25-under-25: The best of the rest

Only 25 names make our 25-under-25 list, but several other players were just on the outside. We highlight them here, and why each could make us look silly very soon.

If you’re an NBA player scouring the interwebs for a blog that contains the perfect insult to motivate you for the season ahead, A) Hi Kevin, and B) Don’t be insulted that you didn’t make our list of 25-under-25.

If history is any indication, it might just be a blessing in disguise.

When we debuted this series two years ago, there were 25 names who our esteemed panel of judges thought would have more of an impact than Jayson Tatum. Aaron Gordon also missed that cut. Meanwhile, both figure to play prominent roles on playoff teams this year.

Last season, we similarly missed on D’Angelo Russell (who barely snuck into the honorable mentions at No. 35) and John Collins. How’s that working out?

All four made this year’s Top 25, so if you see your name on the outside looking in, all is not lost.

Or…you might be in trouble. Lest you rest on your laurels over just missing the cut, know that the same honorable mention list in 2017 featured the likes of Josh Jackson (35) and Jabari Parker (33). Both may still turn into useful NBA players…or be out of the league in two years.

Even a few of last year’s just-misses may turn out looking silly, with Dennis Smith Jr. (29) and Terry Rozier (26) both on shaky ground.

So as we get into the next 10 names, just know that nobody really has any freaking clue what’s going to happen with any of these guys.

(Full disclosure: When my editor emailed me the list of 10 names for this piece, I needed to message him back and ask which order they went in. For real…these guys are not separated by much.)

The only thing we know for sure is that a few of the following players will wind up making us all look foolish, one way or another.

35. Kevin Huerter

Why he missed: Unlike the previous two men who occupied this spot, Huerter doesn’t have nearly the variance of a Jackson or a Russell. We kind of already know what he’s going to be: a really useful floor-spacer in a league where such players are more valuable than ever. The flip side of that, however, is that his ceiling seems somewhat capped, so no one was willing to say he belonged much higher, ahead of several guys with bigger boom (and bust) potential.

Why we might look stupid: If he continues growing as a playmaker and a defender and maintains his trajectory as a shooter, throw out everything I just wrote. In that case, he’s a poor man’s Klay Thompson. Not bad.

34. Ja Morant

Why he missed: This is where I’m falling back on the rules of our voting. We’re only supposed to give a grade based on how much the player will help his team in the immediate season ahead, not look at what he might turn into down the road. In other news, rookie point guards usually stink, especially when they’re coming to a team short on talent.

Why we might look stupid: There are exceptions to every rule. Just last season, Luka Doncic and Trae Young established themselves as foundational bedrocks for their respective franchises. That wasn’t just about flashes of promise; they each contributed to winning in a significant way (Doncic more early, Young more late). The greats display “it” almost from the start. If Morant is that, this placement has a chance to look worse than any other on the list.

33. Kevon Looney

Why he missed: Again, rules. Just as a player like Morant is penalized for being too raw on a bad team, someone like Looney is just young enough on a team that figures to be very, very good. Thus, he gets a bump. He’s never going to be anything more than a complementary player, but he’s going to help the Golden State Warriors to a lot of wins in their F.U. K.D. World Tour.

Why we might look stupid: Probably because we placed him on here at all over several young players with much higher ceilings, a few of whom will almost certainly hit.

32. Zach LaVine

Why he missed: Have you seen him play?

Why we might look stupid: Have you seen him play?

(Seriously. I could sit here and pretend I know what the hell to make of Zach LaVine…but why bother? Despite seemingly being the oldest guy in the league still under 25, we have zero clue if he’s ever going to be anything more than a gunner on a bad team, and worse, someone whose gunning very much contributes to why his team is bad. At the same time, the signs of progress have been there if you care to look. They’ve just been too inconsistent to warrant anything more than a spot here.)

31. Jonathan Isaac

Why he missed: Honestly, I’m not really sure. After an injury-plagued rookie year, Isaac showed all the makings of becoming a dynamic two-way force last season. The only real reason that makes any sense is that plenty of young players show flashes early in their careers. Even when they seem like tireless workers and high-character guys — two boxes Isaac certainly checks — sometimes they just can’t put it all together. Maybe this is one of those times.

Why we might look stupid: If you were going to create a perfect modern 4/5 from scratch, you’d create the guy that it appears Isaac is going to be. He’s more likely to make the Pascal Siakam-like leap than anyone in the league.

30. Lonzo Ball

Why he missed: For all of his talent, there’s just way, way, way too many question marks. Is he going to have the ball in his hands enough to be effective while sharing an offense with Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, and, oh yeah…this guy? Between his injury issues (he’s missed 65 games over his first two years in the league), inability or unwillingness to get to the line (only 0.6 free throw attempts per 36 minutes through two seasons), and general uncertainty about whether his game will ever fully translate to the pro level, it’s not hard to see why he’s where he is.

Why we might look stupid: Flip a coin. Does he mesh beautifully with Zion and become an invaluable member of the best young starting five in the league? Definitely possible. Do the New Orleans Pelicans consistently play better when he’s off the court because they’re better able to put the ball in the hands of other, more capable guys? Why not. It’s all on the table. 15, 50…nothing would be surprising about where he checks in next year.

29. Dejounte Murray

Why he missed: It probably has a little bit to do with that fact that he hasn’t played a professional game in 16 months.

Why we might look stupid: For having too much faith in the San Antonio Spurs organization. Murray appeared in this same space a year ago, and has actually risen three spots despite tearing his ACL during training camp. Last September, he was the Next Big Thing that was still going under the radar. If that translates over, there’s a chance this is too low, but the opposite feels more likely, especially with Derrick White taking a prominent place in the San Antonio pecking order.

28. Jarrett Allen

Why he missed: He’s a higher-ceiling version of Looney on a worse (but still competitive) team. The fact that the Brooklyn Nets had to give DeAndre Jordan a four-year contract (i.e., the Kevin Durant tax) probably didn’t help matters either.

Why we might look stupid: This feels a little bit like giving a guy a bit too much credit for being young (he doesn’t turn 22 until April) without considering the fact that his ceiling isn’t all that high. Allen doesn’t stretch the floor and his defense in space isn’t nearly as disruptive as his counterpart across the East River. He’ll probably be fine in whatever minutes he gets, but it’s hard to see him ever getting much higher than he is right now. The fact that the Nets were better when he was on the bench doesn’t help.

27. Wendell Carter Jr.

Why he missed: Because as card-carrying members of the NBA blogosphere, collectively, the staff at The Step Back didn’t do our damn job.

Why we might look stupid: I kid, I kid…but there’s a reason every NBA nerd/stat-head/blogger-boy is contractually obligated to endorse WCJ as A Thing. He has all the tools and figures to impose an Al Horford-like presence on whatever team he’s on for years to come. But the fact remains that the Chicago Bulls are still probably a year away, so it’s unclear whether the greater basketball public will gain a true appreciation for Carter’s talents in the 2019-20 season, or they’ll have to wait a tad longer. Either way, it’s coming.

26. Marvin Bagley III

Why he missed: He plays for the Sacramento Kings. Also, a year ago, their former head coach had the audacity to compare him to Kevin-Freaking-Durant, so maybe people are still laughing/sleeping on the only All-Rookie First Teamer to not make the big list here.

Why we might look stupid: Because he’s really, really freaking good. Look…the Kings will continue to be the Kings until they aren’t, so even though they were super fun last season for the first time in forever, there’s reasonable trepidation considering they turned around and fired the coach that got them there. Still, ignoring the difference Bagley can make on the court is silly. He has the right point guard to exploit his unique talents, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t take another step forward this year. Along with Morant, he’s the best bet to make us all look a little ridiculous a few months from now.

But hey…we’re here to entertain, after all.