7 young NBA players making the leap this season

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Here are 7 young NBA players who showing significant improvement this season.

It’s not too early to overreact to what we’re seeing from the start of the NBA’s 82-game grind. Trends historically begin to stabilize around the 20-game mark. While it would be unwise to suggest the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will continue to be among the worst teams in the league all year, plenty of what we’re seeing so far feels real.

One of the best parts about the start of a new season is tracking all the younger players who are changing their games for the better in significant ways. Not everyone can make an All-Star leap over the course of one summer, but players can grow into their bodies and roles while showing off new skills that alter trajectory of their careers. Unfortunately, injuries always take a toll. Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero would have been the first two players on this list if they weren’t already sidelined.

Here are seven young NBA players changing their perceptions for the better so far this season. Every player on this list is 24 years old or younger.

Evan Mobley, C/F, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mobley’s numbers don’t look significantly different from last year, but he just feels like a more confident and aggressive offensive player. Mobley was already one of the league’s best defenders before this year as a long and mobile 7-foot rim protector. During the Cavs’ historic 13-0 start, he’s finally started to use his tools to punish teams when Cleveland has the ball. New head coach Kenny Atkinson has allowed Mobley more ball handling reps and encouraged him to be more physical around the basket. The 23-year-old is finally playing with force, raising his free throw attempts and usage rate to help his scoring take a small bump up from 25.3 to 28 points per 100 possessions over the last year. Mobley is also the league’s leading scorer on cuts right now. Atkinson has figured out how to make Cleveland’s twin towers approach work without junking up the spacing, and Mobley’s evolution is key to that.

Tari Eason, F, Houston Rockets

Sort the NBA by box-score plus minus, an all-in-one stat that captures on-court impact, right now. The top-5 players in the metric are just about the five best players in the league: Jokic, Giannis, SGA, Tatum, Curry. No. 6 is Houston Rockets third-year forward Tari Eason. Eason felt like a major draft day steal when he fell to the No. 17 pick in 2022, and he’s fully putting his talents on display this year. The 6’8 forward is a buzzsaw defender, an efficient interior scorer, and a menace in transition. He’s currently No. 2 in the league in steal rate and top-15 in block rate. Eason is shooting 77 percent at the rim, per basketball-reference, up from 56 percent last year. The 23-year-old is Houston’s chaos agent who can turn defense into offense in the blink of an eye and bully opponents physically on both ends. The Rockets still need to sort through which members of their young core they can actually afford to keep long-term, but there’s no doubt that Eason should be a foundational piece moving forward.

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Bilal Coulibaly, F, Washington Wizards

Victor Wembanyama’s former teammate in France, Coulibaly looked like a baby deer as a 19-year-old rookie for the Wizards last season. This year, he’s unleashing the physical tools that made him the No. 7 overall pick in 2023 and showing why he has so many of the traits teams look for out of a modern wing. Coulibaly is extremely long (7’2 wingspan) and extremely explosive athletically, flying down the floor to finish plays in transition and finish at the rim. He’s made a massive jump in scoring efficiency since last year, going from 54.3 to 65.7 in true shooting percentage. Right now, Coulibaly is finishing an impossible 96 percent of his shots at the rim, per basketball-reference. He’s making 37.5 percent from three, too. The Wizards are still in the very early stages of their rebuild, but they found a super athletic two-way wing to build with in Coulibaly.

LaMelo Ball, G, Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball was an NBA All-Star during his age-20 season, so maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised by what he’s doing this year. Ball’s biggest problem has always been availability, as injuries limited him to only 58 games combined the last two seasons. Finally healthy under new head coach Charles Lee, Ball is again reminding us he’s one of the NBA’s most talented creators who can take over a game at a moment’s notice. Ball leads the league in usage rate right now at an absurd 37.7 percent, but he’s making the most of his opportunities by averaging 30 points per game on above-average scoring efficiency. Ball was considered a questionable shooter entering the draft, but not anymore. He’s leading the NBA in three-point attempts per game (13.1) and is hitting better than 37 percent of those looks. As his scoring skyrockets, he’s still top-10 in the league in assist rate. Ball can still be wild with his decision-making, but there’s no doubt he’s on the short list of the best guards in the East right now.

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Dyson Daniels, G, Atlanta Hawks

Daniels went from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Hawks this summer as part of the Dejounte Murray trade. He felt like a great fit next to Trae Young in Atlanta on paper as a huge defensive-minded guard, but that required him to show he can stay on the floor offensively. It’s all happening. The 21-year-old has improved his scoring from 5.8 to 14.3 points per game, showing off his connective passing and transition finishing even as his jump shot remains a work in progress. Daniels’ real impact comes on the defensive end: he’s leading the NBA with 3.6 steals per game and providing a versatile defensive complement to Young’s star-level creation ability. The Hawks still need Daniels to shoot it better from three, but having an athletic 6’8 guard who can capably defend wings and guards and push the ball on the break is exactly what this team always needed next to Young.

Tyler Herro, G, Miami Heat

Herro was barely even considered a positive player last season by the impact numbers as injuries limited him to only 42 games. So far this season, he ranks top-20 in the NBA in BPM by increasing his scoring potency and establishing himself as one of the league’s best shooters. The 24-year-old is knocking down 48 percent of his threes on nearly 10 attempts from deep per game to start this season. His quick trigger has helped open up more driving lanes in the paint, and right now he’s shooting over 50 percent from two-point range for the first time in his career. Herro’s handle looks tighter and his confidence has never been higher. He’s become a true three-level scorer, and so far he’s been the Heat’s best player this season.

Jaden Ivey, G, Detroit Pistons

Ivey played with the NBA’s shortest leash last season as head coach Monty Williams was determined to play Killian Hayes (who is currently out of the league) over him. Williams was mercifully replaced by JB Bickerstaff this summer, and the Pistons have suddenly gone from a doormat to a respectable team. Ivey’s ascent is a big reason why. The 22-year-old is a speed demon who is forming a thunder-and-lightning combination with another young player leveling up this season, teammate Cade Cunningham. Ivey can create paint touches at will with his burst, and he’s using it to increase the frequency of his rim attempts. His three-point stroke looks a little more confident, too. Ivey still has plenty of room to grow as a defender and playmaker, but this is the year he’s fully become a foundational part of Detroit’s long-term future.