This week, ESPN ranked the NBA’s top 25 players under the age of 25, and the list is eliciting quite the reaction across the board.
At the top of the list was 22-year-old Luka Doncic, followed by 20-year-old Zion Williamson in second and 19-year-old LaMelo Ball in third.
That's exactly where the debate began.
A choice between Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson is a perfect representation of the age-old question: apples or oranges? They're both very good for you, just with a different flavor.
Zion Williamson is a generational athlete built to bully and outmaneuver opponents with a seemingly unprecedented combination of agility and skill. Luka Doncic is a generational scorer who can turn any possession into an easy bucket from virtually every spot on the floor.
There could be no wrong answer here. Both are generational talents and future MVP candidates. Each player has kicked open the door to the NBA with first-ballot Hall of Fame-type performances. But if you had to decide, who are you taking, B/R NBA staffers?
Combined together, Doncic and Williamson represent the future of the NBA and both have gotten off to tremendous starts in their careers. With the two set to play each other, we took a look at some of their unique accomplishments to this point, courtesy of the NBA.
Luka Doncic:
- He is the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 20 in points per game (No. 6), rebounds per game (No. 19) and assists per game (No.4).
- In January, he became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists. That same game, he also became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with at least 17 assists.
- At the age of 21, he is already the Mavericks franchise leader in triple-doubles.
- In February, Doncic became the youngest European-born player to start an NBA All-Star Game.
Zion Williamson:
- He is the first player in the last 30 years to score at least 20 points in seven of his first nine games.
- Zion is currently on a streak of 12 consecutive games with at least 20 points, the most ever by an NBA teenager, surpassing Carmelo Anthony’s record (9) set in 2004.
- Zion is on pace to be one of two players in NBA history to average more than 24 points per game while playing fewer than 31 minutes per game. The other is reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As LeBron James recently said, the NBA is in good hands with Doncic and Williamson leading the next generation of players and the matchup between the two stars on figures to be one to look forward to for years to come.
