B/R's Under-23 NBA Fantasy Draft

The NBA isn't searching for the next generation of stars.

That group is already here.

The Association is awash with young talent. Some of tomorrow's biggest stars are starring today. Others are flashing that ability with enough regularity to treat their coronation as an inevitability.

It's a good time to be a basketball fan and a better one to be a front-office member who gets to construct rosters around these budding ballers. Since no one has assigned me actual control of their roster, I'll settle for distributing the best under-23 building blocks in a draft format.

This won't be a simple ranking of the best young players, but rather the order I'd prefer to build around them. Everything from production and growth potential to play style and ease of fit with others has been analyzed. To simplify the process, only players who haven't turned 23 at the time of publication will be considered.

Get it? Great, and I suppose I'll put myself on the clock for the No. 1 pick.

Despite a fully loaded class of under-23 stars, this might be the easiest call in the draft. That's no slight to the other young stars, but Doncic is different.

Like, once-in-a-generation kind of different.

"He knows where everybody is not only on offense, but defense," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "That's the sign of a savant-type guy. I've played with Larry Bird, he could see everything like that. I had the privilege of coaching Jason Kidd. ... Luka is in that same mold."

That should feel like impossibly high praise for a 21-year-old, but it works. Doncic is already taking a blowtorch to the record books. He just piloted the most efficient offense in NBA history while becoming the third player to average 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

This was Doncic's second season in the league.

It's silly or scary—depending on your allegiance—to think where he'll go from here. The opportunity to build around him might be the best gift the hoop gods can bestow on a front office.

Surprised to not see Zion Williamson in this spot? Probably not if you kept an eye on Jayson Tatum's third NBA season.

Free to spread his wings with Kyrie Irving out of town, Tatum spent the first half of the campaign securing his first All-Star spot and the second launching himself into the superstar conversation.

From February through the seeding games in the bubble, he was good for 27.1 points per night on 47.4/46.3/77.6 shooting. He opened his playoff run with back-to-back 30-point outings and scored at least 28 in nine of his 17 postseason contests.

"He's a superstar," Kemba Walker said in August, per CBS Boston's Matthew Geagan. "He's been showing it night in, night out. He just makes the right reads, man. He's a special talent."

It'd be one thing if Tatum was simply scoring at an elite level and shooting efficiently, but he's simultaneously upgrading his playmaking, rebounding and defense, too.

He's an all-around asset, and if it weren't for Doncic, he would be a logical place to start this draft.

If you want to talk yourself out of Zion Williamson in this spot, you point to his unique build (6'6", 284 lbs) and whether it will negatively impact his longevity.

But my glass is overflowing. Let the pessimists worry about Zanos' future while this team gets turbo-powered by his present. He did everything a player could in 24 games to guarantee a path to stardom; his scoring arsenal lacks several coats of polish, and he still popped for 29.1 points per 36 minutes with a 58.3 field-goal percentage.

"His talent is off the charts," an Eastern Conference coach told ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "He has potential to impact the game with or without the ball, and on both ends. As he understands the game, he will be able to be a playmaker that is incredibly high level, and shooting improvement will come over time."

In other words, this is just the beginning. You could bottle up everything he showed this season, make it more efficient and then add to the recipe with more shooting volume, secondary passing, extra rebounds and heavy doses of defensive versatility.

If there's a question about his draft spot, it's whether he's high enough.

Want the elevator pitch on Ja Morant? Just look at where the Memphis Grizzlies were last summer (needing a new franchise face, predicted to go nowhere) and where they stand now (powered by one of the best young cores in basketball).

That's not all about Morant, but the Rookie of the Year gave the Grizzlies their bite. He paced the team in points (17.8) and assists (7.3) and became just the seventh freshman ever to average 17 points and seven dimes.

"He's here to be great," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Morant is an identity-setter. Everything from his fearlessness and aggression to his decision-making and scoring gives his group an example to follow. Leaving him outside the top three seems impossible, but it just speaks to the wealth of young talent in this league.

Trae Young isn't the only one-way player in the NBA, but he's by far the most fascinating.

For starters, the canyon between his offensive gifts and defensive liabilities is as wide as can be. ESPN's real plus-minus ranked him as 2019-20's second-best offensive player and worst defender. Last season, he was 21st in offense and again dead last on defense.

Experience might help with Young's defense, but there's a cap on his growth. He's undersized (6'1", 180 lbs), he's not particularly athletic, and he has trouble staying engaged defensively. That he can still go fifth in this exercise highlights how incredible he is on offense—fourth in scoring, second in assists—though his ball-dominance does demand a certain type of supporting cast be constructed around him.

"Building a playoff team around Young is both an alluring and confounding architectural challenge," ESPN's Kirk Goldsberry wrote. "On one hand, you have to surround him with off-ball offensive threats that open the floor. Then you also need a fleet of defensive talent to compensate for his tremendous limitations."

Young's talent is overwhelming, though, so you take it here and count on your front office being able to build a functional group around him.

Unicorns exist. Well, they're real in the basketball world, at least.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is living proof.

As often as the term gets tossed around these days, it's perhaps best attached to bigs who can stretch the floor and protect the rim. Those aren't the only things Jackson does, but they form the foundation of his game. This past season, he became just the fifth qualified player to average 2.0 threes and 1.5 blocks. His 39.4 three-point percentage easily ranked second in that group behind only Kevin Durant.

Jackson would be a great shooter if he stood a foot shorter than his 6'11" frame. Only 19 marksmen averaged 2.5 threes and had a 39 percent success rate this past season, and he was one of them. More impressively, he's an equal-opportunity splasher with the footwork and touch to hit threes on spot-ups, pull-ups, pick-and-pops and transition chances; you name the shot and it's in his bag.

A jumbo shooter is always intriguing—just watch what Davis Bertans gets paid in free agency—but Jackson can be so much more. He's a defensive deterrent at the rim and a plucky switcher on the perimeter. He can screen players open, feed his teammates, create off the bounce and finish at the rim. He's a ball of clay any front office and coaching staff would be eager to mold.

In terms of promoting roster flexibility, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is like a world-class yoga instructor. No matter how the team dynamics shape up around him, he can find a way to fit.

"He doesn't have any defined weaknesses," Jonathan Tjarks wrote for The Ringer. "He can create his own shot, facilitate for others, shoot 3s, rebound, and defend multiple positions."

Gilgeous-Alexander can carry an offense or complement a brighter star. He'll shift from featured scoring duties to spot-up sniping or ball-moving on the fly. He can hang with most any type of perimeter defensive assignment. He even cleans the glass when needed.

Will he ever be the best player on a title team? Maybe not. But if you can find that centerpiece, Gilgeous-Alexander can ace the sidekick role.

The Sacramento Kings don't have much to show for their 14-year playoff drought, but at least they had the sense to snatch up De'Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick in 2017. Now, we're snatching him away and quickly plugging him into the uptempo attack he should be piloting (not Sacramento's 12th-slowest offense).

The 6'3" guard is a speed merchant, though his latest success is tied to deceleration. Rather, the game is slowing down for the three-year veteran, which is making him even harder to handle.

"I think the game is continuing to slow down for myself," Fox said in July, per NBC Sports Bay Area. "Obviously, I continue to get stronger, I'm shooting the ball and just seeing the game better in general. ... I feel the game is slowing down both ways—being able to score the ball and defend and get guys the ball."

Fox is becoming a floor general and a full-fledged nightmare for opponents. In his final 15 outings, he tallied 24.5 points, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field. If he finds consistency with his outside shot, then hindsight will see him as underrated here.

Can a center be the centerpiece of a modern contender? If he checks enough contemporary boxes, he can. (Just ask Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.)

Deandre Ayton isn't at that level, but his path to the top is clear enough to select him ninth. He might appear like a rim-runner on first glance, but giving him that label undersells his agility, defensive versatility and shooting potential.

He's an easy mover away from the basket, which when coupled with his 7'5½" wingspan helps him handle perimeter players on defensive switches. Pair his career 74.8 percent connection rate at the foul line with a willingness to shoot (67 makes outside of 10 feet this past season) and it's easy to imagine him taking and making three-point shots sooner than later.

This is banking on development to some degree, but even if he plateaued for some reason (he won't), he'd basically be a nightly source of 20 points, 10 boards and a couple of blocks. The 22-year-old could handle all your interior work for the next decade-plus.

Does Tyler Herro secure the No. 10 spot without the bubble boost? Probably not. He had already proved himself underdrafted by then, but his production perked up as the competition and stakes both elevated.

He left Orlando as only the second rookie to record 300 points, 100 rebounds and 75 assists in the postseason. He was just the 19th freshman in the three-point era to average 15 points with a 55-plus true shooting percentage in the playoffs. He had four 20-point outings, including a 37-point outburst in Miami's three-point Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This selection is about more than numbers, though. It's also the manner in which he can compile them.

Seen by some as a shooting specialist coming out of Kentucky, Herro has shown an impressive off-the-dribble arsenal of pull-up shots, floaters and pinpoint passes. He could be a scoring focal point and secondary distributor in the near future.

That's an enviable skill set to build around even if he can be exposed in certain defensive matchups.

11. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets

At one point, the 2018 draft was all about Porter. But a back injury nearly pushed him out of the lottery (14th pick) and delayed his NBA debut by a full season. Nuggets fans might feel he's worth the wait now, but he is by no means a can't-miss star.

He is a 6'10" three-level scorer and every bit as interesting as that sounds. He can also be an active presence on the glass, which can lift his point production up another level. The question—the thing holding him out of this top 10—is how many other areas of the game he'll positively impact. He had some dreadful defensive stretches and is prone to tunnel vision, but he can still be a star if those issues are ever corrected.

12. Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Robinson doesn't touch a ton of box-score categories, but he makes a massive imprint on the few he reaches. His 9.0 career block percentage is second-highest in NBA history (min. 100 games). His league-best 74.2 field-goal percentage in 2019-20 was a record-setter. His 1.66 points per possession as a pick-and-roll screener landed him in the 98th percentile despite New York's pick-and-roll ball-handlers being the second-least efficient.

Robinson can cover a ton of ground defensively, and he may have a few rebounding titles in his future. He needs to control his fouls and may never provide shooting or passing, but he's excellent at what he does.

13. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings

Bagley, who history may remember simply as "Not Luka Doncic," is the hardest player to place in this re-draft. He has only played 75 games in two seasons and all of them with the Kings, who don't exactly have the richest track record with prospect development. Sacramento hasn't even settled on his NBA position yet and gives him substantial run at both the 4 (40 percent of his minutes) and the 5 (60 percent).

In a perfect world, he's an all-purpose center who can shoot, attack the basket, protect the rim and defend on the perimeter. There's a non-zero chance his future features all of the above, but there isn't enough evidence to say with any certainty whether he'll get there.

14. Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago Bulls

Carter's numbers are like his game: subtle. So, if he seems a pinch overdrafted here, that's probably the reason.

But if given more of an opportunity than he was afforded under former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen, Carter could check many of the same boxes Al Horford did in his prime. He needs to up his shooting and trim his fouls first, but he already mimics Horford's smart team defense, paint protection, screen-setting and complementary passing.

15. P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets

While the natural inclination of draft evaluations is to gravitate toward strengths, sometimes an absence of weaknesses can pique interest. That's the primary selling point with Washington, who just became only the eighth rookie to average 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one three-pointer.

His lack of a standout skill puts a cap on his ceiling, but his jack-of-all-trades game fits with virtually every roster construction imaginable.

16. RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

It's tough to take much of anything away from Barrett's freshman season since the questions of whether his game—built largely around inside-the-arc scoring—could impact winning couldn't be answered on a team unequipped to win. Whatever you thought of him entering the campaign is probably no different than how you evaluate him now.

He's clearly a natural scorer, and he uses his footwork and speed changes to keep defenders off balance. Unless his minutes evaporate, he seems likely to have some 20-points-per-game seasons in his future. But his limitations as a shooter (32.0 percent from three, 61.4 percent on free throws) and passer (2.6 assists against 2.2 turnovers) might prevent him from earning building-block status.

17. Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers

An afterthought (if that) as a rookie, Trent erupted in his sophomore season to crack the short list of the Association's up-and-coming three-and-D wings. He routinely guarded the opponent's top perimeter player while splashing 41.8 percent of his long-range looks.

Players who can defend multiple positions and make open shots are invaluable in today's league. Trent may not have the highest ceiling of everyone left in the player pool, but he might be the easiest to build around.

18. Kevin Porter Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers

Both eyes are affixed to the future here since Porter's present isn't close to where he could be headed. Now, he's a 10-point scorer whose decision-making and shot selection can hold down his efficiency. Down the road, though, he could become a featured shot-creator with the handles, burst and pull-up touch to be a matchup problem at all three levels.

If he improves his feel for the game and off-ball activity on both ends of the court, he has a shot at stardom.

19. Coby White, Chicago Bulls

White has plenty to learn after a roller-coaster ride of a rookie season. He can't be a scoring specialist while shooting 39.4 percent from the field. He won't handle primary playmaking duties without widening the gap between his assists (2.7) and turnovers (1.7).

But I'm still blown away by the flamethrower he displayed down the stretch. Over the last nine games of his rookie campaign, he averaged 26.1 points on 48.0/43.2/90.3 shooting. I couldn't ignore those numbers even if I tried.

20. Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic

Fultz salvaging his career by averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 assists says everything you need to know about the turbulence of his first two seasons. He has proved he wasn't a wasted draft pick, but he's nowhere close to even approaching the expectations that emerged when he was taken first overall in 2017.

Saying that, he still has impressive physical tools and increased confidence to put them to use correctly. He'd rank higher if he inspired more confidence in developing a shot from downtown—career 26.7 percent from three, 67.7 at the line—but even without that, it's easy to be drawn to his rim attacks, table-setting and disruptive defense.

21. Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder

Game 7 eruption aside, there are myriad questions about Dort's offensive upside, but there's even more excitement surrounding his suffocating defense. It's the single sharpest skill left on the draft board and the reason he deserves this selection spot.

22. Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn Nets

The Nets may not fully appreciate Allen—putting him in a timeshare with DeAndre Jordan is laughable—but the same mistake won't be made here. Allen is 22 years old and already a sturdy interior anchor. He was one of only eight players to average one block and shoot at least 64 percent this past season. It'd be fun if he dabbled with a long-distance shot again (60 attempts across his first two seasons), but he justifies this draft slot without it.

23. De'Anthony Melton, Restricted Free Agent (Memphis Grizzlies)

Melton may never have an outside shot (career 29.4 percent), but he will do all the little things that help a team win. He's one of four players to post an 8.5 rebounding percentage, a 3.0 steal percentage and a 1.5 block percentage for his career (min. 50 games).

Add secondary playmaking to the mix and you have a two-way 22-year-old backcourt piece who should be easy to build around.

24. Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers

Will Sexton ever play defense? No idea. Will he move the basketball like a primary playmaker? You probably shouldn't bet on it. But he's a natural scorer whose shooting efficiency already looks ahead of schedule (47.2/38.0/84.6 slash line in 2019-20).

He needs to shore up at least one of his weaknesses to handle a long-term starting gig. But even if he tops out at being a second-team spark, that's good value here.

25. Bol Bol, Denver Nuggets

At some point, Bol's potential is too intriguing to pass up, and we've reached it here.

Granted, he has answered few (if any) questions about longevity and whether his body can support an impact career, but it's always hard to overlook a shooting-plus-blocks blend. And when that combo is coming from a 7'2" center who's comfortable handling the basketball and getting out in the open court, it's too much to pass up.

26. Kevin Huerter, Atlanta Hawks

Huerter has done a decent job handling the Klay Thompson role for "Warriors East," at least as far as being a good shooter (career 38.3 percent from three) with size (6'7"). But he lacks Thompson's defensive versatility, and that makes it trickier to treat him as more than a specialist. There's absolutely still a spot for a three-point sniper with some secondary distributing touch, but it's not the most valuable role around.

27. Cam Reddish, Atlanta Hawks

If you caught the first few months of Reddish's career, you wouldn't believe he'd even get a mention in this discussion. If you tuned in only for the final stretch of his rookie season—say, when he averaged 14.6 points on 47.0/41.7/82.7 shooting over his last 21 outings—you couldn't imagine how he's not in the top 15.

That should make this placement just right, then, accounting for both his two-way potential and the fact he may never realize it.

28. Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs

Few player stocks saw a bigger bubble spike than Johnson's as San Antonio's embrace of player development positioned 2019's 29th pick for a late breakout. This is putting a lot of faith into that miniature sample size, but everything he showed in Orlando—defensive versatility, limitless energy, point-blank finishing, there-when-he-needs-it shooting—seems relatively sustainable.

29. Zach Collins, Portland Trail Blazers

Collins is tough to rank because he's been limited both by a talented Portland frontcourt and a struggle to stay healthy. There are encouraging flashes of shooting and paint protection, but three seasons into his NBA career, he's still more of an idea than a reality. At least the concept is compelling enough to get him this spot.

30. Darius Bazley, Oklahoma City Thunder

This is admittedly aggressive for a 6'8" forward who shot under 40 percent across 1,130 minutes, but the upside he flashed inside the bubble, coupled with his incredible physical gifts, is hard to ignore. This is a project pick, but if his shooting sustains (47.6 percent from three across 15 outings in Orlando), then this is a steal.