The Under-24 All-NBA Team

To say that the NBA has some great young stars under 24 would be the understatement of the century. As I go through some of my picks for the best guys under 24 years old, you'll see why such a statement sounds so ludicrous. Many of the players below will likely have multiple all-star nods (some already one), and I wouldn't be surprised if some of these players become cornerstones to their respective franchises. I left all 2017 draftees off of the list because I want to wait and see what those guys show on the court before crowning them as All-NBA under 24. Markelle Fultz, Jayson Tatum, and Lonzo Ball all seem like they could potentially make this list next year, but we will have to wait and see.

The Cornerstones:

Karl-Anthony Towns - Minnesota Timberwolves - Age 21

Starting off the list is Karl-Anthony Towns who could make his first all-star team as early as this year. If he played in the East I would give it a guarantee, but with the West being such a bloodbath, I could see Towns getting squeezed out by other bigs. Either way, KAT is one of the most promising up and coming stars of this league. Towns is a seven-footer whose game is primarily around the rim, but has increased his range since entering the NBA. Towns has flown under the radar to casual fans due to him playing on the Timberwolves who have been bottom dwellers in recent history, but with the additions of Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and most importantly Jimmy Butler, the Wolves are poised to make a run for a top seed in the West. While Towns may not be the most polished of the players on this list, he is likely the guy I would want to build a franchise around.

Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks - Age 22

The Greek Freak seems like he's been around for so long that he would have aged out of this list, but entering the league at 18 means that he has played a few full seasons already, but still has many more to come. Antetokounmpo is know for his length and athleticism and boy does he use them to his advantage. Being one of the few players in the league that can make a legitimate claim for playing the point-forward position, Giannis has become one of the best two way players in the league. Antetokounmpo is the only player on this list who as already made an All-NBA team as well as having been an all-star this past year. As if that wasn't enough to convince you that he belongs on this list, Giannis is the first player in NBA history (yes, HISTORY) to finish in the top 20 of the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game). Give me the Greek Freak all day, everyday.

Kristaps Porzingis - New York Knicks - Age 22

The Latvian Assassin is the perfect combination of shooting range and rim protection that is so heavily sought after in the NBA these days. Despite the fact that Porzingis plays for the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA, he has found a way to win over the hearts of Knicks fans with his deep threes and timely challenges at the rim. Porzingis is all but a lock for this year's all-star game as he might be the best big-man in the Eastern Conference. While he needs to bring his rebounding numbers up to be considered truly elite, Porzingis gives the Knicks (if they choose to keep him) the prototypical big-man that the NBA is looking for. For his sake and the sake of the NBA, I hope Porzingis doesn't get destroyed by the Knicks organization he was so unfortunately thrown into.

The Potential Super Stars:

The guys above have already proven that they can lead their teams to potentially big things. These next couple have that potential, but haven't necessarily showed they can be "The Guy" on a playoff bound team.

Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers - Age 23

Embiid is the reason I had the cutoff 24 and not 23. I've been looking for an excuse to talk about this guy because I believe he is the real deal. He's shown that he can play at a very high level, but hasn't been able to sustain that over the long-term due to injuries. Injuries can derail seasons and careers as we have seen time and time again, and for the sake of the NBA I hope Embiid can stay healthy. He is electrifying to watch on the court and has the personality to carry the load off the court (just follow him on twitter, hilarity will ensue). Embiid certainly has the potential to be in the group above and his skills might actually be the best of the list, but the health concerns are what keep in down in this second tier.

Andrew Wiggins - Minnesota Timberwolves - Age 22

Wiggins will forever be known as the guy who LeBron didn't believe in after LBJ forced the Cavs to trade Wiggins to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Love. Wiggins has shown that he can carry the load offensively in Minnesota, but his defense has been suspect to say the least. My thought is that Wiggins will step up his game defensively with coach Tom Thibodeau and hard nosed defenders in Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson around him. The fact that Wiggins also will not have to carry the load as much on the offensive end will allow him to give more on the defensive side of the ball where he struggled so mightily last year. Wiggins will take a back seat to Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, but he certainly could be the star on a team with solid role players around him.

The "Can they keep it going?" Guys:

Both of these guys had solid spurts of greatness last year, but will they be able to keep it up for years to come?

Nikola Jokic - Denver Nuggets - Age 22

We saw towards the end of last year the elite level skills that Jokic has. He might be the best passer on this list and one could argue that he is the best passing big-man in the NBA right now. Once Denver decided to run the offense through Jokic, they became one of the highest scoring teams in the NBA and that is a testament to Jokic's skills as a basketball player. Jokic's biggest weakness is on the defensive end of the floor and he will have to improve if he wants to move into the "cornerstone" category of young guys, but he certainly has the potential to lead an elite level offensive unit. Jokic is another guy who will have a tough time making the All-Star team this year in a brutally tough West, simply because he isn't a big name as of yet. It's only a matter of time before Jokic becomes a household name though, you can mark my words on that one.

Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns - Age 20

As the youngest on the list, Booker can also claim the title as the guy who has scored the most points in a single game due to his 70-point barrage against the Celtics this past season. Booker might be the best scorer of the bunch, but he played on one of the worst rosters in the league so the competition for scoring was quite thin. Booker still has a lot of his game to work on, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but he certainly has the skills to carry the offensive load for a middle of the pack team. Pairing Booker with an elite level big would certainly help his development as a player. Josh Jackson may be that guy, or it could be Kyrie Irving depending on how things shape out in Cleveland, but Booker certainly has the potential to make an All-NBA team in the future.

The "Question Mark" Guys:

Zach LaVine - Chicago Bulls - Age 22

After suffering a devastating knee injury midway through last year, LaVine was traded in the offseason to Chicago for star Jimmy Butler. Obviously LaVine's biggest question mark is whether or not he can return to form after the ACL tear. Chicago is all too familiar with knee injuries after a series of them derailed Derrick Rose's career, but if LaVine can return to form, he has the potential to really explode. Much like Devin Booker, there won't be much in the way of competition for buckets in Chicago. LaVine could potentially be a 20-22 points a night guy for Chicago, but it's all dependent upon him recovering from that knee injury.

Myles Turner - Indiana Pacers - Age 21

Turner may not be able to compete with the star power of Towns, Embiid, or Porzingis, but he certainly is a dependable big man who has grown his game to fit the needs of the NBA. Turner isn't going to give you 30 points a night, but he will battle in the paint, make some opportune buckets and rebound the ball. He might never make an All-NBA team, but he certainly has the potential to slide into one if a down year for bigs occurs. If Turner keeps improving his game and working hard night in and night out, he could potentially be a tier two star for this Pacers team.

All of these guys above have the potential to make an All-NBA team at some point in their career. For some that could be as early as next year and for others they may never even make an All-Star team, but all of these guys will be household names in the coming years.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Tell me down in the comments who would be on your under-24 team. If you liked this article, please follow @brandonp to get all of my posts directly to your feed!