25-under-25: The best of the rest

Only so many players can make our illustrious 25-under-25 list, but in a league flush with young talent, these 10 names should still be on everyone’s radar.

When you’re talking about the best young players in the NBA, they generally fall into one of three categories: the sure things (the top 10 or so in these rankings), the “I’m almost positive this guy will have a better career than Anthony Randolph” group (the rest of the players who made the list), and finally, the category of young men most likely to get a GM fired.

Welcome to the best of the rest.

The reason the 10 players that appear here stand a decent chance at imperiling a job or two is because they blend a dangerous combination of potential and uncertainty. On one hand, there’s enough going on here that a bunch of smart NBA observers (and me) rated them higher than the names of 65 other young, intriguing players (and Paul Zipser). On the other hand, there’s enough uncertainty with each one to keep them out of the prime group.

Need proof that these ten names are the ultimate grab bag? Just look at last year’s verison. Occupying the No. 34 spot in 2017 was someone who’s since become arguably one of the five most untouchable assets in the game, Jayson Tatum. Three spots higher on the list? That would be Norman Powell, whose four-year, $42 million extension isn’t quite the bargain the Raptors thought they were getting when he inked it last offseason.

That’s the thing with potential — it’s intoxicating to the point that you think the high will last forever. It’s so easy to dwell on the success stories.

Of the next 10 names, here’s betting most will make their ranking look silly this time next year. The only question is how much further up or down the list they’ll be.

We start with a player who’s already on his second team and may very well be on his third when the next edition of these rankings come out.