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#3 Ja Morant
Ja Morant was the reigning NBA Rookie of the year in the 2020-21 season and registered All-Star performances to further show why he deserved the award. Although the youngster struggled with consistency, he is still one of the most highly-rated players in the league that showed All-Star potential.
For a player in his second season, he has done a great job staking his claim as a starter with the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant was not free of the injury bug that plagued the NBA this season, missing nine games early on. Despite that little break in transmission, Morant averaged 19.1 points, four rebounds and 7.4 assists.
The Memphis Grizzlies also overcame the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors in the inaugural play-in tournament to clinch the 8th seed in the 2021 NBA playoffs. However, the Utah Jazz sent them home in the first round, only after Morant continuously displayed All-Star performances that were not expected from a playoff debutant.
#2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has shown All-Star potential since his rookie season but did not have the opportunity to explode early on in his career. He was third-favorite in an OKC Thunder team that had Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder.
Regardless, Shai continued to impress whenever he was given the chance to bring the ball up the court. The 2020-21 NBA season was an excellent opportunity that the guard grabbed with both hands as he was in the starting lineup.
Injuries derailed the youngster's season, resulting in him playing only 35 out of 72 fixtures in the 2020-21 season. Although he didn't make the 2020-21 NBA All-Star list, he is one of the players that will be watched keenly. He finished the regular season averaging 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.
#1 Jaylen Brown
It was impossible not to notice Jaylen Brown in the 2020-21 season even though he missed 14 games due to injury. Brown was an unstoppable force and has caused a lot of problems for opposition defenders.
His partnership with Jayson Tatum bore fruit for the Boston Celtics as he ended the season with an average of 24.7 points, 6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. In all, the Celtics' shooting guard was rewarded with his first-ever All-Star appearance after four seasons in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics missed the All-Star in the 2021 NBA playoffs due to his struggle with a wrist injury. As a result, the Celtics did not stand a chance against the Brooklyn Nets superteam.
