Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks has had an inspired sophomore campaign. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has continued his progression towards superstar. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to become a back-to-back MVP. The league’s future is in very good hands.
As the current crop of superstars is aging, the NBA has plenty waiting in the pipeline. Apart from the three we mentioned, there’s also Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz is ascending. Trae Young has given Atlanta Hawks fans something to cheer for. This is all excluding two rookies in Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
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However, the battle seems to have two early front-runners, with a dark horse running up from behind. So let’s take a look at the landscape of the NBA five seasons from now.
Playoff leading scorers through 4 games:
Donovan Mitchell – 39.5
Kawhi Leonard – 33.0
James Harden – 32.0
Luka Doncic – 31.5
Giannis Antetokounmpo – 31.3
Joel Embiid – 30.0
Nikola Vucevic – 29.5
Jamal Murray – 28.0
Jayson Tatum – 27.0
Anthony Davis – 26.5— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 25, 2020
Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo ascend to greatness?
You could argue Giannis is already a bonafide NBA superstar. Outside his lack of post-season impact, he has done everything in the regular season. We all are yet to see if he can sustain it for an entire career. However, Luka Doncic is regarded differently. He is already regarded as an almost perfect offensive player. However, his defensive shortcomings are more pronounced.
Tatum is the wild-card. He hasn’t yet ascended to superstar status but is progressing really well. He isn’t as defensively astute as Giannis or offensively valued as Luka. However, he is a unique commodity on his own. His game has the potential for being completely balanced, kind of in the mold of LeBron James.
With their current trajectory, the battle does narrow at Luka and Giannis. Giannis is already an MVP. Luka is in the conversation as a second-year player. Luka also has a greater flair for the spectacular, in terms of his playmaking and shooting abilities. Giannis is a Shaq reincarnate in terms of his unstoppable nature. Due to him adapting his game to modern needs, he is also a good ball-handler and playmaker. However, he lacks the greatest asset of this era. A reliable three-point shot.
All three men are going to be populating the MVP race for the foreseeable future. Let’s just enjoy how their careers pan out.
