now which may cause him to miss out on a few MVPs in the future unless some improvement is made. Durant is a great player and deserves to be recognized along with the other great players in this league. Durant will definitely bring home many scoring titles in his career, and at only 22 years of age, it is scary to think about the numbers this guy could put up in the future. Durant will have to have a great season since the Rockets are in their CY. They finally brought in some help for him so they shouldn’t have much of a problem making it.
Shooting Guard: Tyreke Evans
The Line: 14.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.0 APG
Evans had a great first TC and has put up consistently great numbers since his rookie season. I thought he was going to be one of the better SGs in the league. Evans still has a chance to be an awesome player, but for some reason his GM really isn’t trying to help him out. The rebound and assist numbers at SG are great and his size and length makes him a very good perimeter defender. Evans has shot pretty good %s but he hasn’t put up great PPG numbers yet. The Sonics are in their CY as well, so he is finally getting some help too. The Sonics need to invest some time into him to improve his inside scoring and his three point shooting a bit though. Once that is done and he is putting up 20+ PPG he will be one of the better players in this league. Evans could average 20, 5 and 5 at SG in the near future which is pretty much unheard of. Evans doesn’t turn the ball over a lot either, so it might be interesting to see how he plays at PG. If the Sonics weren’t in their CY, that would be an interesting idea to go with. Maybe chipper will be more active now that he has to win and will camp Evans.
Point Guard: John Wall
The Line: 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.4 SPG
John put up great first sim numbers except for the turnovers, which seems like it will be the biggest obstacle for him to overcome. Wall is only in his second year and he is already looking like one of the better PGs in the league. Like I said, he will have to work on not turning the ball over but the other parts of his game don’t need much work. John gave up 50 and 54 points in back to back nights versus the Lakers so his defense might could use a little work but he is still learning. Turnovers are a pretty hard thing to lower on a player but with a lot of camping and the right TC, Wall’s turnovers shouldn’t be a problem. Even with the turnovers, I’m sure most any GM would still love to have him. At only 21 and being in his second year, he still has a long way to go. With a few nice TCs and upgrades John should be a great PG. Jedi has done a pretty good job of surrounding Wall with scorers and the 10 APG look great, but the 4 TPG is just as bad. Jedi should have no problem making Wall an elite PG though. He is a future and current(besides the TO’s) stud.
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Reserves:
Evan Turner
The Line: 17.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.3 APG
Turner would be on the list had it not been for two great SFs standing in his way. In his rookie season, I thought he was going to be the next LeBron but he hasn’t improved much since. He is pretty good at everything, but not great at any one thing. He can score inside and out, defend multiple positions, pass the ball well and rebound exceptionally well. But the turnovers are a big problem. And his outside shot could use a lot of help. It sucks that he hasn’t had a GM that has put upgrades into him. But new GM James looks active and hopefully he will bring Turner along better than the last GM.
Greg Monroe
The Line: 17.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 BPG
The Bucks took Monroe over Sullinger last year when most thought Sullinger was the second best player in the draft. It is too soon to say if that was the right move or not. Monroe does look pretty good though aside from the rebounding. It looks like he will sort of be borderline starting material if his rebounding doesn’t improve. He doesn’t have the outside shot to be that effective at SF so if the Bucks don’t start focusing on improving him then he could be stick with B- rebounding. Monroe had a huge injury that put him out for a lot of last season so it will be interesting to see the numbers he puts up for a full season.
Brook Lopez
The Line: 14.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Lopez almost made the list but Favors just edged him out. Brook is a better scorer than Favors and is a 7 footer but his rebounding and defense still needs some work. Wall and Lopez give the Nuggets one of the best young duos in the league and if both keep improving then these two could bring multiple championships to Denver in the future. Lopez has great size but he lacks athleticism. He will never be a great rebounder or shot blocker, but his size allows him to be effective in both categories. He is definitely a 20, 10 and 2 guy in the future but I don’t think he will be the dominant big man that we all thought he would be.
When I did this list 5 years ago there were quite a few players to choose from, but this time around it wasn’t as easy. So since there aren’t many great players 21 years old or younger, I decided to bump the age up to 22. First though, I will take a look back at the list 5 years ago.
C: Dwight Howard – Since this article 5 seasons ago, Dwight has been traded 3 times. The most recent being a few days ago when he was traded from the Lakers to the Sonics. Dwight has basically been a mirror image of what he is in real life, aside from the FT shooting. He is a great rebounder and shot blocker, but he struggles at times on the offensive end.
PF: Josh Smith – Josh now plays for the Orlando Magic and is one of the best defensive players in the league. Similar to Dwight, Josh’s offensive game never really developed. Josh has put up 20+ PPG in a few seasons, though he didn’t shoot to well. His size and athleticism makes him one of the most unique players in the league.
SF: LeBron James – James has since been traded to the Warriors and has put up great numbers. The biggest knock on James though, is that he can’t get it done in the playoffs. No one really knows why, maybe he doesn’t have the right supporting cast or he is just running into better teams. It seems the most talented guy in the league could be headed to another team this season though as the Warriors are shopping him around a bit.
SG: Gerald Green – Green was sort of on this list by default. Since the article, Green has just been an average player. He never really blossomed into a great player like it seemed he would. He would be a solid starter on most teams though. But he definitely shouldn’t have been on the same list as the three guys mentioned above.
PG: Louis Williams – Williams made the list last time because Telfair had been out the whole season, but Telfair has proven to be the better PG. Williams could never really get over the turnover problems and it doesn’t seem he ever will. He is still very young though and can do some good things for a team off the bench. I’m sure a team will take a chance on him if the Pistons don’t bring him back.
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Center: Derrick Favors
The Line: 12.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG
The Nets acquired the services of Favors last year when they traded away Amare Stoudemire to the Timberwolves. The Nets are going to need Favors to be one of the best big men in the league and soon if they expect to make their CY. Favors already has the ratings, but we haven’t yet seen him put up huge numbers. The season is still very young though. Favors is only 20 and still has a ton of room to grow, but I’m not sure if the Nets have the time to wait. Favors isn’t going anywhere though, the Nets are making the correct move by making him off-limits. Probably shouldn’t even hear offers for him because a few might sound enticing. Favors is the type of player you don’t trade though. Great size, athleticism, and improving skill, any team would be lucky to have this guy. Favors reminds me of Dwight a bit who was the center on this list 5 years ago. It doesn’t seem like he will be that first option type of big guy. But more so a solid 15-17 PPG third or non option like Dwight is. As he learns the game a bit more his rebounding and defense should improve. The Nets are working hard to make him a great shot blocker. He should be averaging near 3 when they are done camping him. Favors is the best up and coming center in the league, will the Nets be able to surround him with good enough talent to make their contract year? Favors will have to improve quite a bit again next year if the Nets expect to make their CY safely.
Power Forward: Perry Jones
The Line: 23.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.9 SPG
Jones isn’t listed at PF, but he deserves to be on this list and since he would be the best PF under 22 if he played there, he makes the list. Jones is only a rookie, but he is already looking like he will be the best player in the league very soon. He is bigger than LeBron and can play C and PF more effectively, but it doesn’t seem like he will ever be the passer that LeBron is. Jones is just what the Knicks needed to climb their way back into contention in the east. It looks like he will lead them to the playoffs in his first year which is an amazing feat for a rookie. Jones could be in the running for MVP as soon as his third season, which is almost unheard of unless you are LeBron James or..Perry Jones. I raved about Favors being the best up and coming center, well this guy is the best up and coming player in the league. He can do it all on the court. Score in the post, shoot the three, defend and rebound at three positions and is an above average passer for a guy with his size. His size might be his greatest asset at SF, you aren’t going to run into too many 6’11’’ 230 lb small forwards. The Knicks are lucky to have Jones, him alone will make them a very good team for a long time.
Small Forward: Kevin Durant
The Line: 24.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG
Like last time, the best player on the list comes from the SF position. Kevin Durant is the reason why I had to list Jones at PF. Durant is already one of the best scorers in the league at only 22 years of age. Durant is an amazing FT shooter, in the first 26 games of last year he made 113 out of 117 FT attempts. Durant has been getting stronger every year and he is becoming a dangerous post threat, which compliments his great midrange and three point shooting. Durant is a great rebounder because of his size and is a pretty good passer when he wants to be. And perhaps most importantly he doesn’t turn the ball over much for a #1 scoring option. Durant’s defense is still coming along, slowly but surely. Durant is just an average defender right now which may cause him to miss out on a few MVPs in the future unless some improvement is made. Durant is a great player and deserves to be recognized along with the other great players in this league. Durant will definitely bring home many scoring titles in his career, and at only 22 years of age, it is scary to think about the numbers this guy could put up in the future. Durant will have to have a great season since the Rockets are in their CY. They finally brought in some help for him so they shouldn’t have much of a problem making it.
Shooting Guard: Tyreke Evans
The Line: 14.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.0 APG
Evans had a great first TC and has put up consistently great numbers since his rookie season. I thought he was going to be one of the better SGs in the league. Evans still has a chance to be an awesome player, but for some reason his GM really isn’t trying to help him out. The rebound and assist numbers at SG are great and his size and length makes him a very good perimeter defender. Evans has shot pretty good %s but he hasn’t put up great PPG numbers yet. The Sonics are in their CY as well, so he is finally getting some help too. The Sonics need to invest some time into him to improve his inside scoring and his three point shooting a bit though. Once that is done and he is putting up 20+ PPG he will be one of the better players in this league. Evans could average 20, 5 and 5 at SG in the near future which is pretty much unheard of. Evans doesn’t turn the ball over a lot either, so it might be interesting to see how he plays at PG. If the Sonics weren’t in their CY, that would be an interesting idea to go with. Maybe chipper will be more active now that he has to win and will camp Evans.
Point Guard: John Wall
The Line: 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.4 SPG
John put up great first sim numbers except for the turnovers, which seems like it will be the biggest obstacle for him to overcome. Wall is only in his second year and he is already looking like one of the better PGs in the league. Like I said, he will have to work on not turning the ball over but the other parts of his game don’t need much work. John gave up 50 and 54 points in back to back nights versus the Lakers so his defense might could use a little work but he is still learning. Turnovers are a pretty hard thing to lower on a player but with a lot of camping and the right TC, Wall’s turnovers shouldn’t be a problem. Even with the turnovers, I’m sure most any GM would still love to have him. At only 21 and being in his second year, he still has a long way to go. With a few nice TCs and upgrades John should be a great PG. Jedi has done a pretty good job of surrounding Wall with scorers and the 10 APG look great, but the 4 TPG is just as bad. Jedi should have no problem making Wall an elite PG though. He is a future and current(besides the TO’s) stud.
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Reserves:
Evan Turner
The Line: 17.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.3 APG
Turner would be on the list had it not been for two great SFs standing in his way. In his rookie season, I thought he was going to be the next LeBron but he hasn’t improved much since. He is pretty good at everything, but not great at any one thing. He can score inside and out, defend multiple positions, pass the ball well and rebound exceptionally well. But the turnovers are a big problem. And his outside shot could use a lot of help. It sucks that he hasn’t had a GM that has put upgrades into him. But new GM James looks active and hopefully he will bring Turner along better than the last GM.
Greg Monroe
The Line: 17.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 BPG
The Bucks took Monroe over Sullinger last year when most thought Sullinger was the second best player in the draft. It is too soon to say if that was the right move or not. Monroe does look pretty good though aside from the rebounding. It looks like he will sort of be borderline starting material if his rebounding doesn’t improve. He doesn’t have the outside shot to be that effective at SF so if the Bucks don’t start focusing on improving him then he could be stick with B- rebounding. Monroe had a huge injury that put him out for a lot of last season so it will be interesting to see the numbers he puts up for a full season.
Brook Lopez
The Line: 14.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Lopez almost made the list but Favors just edged him out. Brook is a better scorer than Favors and is a 7 footer but his rebounding and defense still needs some work. Wall and Lopez give the Nuggets one of the best young duos in the league and if both keep improving then these two could bring multiple championships to Denver in the future. Lopez has great size but he lacks athleticism. He will never be a great rebounder or shot blocker, but his size allows him to be effective in both categories. He is definitely a 20, 10 and 2 guy in the future but I don’t think he will be the dominant big man that we all thought he would be.
