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NBA: The top 4 players under 21 in the NBA today

By Luke Duffy

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies jump for a loose ball in the second half at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies jump for a loose ball in the second half at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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New Orleans Pelicans
NBA (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

2. Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is only 19. Given how long the public has been aware of his existence and abilities playing basketball, that is astounding. But the number 19 is also why he is not number one on this list, for now anyway. That was the number of games he played as a result of injury before the season was put on ice.

Is Williamson an injury-prone player who will be dogged by knocks and niggles throughout his career? NBA fans as a collective hope not. But that is also a small sample size to award somebody top spot here, even if what we have seen of him so far has been so impressive. 23.6 points per game, all while making flying through the air look effortless despite being built like a tank.

Williamson appears to have a great personality and is somebody who teammates already like having around, and this is important when factoring in the potential of a young guy going forward with a franchise. If you can build around a potential superstar who everybody likes and who makes others better, then you are in a great place.

Related Story. Pelicans: Zion Williamson primed for NBA's return. light

Williamson appears to have the first half of that last sentence locked down already, and he is in the perfect location to continue to excel. The New Orleans Pelicans are young and growing together, and already have an All-Star in Brandon Ingram. This puts less pressure on Williamson to carry the franchise from a young age, which happened to former star player Anthony Davis.

The 46.2 percent he shot from deep is both unsustainable and not a true reflection of Williamson’s shooting because of the small sample size. But it is such an encouraging start to life as a professional basketball player for somebody who is going to do a lot of their damage closer to the rim.

The Pelicans figure to be an organization that is going to continue to get better as the decade winds on, and Williamson is the biggest reason for this. If he comes in at number two after only 19 games, while also putting forward a case to steal Rookie of the Year honors from Morant, what does that say about how good he can be two years from now?