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The NBA superstars we have come to love and worship are getting older day by day. The best in the league are nearing the end of their careers. Players like LeBron James and Chris Paul are 36-years-old, Kevin Durant and Westbrook are 32 and Steph Curry is 33.
Who will be the top five NBA players in 2025?
By 2025 the current best players would have bid the NBA a goodbye. In their absence, the league will witness a power vacuum. When that happens, which players will compete for the title of the best? In this ranking, we look at players that, if their health and form stays consistent, will be the best players in the league in 2025.
#5 Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum has developed into a spectacular scorer this past season. After only four years in the league, the Boston Celtics youngster is slowly becoming the face of the franchise. The Celts hit the jackpot when they picked Tatum as the third overall pick in the 2017 draft.
What intrigues us the most about Tatum is how his scoring has improved consistently since his rookie season. In 2017-18, he was averaging only 13.9 points, five rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
His field goals and three-point percentages were more than satisfying even in his rookie year. The problem existed in his meager shot attempts. With only 10.4 field goals and 3.0 three-point attempts, it was impossible for the young rookie to put up impactful numbers.
Compared to his rookie season, Tatum increased his field goal attempts by a massive 10.2 attempts per game. Even his three-point attempts have more than doubled in just three years; he registered 7.6 three-point attempts, of which he converted 2.9 per game.
The young Celt has a long and hopefully successful NBA career ahead of him. If he can manage to maintain the type of output he showcased in the 2020-21 NBA season and establish his team as a regular playoffs contender, he will be counted as one of the best players in the league in 2025.
#4 Devin Booker
There are very few players as offensively complete as Devin Booker in the NBA. The man can score from anywhere on the court. Deep three? No problem for Mr. Booker. Quick mid-range jumper? Not a problem. Slashing from the wings? That's as easy as it gets for the Phoenix Suns' young star.
Booker's offensive prowess has led to many in the league comparing him to Kobe Bryant. In all honesty, his fadeaways, mid-range jumpers and slashing do remind us of the late legend. However, the youngling still has a long way to go before he can also match the achievements of Bryant in the NBA.
Why do we believe Booker can make it to the list of the best NBA players in 2025? The Valley of the Suns star has justified his place on the list with the numbers he has registered and the influence he has had on his team and the league. His performance in his first playoffs was nothing short of brilliance, the kind of brilliance that all the greats are made of.
#3 Trae Young
Public enemy number 1 amongst New York's NBA fans and one of the most loved athletes in Atlanta. Trae Young is comfortable with the two extremely polar impressions he has built in his short career. He is used to the hate and notoriety that comes with being a destructive force of his caliber.
What makes Trae so special is not the fact that he is one of the best shooters in the NBA, or that he is one of the best ball handlers, or that he is one of the best scorers. It's the fact that he is a phenomenal crucial-game player that makes him so incredible.
Young carried the Atlanta Hawks to the playoffs by competing against some of the most menacing teams in the NBA and still had enough fight left in him to average 35.75 points per game in his four-game appearances in the Conference Finals. He is already one of the best in the league and if he remains healthy and motivated, there is a high probability he'll be one of the top five players in the league in 2025.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is already one of the top five players in the NBA. To not give him credit for his impact on the league and his performance for the Milwaukee Bucks would be akin to a crime. Even amongst basketball players, Giannis is physically gifted. His long limbs, agility for such a size, and impressive speed make him an unstoppable force.
There is absolutely no one who could argue that Giannis is not one of the best in the league presently but would he still be one of the top five players in 2025? Greek Freak is only 26 as of now, by 2025 he'll be 30. With the kind of dietary and rehabilitory advancements in the NBA, performance longevity has increased by many years.
Players like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are giving peak performances even though they have crossed the 30-year mark. The kind of growth potential and undeniable talent showcased by Giannis is testament to his greatness. He will, without a doubt, remain one of the top five players in the NBA even in 2025.
#1 Luka Doncic
The Dallas Mavericks have lucked upon a once-a-decade kind of talent in Luka Doncic. He was ranked sixth in the league in the 2020-21 NBA season in points per game and fifth in total points scored over the season.
He averaged 27.7 points per game, placing him above the likes of Russell Westbrook, KD, and LeBron. What is even more magical about his stats is the consideration of his age. He is only 22-years-old at the moment.
The Slovenian's offensive versatility is not limited to scoring. Though his scoring ability is exceptional. His paint slashing, step-back threes and jump shots from mid-range can baffle defenders.
However, with his playmaking ability, he is an absolute monster on offense. There is not an inch of doubt that Luka is already a contender for the top five players in the NBA conversation but when we add 2025 to this discourse, we can safely assume Luka will be one of the top two players in the league if not the number one.
Guess the Lakers players!
