NBA playoffs: 6 young stars ready to make the Ja Morant leap

NBA Playoffs: 6 young stars ready to make the Ja Morant leap

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MAY 26: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies in action in Game Two of the Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on May 26, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

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NBA playoffs (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Young superstars ready for the NBA playoffs: The Inevitable

Zion Williamson is already treated as one of the biggest stars in the league and with good reason. He is the most dominant low post scorer since the heyday of Shaquille O’Neal and is just getting started. In just his second season he made the All-Star and posted a monstrous stat line: 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1 percent from the floor. This season saw him turn into a playmaker and run the offense, taking his game to another level.

Williamson is the next player to transcend to superstardom and has the makings of a franchise icon. Ja Morant and RJ Barrett were taken right after him in the 2019 NBA Draft and made their first trip to the postseason this season. Williamson is better than both of them and would generate as many highlights as Morant did this season.

There is no player quite like Williamson in the league today. As the rest of the NBA transitions to more of a perimeter-based game, a star without the ability to play outside typically has to be a defensive juggernaut. For Williamson, he is so efficient down low that it does not matter that he is not stretching the floor. Watching him figure out playoff defense will be fascinating.

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