The next generation of NBA stars is incredibly promising, and many of them are still young enough to be undergraduate students in college.
Now that the NBA’s 2022-23 season is more than halfway done, we’ve decided to re-rank the 23 best players who are under 23 years old. But why 23? Well, it is not just because that was the number worn by Michael Jordan.
Typically, NBA publications rank 25 players under 25 years old. You can read versions of that here, here, and here. I wanted to try a similar thought experiment, but U25 was too much of a challenge because it is such a wide population.
By the time NBA players are 25 years old, many have already graduated to their second contract and are in vastly different chapters of their careers than the league’s young players. It is harder to compare players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, who will each earn more than $30 million next season, to players on rookie scale contracts.
This story was originally published before the season began, and you can see each player’s previous ranking below their name.
For this exercise, all players included must be born after Feb. 1, 2000. We chose that date because the listed age on Basketball Reference is how old a player is on Jan. 31 of each season.
Additionally, the following rankings are based on performance so far this season, and it is not predictive of their future success or their potential in the league.
NOTE: That means players like Darius Garland (who was born on Jan. 26, 2000) and Cade Cunningham or Chet Holmgren (who are injured for the season) were excluded.
23
Bones Hyland (Denver)
AGE: 22.3
PREVIOUS RANK: 17
He is averaging 8.4 unassisted 3-pointers per 100 possessions, per PBPStats. That ranks third-best in the NBA behind only Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, and Stephen Curry. Per 100 possessions, he trails only Curry for the most above-the-break 3-pointers.
Denver’s defense, however, falls off a cliff when Hyland is on the court. They allow an additional 11.5 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court relative to when he is not, per Cleaning The Glass.
22
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta)
AGE: 22.1
PREVIOUS RANK: 22
Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu has played well when given an opportunity in the starting lineup, averaging 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals during those games. He also ranks second-best in the NBA in screen assists per 36 minutes (minimum: 300 minutes), trailing only Grizzlies big man Steven Adams.
21
Josh Green (Dallas)
AGE: 22.1
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
Josh Green has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2022-23 campaign.
He is shooting 86 percent at the rim and 46 percent on 3-pointers and both figures rank in the 95th percentile or better among wings so far this season, per Cleaning the Glass.
Dallas also outscores opponents by an additional 10.6 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court relative to when he is not, which ranks second-best among all players 23 and under.
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20
RJ Barrett (New York)
AGE: 22.6
PREVIOUS RANK: 12
After signing a contract extension during the offseason, New York’s RJ Barrett has actually taken a bit of a step back so far this season.
He is averaging fewer points, rebounds, 3-pointers, and steals per game compared to last season. Barrett, however,ac remains a very productive scorer at 19.7 points per game. His effective field goal percentage is up, too, which is encouraging.
19
Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana)
AGE: 20.6
PREVIOUS RANK: 20
Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin came into the league without lacking any confidence, and it shows every time he plays. Even as a rookie, he currently leads the league in total points scored off the bench and could be a legitimate candidate to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
18
Quentin Grimes (New York)
AGE: 22.7
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
During his second season in the league, Quentin Grimes has made a solid leap for the Knicks.
He has a fairly trustworthy catch-and-shoot jumper and his defensive matchup difficulty ranks fourth-best in the NBA, per BBall-Index. He trails only trusted defenders Jrue Holiday, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Lu Dort in this metric.
17
Alperen Sengun (Houston)
AGE: 20.5
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
Houston’s Alperen Sengun is a very intriguing young player who is averaging 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Sengun has demonstrated the ability to score efficiently, especially at the rim, and he grades out above average across virtually every advanced metric.
16
Devin Vassell (San Antonio)
AGE: 22.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 13
He is currently sidelined with a knee injury, but San Antonio’s Devin Vassell emerged as one of the bright spots for the rebuilding Spurs. Vassell was shooting above 40 percent on 3-pointers for the first time in his career and he knocked down more than half of his shots from the corner.
15
Jalen Green (Houston)
AGE: 20.9
PREVIOUS RANK: 11
Houston’s Jalen Green is a bona fide scorer who is already averaging 21.2 points per game even though this is just his second season in the NBA.
Only six players (DeMar DeRozan, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant, and Tyrese Haliburton) have scored more points as the ball handler in pick-and-roll sets.
Across the board, however, advanced analytics tend to grade him as one of the worst defensive players in the NBA.
14
Keegan Murray (Sacramento)
AGE: 22.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 14
Sacramento’s Keegan Murray isn’t reinventing the wheel or doing anything particularly revolutionary during his rookie season, but he is doing it well.
He is shooting 42.2 percent on non-corner 3-pointers, fifth-best among the 66 players with at least 150 attempts from that zone. Murray has also hit the sixth-most catch-and-shoot jumpers among all players in the Western Conference.
13
Kevin Porter Jr. (Houston)
AGE: 22.7
PREVIOUS RANK: 19
Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. was arguably playing out of position as a point guard when he is probably more of a shooting guard. He hasn’t been very efficient, and there are serious defensive concerns.
He is, however, one of three players to ever average at least 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and two 3-pointers per game. The others are just Luka Doncic and LaMelo Ball, so that’s not bad company whatsoever.
12
Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City)
AGE: 20.3
PREVIOUS RANK: 9
Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey is one of just seven players to ever average at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and one 3-pointer per game before turning 23 years old. The others are just LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Tracy McGrady, Chris Webber, and Lamar Odom.
Giddey has also improved his 3-point percentage from 26.3 percent as a rookie to 35.5 percent this season, but his defensive limitations and offensive inefficiency are both still notable.
11
Trey Murphy III (New Orleans)
AGE: 22.6
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
Trey Murphy has become integral for the Pelicans and he is already one of the most efficient shooters in the league. His effective field goal percentage ranks in the 95th percentile among wings, per Cleaning the Glass.
He isn’t quite a 50-40-90 guy like he was in college, but he is almost there. The only other player in the NBA (minimum: 850 minutes) meeting his thresholds of 47-40-90 is Stephen Curry. The last time someone did that before turning 23 years old was — you guessed it — Curry in 2010-11.
10
Scottie Barnes (Toronto)
AGE: 21.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
This hasn’t been an ideal season for Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year. While he is not making the ascension that many expected from him after such a great first year in the league, there are peaks and valleys with everything. For the second season in a row, per BBall-Index, he ranks as the most versatile positional defender in the NBA.
9
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota)
AGE: 22.3
PREVIOUS RANK: NR
Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels is having a very good campaign, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
Opponents are currently shooting just 49.7 percent at the rim when McDaniels is the nearest defender, per PBPStats, which ranks as the third-best behind just Defensive Player of the Year favorites Jaren Jackson Jr. and Draymond Green among those who have defended at least 150 attempts.
8
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia)
AGE: 22.2
PREVIOUS RANK: 8
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey missed time due to injury, but he is beginning to find his rhythm once again.
When he is at his best, Maxey is one of the most thrilling young players in the NBA. He already has a game in which he scored 44 points (15-20 FG, 9-12 3P) this season, tying a franchise record for the most 3-pointers scored in a single game. He is shooting 54.5 percent on corner 3-pointers, one of the best marks in the league.
7
Paolo Banchero (Orlando)
AGE: 20.2
PREVIOUS RANK: 16
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero is the runaway favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for a reason.
He has done an excellent job of drawing contact when driving to the basket, earning more free-throw attempts per game on these possessions than any other rookie on record. As noted in our award prediction roundtable, of the top-10 scoring performances from rookies in 2022-23, Banchero has already recorded six of them.
6
LaMelo Ball (Charlotte)
AGE: 21.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 3
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball got a late start to the season due to injury, and the Hornets have struggled to win even in the games he has played.
Still, however, Ball is one of the most talented and clever playmakers in the NBA. His passer rating ranks third-best in the NBA, per Thinking Basketball, behind only Jokic and Haliburton.
5
Franz Wagner (Orlando)
AGE: 21.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
Now in his second season, Franz Wagner remains a highly impactful player for the Magic.
He is a very switchable defensive player with good playmaking and scoring skills on offense, and he is one of the most prolific scorers shooting after dribble handoffs. Orlando’s net rating improves by 6.2 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor relative to when he is not.
Wagner currently ranks third-best in Estimated Wins (EW) among all players on this list, per Dunksandthrees.com, trailing just Tyrese Haliburton and Zion Williamson.
4
Evan Mobley (Cleveland)
AGE: 21.6
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
Only in his second year in the league, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley is already one of the most impactful defensive players in the world.
He is an excellent perimeter defender for his size and currently leads the NBA in contested 3-pointers. He also leads the league in defensive win shares (DWS) and ranks third-best in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus (DRPM).
His offensive game is also developing, including a recent game-winning shot and some improved playmaking and passing.
3
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
AGE: 21.4
PREVIOUS RANK: 1
Minnesota has struggled more than expected so far this season, but Anthony Edwards has become one of the league’s most trusted ironmen. He leads the league in minutes played and ranks fourth-best in total scoring among all players in the Western Conference, his 23.7 ppg is nothing to shrug about.
There are still some efficiency questions, but overall, it is hard to argue with his productivity.
2
Zion Williamson (New Orleans)
AGE: 22.5
PREVIOUS RANK: 2
Although he has still struggled to maintain a consistently clean bill of health, what we have seen from Zion Williamson when on the court this season has been incredibly promising.
He is one of the most elite rim finishers in the league, scoring more points per game on drives than all but just three players in the league. Defenders have no choice but to foul him and he draws more and-1s per 100 possessions than anyone in the NBA except for just Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant.
1
Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana)
AGE: 22.9
PREVIOUS RANK: 4
Tyrese Haliburton, who leads the league in assists, has been a revelation since taking over as the face of the franchise for the Pacers.
The guard has quickly become one of the game’s brightest stars, and all of the advanced metrics back this up. According to Thinking Basketball, his box creation (which estimates the number of open shots created for teammates per 100 possessions) ranks fourth-best in the NBA.
He also ranks second overall among all NBA players in wins produced, via Box Score Geeks.
