Truth be told, the term superstar is one of the most overused words in sports history. And the NBA is no exception. The moniker often gets tagged to individuals based on their high school, college, or media exploits--even when holes are spotted that will keep things from translating on the court. At that point, it becomes all about optics.
The proper marketing breeds the vision of potential or the potential fuels the marketing. Either way, a few people make it through to the limelight based purely from a media push. However, there is a group of players making a move using their basketball merits.
These young stars came into this season determined to shine on a new level. No, not on the NBA Most Improved radar or the who knew he could do more than one thing crop, à la the Miami Heat's Duncan Robinson. We are talking about a group destined to be on the cusp of sharing space where the Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Edwards is poised to be.
The four players on this list will not be dubbed as the immediate faces of the league, but they are, respectively, showing that they are ready to attain the attention the masses, stop being overlooked, regain their predicted superstar glow, and show that they can seamlessly help lead a championship team.
First up is a relatively quiet honorable mention who has stepped into the number two role for one of the league’s top teams.