5 NBA Rising Stars About to Level Up
(Who aren’t named Victor Wembanyama)
Today’s pro sports move fast. Like the girl asked me to follow her behind the bleachers the first week of high school. My adolescent, Catholic school brain wasn’t ready for what she was trying to do, but the NBA, and NBA fans are ready to move fast. We are increasingly more ready for young players to make the jump into superstardom faster than ever before, and the patience for development is eroded by the waves of young men who aren’t old enough to drink, but are ready to ball out, and ready for the spotlight.
Most of those rising starts have been by eclipsed the celestial body that is Victor Wembanyama — and for good reason — but there’s a growing cadre of young NBA talent could be ready for the main event in pretty-short order. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are some players who have shown more than just flashes, and could contribute to fantasy rosters, same-game-parlays, or simple personal enjoyment.
Keyonte George (PG/SG, UTA)
Fresh off a trip to Finland with Lauri Markannen Keyonte George finds himself with the starting point guard gig in a fairly crowded guard room in Utah. Keyonte is only 20 years old and coming off a rookie season where he averaged 13 points, shot 33% from 3, and contributed 4.4 assists per game. The assist numbers are exceptional, and while the points and other stats show room for improvement, George boasted a trio of 30+ point games last season and got better and better as the season went on. What that says to me is that he’s a player that is improving as his minutes increased, and he’s right there with the top of his class. While the current trajectory of the Jazz is a bit murky at best, George is a bright spot worth watching.
Brandon Miller (SF, CHA)
I’m high on the Charlotte Hornets this season. Well, as high as you can be on a team that will probably win just above 30 games and was at the bottom of the league in defense last year. One of those reasons to look at them with beer goggles is Brandon Miller. 21 years old and 6’7”, Miller is the type of athletic wing that every team is trying to find…but comes in short supply. In his rookie campaign Miller averaged 17.3 points, shot 37% from 3 — for reference Stephen Curry shoots 40%+ — chipping in 4 rebounds and just under 1 steal per game. For year one, that should draw some attention. The rebounding numbers aren’t bad, but could stand to come up, and those point totals will hopefully see some inflation as he starts catching alley-oops from a (hopefully) healthy LaMelo Ball. Miller isn’t exactly a sleeper, he ranked 68th in ESPN’s Top 100 NBA players this week, but he’ll be given the green light to go nuts with a young Hornets roster.
GG Jackson (F, MEM)
‘23–’24 stats: 14.6 PPG 42% FG, 36% 3PT 4 REB, 2x 3s/game, 1.4 TO
GG is hurt, so we’re going to keep it short. I’m high on the Grizz, though that’s probably coming down to under 47.5 wins because of pre-season injuries stacking up. But Jackson was stellar for them last year and played a lot of meaningful minutes thanks to injuries to stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. GG is already there. He joins Keyonte George on the list of rookies with multiple 30+ point games, including a 44-point outing — he was an absolute monster off the waiver wire for anyone who plays fantasy.
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He’s hurt for something like three months, which sucks. But that gives him January through April to continue to develop, and likely some playoff action to see if he can cook in clutch games.
Chet Holmgren (PF/C, OKC)
‘23–’24 stats: 16.5 ppg, 8 REB, 53% FG, 3PT 37%
Chet probably shouldn’t be on this list because he’s already too good. CBS put him as #3 on their top 10 players under 22, other lists have him as high as top 30 in the League…but he’s young and he’s not Victor Wembanyama. Chet might be the closest person to Wemby currently running around NBA arenas. By that I mean in a league full of the tallest guys on earth, Chet towers over most of them, but still handles the ball like a point guard and shoots 3’s at a near-elite level. These guys are the new prototype. He’s also probably the person on this list most likely to compete for the NBA championship this year, as the Thunder have the second best odds on FanDuel to win the finals at +650.
After missing his ‘true’ rookie season with injury, Chet played all 82 games last year for one of the best teams in basketball — and was an important part of their deep playoff run. If this is the ground floor, the ceiling could be quite terrifying.
Shaedon Sharpe (SG, POR)
Shaedon Sharpe got injured last week and is going to miss 4–6 weeks…which is shorter than GG Jackson so in the parlance of Chris Jericho — he just made the list. Sharpe was sidelines last season, and only played 32 games. But in those 32 games…
…15.9 pts, .9 STL, 33% from 3.
Sharpe is more of an eye test guy than a stats guy. And check out this 5 game stretch from his rookie season. TL: DR - He’s in a statistical category that ONLY includes LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Anthony Edwards. Pretty good company. With so much career ahead and a TON of opportunity in a young Portland team looking to find its next superstar, buy buy buy on Shaedon Sharpe.
The NBA is currently deeper than ever with star talent. Anyone who says different needs to get their eyes checked. There are dominant players on almost every team, aging stars are staying in their prime for longer than ever, and the new crop is right their nipping at their heels early and often. So, buckle up, stay ready, and when Shaedon Sharpe asks you if you want to go to second base, hopefully you’ll be equipped to answer appropriately.
