http://www.411mania.com/sports/nba/56852/T...of-25:-%2310---

The list they compiled is the top 25 NBA players under 25. The players were evaluated equally based on their performance last year and what they deem to be each players overall potential. The site also excludes players who have not played at least one year in the NBA.

Not the most credible of sites but I think they did a good job evaluating some of the players on the list.

Eddy Curry came in at 24,
Ben Gordon 21
Tyson Chandler 18 (that's my boy)
Luol Deng 10 (which is right around where I would have put him)


Ben Gordon
The only one I really think is underrated is Ben Gordon. 21 are you serious. They gave him an intagibles of 4 and a potential of 4. Potential of 4. With all he has improved each season he got a potential of 4.

Here is what they said which is somewhat true but still I think he's higher than a 4.
"Many will cry foul at having a player that can score as well as Gordon listed so low on this list. What prevents him from moving up is that he's one of the oldest players listed, his inability to do anything on the court outside of putting the ball in the basket and the unlikelihood of him improving much in those areas prevents him from moving up the board."

Luol Deng

They couldn't have said it much better. I love Deng. While he's a great player and has a great work ethic he'll probably never be the guy to build a championship team around. However, with the Bulls have 4 or 5 very good players they can still win titles.

Overall: Deng will probably never be a guy to build a championship team around but is a perfect second banana.

Why he'll get even better… While his scoring is impressive, it would be nice to see Deng add a little range to his jumper as he's shot a paltry 26 percent from three point range over his career.

The native of Wow, Sudan (by far the coolest sounding hometown in existence) is as complete a player as anyone on this list. He's a tall small forward at 6-9 and his Tayshawn Prince-like lank-bo arms give him an advantage on both ends of the court. His quick hands and defensive instincts give opposing players fits and allows him to come up with an abundance of steals. Offensively, Deng is not only a good scorer, he's an efficient one. Deng rarely forces things on the offensive end and plays within his limitations, which pretty much include drives and mid-range jumpers. Deng's increased driving ability has resulted in more trips to the line every year since entering the league.

Luol is a workhorse who played in all 82 games last year. His standout athletic gifts (namely his length) are not ones that diminish with age.





You think our team is young now, just imagine if we would have kept Curry. We'd have 4 of the top 25 youngest players in the league. That's pretty good. But it didn't happen. If Tyrus picks up his game soon, we could still end up having 3 (or 4 if Noah really surprises).

I couldn't find the top 5 but when I do I'll post it.

I assume it goes something like this

1. Lebron (b/c he's Lebron)(Turns 23 this year. That's crazy. For all he's already done he's only turning 23).
2. Dwight Howard (b/c he's a beast)(17.3ppg, 12.3rpg, 1.9 bpg as a 20-21 year old with the sculpted body that compares to Karl Malone. He turns 22 in December)
3. Deron Williams (b/c of the progress he's made at the PG position in only 2 years)(16.2 ppg, 9.3 apg)(The true team player)(A big game player he was great in the playoffs)
4. Amare (not my choice but he's probably the sites guy at 4)
5. Chris Bosh (he's damn good for a 23 year old)

I know he's almost 26 but I still think Nene has to be on this list especially in front of David Lee. Nene really burst onto the season last year and in the playoffs. I love Nene's game and how mobile he is. Also, based on potential I think Al Jefferson might need to be a little higher. I also think they ranked TJ Ford too high.


Players that will more than likely hit that list in the next couple of seasons.

Tyrus Thomas, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Julian Wright(?), Mike Conley (will replace TJ), ect.

1. LeBron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Chris Bosh
4. Amare Stoudemire
5. Deron Williams

no argument here

Those are some pretty accurate rankings. My Top 10 would go something like this:
10- Andre Iguodala
9- Luol Deng
8- Josh Smith
7- Chris Paul
6- Amare Stoudemire
5- Carmelo Anthony
4- Deron Williams
3- Chris Bosh
2- Dwight Howard
1- LeBron James

Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay

Definitely those, the others we will see how they progress.. We already know about Oden and Durant, but Lamarcus Aldridge is Chris Bosh jr with less of a jumpshot and more of a post up game. Rudy Gay is your typical athletic small forward who's basically a Josh Smith with the potential to become a superstar.

Luol Deng's body doesn't exactly flare out at you. He's good at just about everything but not great except for his midrange game. He's a hard worker like Tim Duncan and quitely becoming a stud in this league. He's going to keep progressing as the years go by and doing all this at such a young age.

Amare > Deron

Hopefully TT can plant himself on that list next year. He certainly has the ability to do it.

Ben Gordon should be around 12 IMO.

My top 15....

1. LeBron-nothing needs to be said about this guy
2. Amare-Is a pretty establish player
3. Bosh- Good at everything
4. Howard-Very good, but still has a lot to improve on
5. Carmelo-One of the best offensive players
6. Deron-Carried the jazz during the playoffs
7. Paul-A true point guard... ROY last year
8. Iggy-Put up some nice stats, and took over as the face of Philly
9. Deng
10. Gerald-has had 2 very outstanding seasons in a row
11. Gordon-20+ any given night. Can carry a team at the end, (however, he didnt make too many last second shots last season)
12. J Smith
13. Okafor
14. Martin
15. Barbosa

Igoudala is so painfully overrated. He's athletic, yes. But Deng will be a much better player then him.

Iggy is way more athletic than Deng and an elite defensive player, one could argue thee best perimeter defender in the entire league. The one thing he doesn't have on Deng is his ability to score from everywhere. Yes he can dunk but he doesn't get to the line alot and his outside game is still in progress. Deng's mid range game blows Iggy away. I would take both of them but to me I think Deng is going to be the better player and if Im not mistaken he is younger.

I'm not sure I can buy Tyson Chandler that high, but that is a surprisingly weak list. The 2nd half of the group is very ordinary.

Also, I'm not sure I buy the Paul Pierce best case for Deng. I'm not a huge fan of Pierce and I don't see a lot of similarities in their playing styles.

There really aren't similarities at all, not sure where that comparison came from.

The only thing I can think of is the how both have good size but play more like SG's. Other than that, Pierce drives much more, where as Deng moves without the ball and is a spot shooter.