#25 Bam Adebayo – C – Miami Heat
2020-21 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.2 STL, 1.0 BLK, 57.0 FG%, 79.9 FT%
Coming out of Kentucky in 2017, Bam Adebayo was viewed as a high-flying, potential shot-blocking prospect at the NBA level, but he quickly proved to everyone that he could be so much more. In his third season, Adebayo really evolved into a versatile big man that could do a little bit of everything, resulting in him making the first All-Star appearance of his career.
He missed out on being named an All-Star last season, but he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team for the second consecutive year. Being a “point-center” at times, Bam Adebayo possesses all the intangible skills to continue growing into one of the most versatile frontcourt players in this league.
Adebayo has even started making strides to add a perimeter game to his arsenal on offense. Given his length and agility, Bam Adebayo finds himself as a Top-5 center entering the 2021-22 NBA season.
#24 Jaylen Brown – SF/SG – Boston Celtics
2020-21 Stats: 24.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 STL, 0.6 BLK, 48.4 FG%, 39.7 3P%
Jaylen Brown’s growth over the years in Boston has been quite remarkable and now, coming off a season in which he made the All-Star game for the first time in his career, Brown has high expectations for himself entering the 2021-22 season. Brown and Tatum make up arguably the best duo on the wing in the NBA and seeing as they are both young, the Celtics have a ton of potential moving forward.
There really is nothing Jaylen Brown cannot do for this Celtics team and he proved that last season, by becoming a terrific on-ball defender and being a legit three-point threat every time he catches the ball on the perimeter.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: NBA Top 75 Player Rankings For 2021-22 Season: From 50 to 26
Obviously, all the talk in Boston is going to be centered around Jayson Tatum and his chances to win MVP, but the Celtics cannot win in the postseason without Jaylen Brown and that was apparent last season when Brown was sidelined with a wrist injury and Boston fell to the Nets in five games in the first round.
#23 Zach LaVine – SG – Chicago Bulls
2020-21 Stats: 27.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.9 APG, 0.8 STL, 50.7 FG%, 41.9 3P%, 84.9 FT%
The Chicago Bulls finally have a ton of talent on their roster and they are led by high-flying and high-scoring guard Zach LaVine. Heading into the final year of his contract, LaVine is in store for a major payday next offseason, but will he get a new contract from the Bulls? It seems foolish to think that Chicago would let him go, but the Bulls have made poor roster decisions in the past and history does tend to repeat itself.
Coming off a year in which he ranked 7th in the league in scoring and after winning a gold medal with Team USA in the Summer Olympics, Zach LaVine’s stock is at an all-time high. This upcoming year is a chance for the 26-year-old to not only take the next step in his career to becoming a superstar but elevate his team to the playoffs.
Chicago has not been to the postseason since 2017 and with DeRozan and Vucevic next to him now, Zach LaVine has everything he needs to contend in the Eastern Conference at the highest level possible.
#22 Trae Young – PG – Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 Stats: 25.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 9.4 APG, 0.8 STL, 43.8 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 88.6 FT%
Trae Young was an offensive mastermind last season in terms of breaking down defenses in pick-and-roll sets, as well as exposing referees into making foul calls that were adjusted this offseason, but it is going to be very interesting to see where the 23-year-old point guard goes from here.
Over 30% of his total scoring came from the free-throw line last season and Young made 484 total free-throws last year, which led the league. His floater in the lane and ability to get to the free-throw line is not going to change in terms of productivity, but the Hawks guard will likely see fewer foul calls in his favor this season, meaning that he will need to add another component to his game.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: NBA Top 75 Player Rankings For 2021-22 Season: From 50 to 26
Three-point shooting has always been a key attribute of Trae Young’s game ever since AAU ball and this needs to be a point of emphasis for him entering the new season. He only shot 34% from distance last year, which is not terrible, but Young is more than capable of being a 38-plus percent shooter from deep.
Atlanta was on the verge of making the NBA Finals last season and if they are to get back to this point, then Trae Young will need to be even better on offense by scoring without getting to the free-throw line as often.
#21 Karl-Anthony Towns – C – Minnesota Timberwolves
2020-21 Stats: 24.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.8 STL, 1.1 BLK, 48.6 FG%, 38.7 3P%
There are a lot of questions about the Minnesota Timberwolves and if they will ultimately make a trade for a guy like Ben Simmons, but this does not change the fact that this is still Karl-Anthony Towns’ team. While he has missed a total of 51 games over the last two seasons, Towns still finds himself as one of the best all-around centers in the league because of his ability to stretch the floor on offense.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: NBA Top 75 Player Rankings For 2021-22 Season: From 50 to 26
He ranked 5th in three-point shooting out of all players listed as a center last season and there really are no questions about whether he will score if he gets the ball inside the paint. The questions about this Timberwolves team does not really revolve around the play of Towns, as he is going to do his thing night-in and night-out, but the rest of this team is really going to have to step up, especially on defense.
Entering his seventh season in the NBA, Karl-Anthony Towns will have to try and figure something new out with his fourth coach to try and make it back to the playoffs.
#20 Paul George – SF/SG – Los Angeles Clippers
2020-21 Stats: 23.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.1 STL, 46.7 FG%, 41.1 3P%, 86.8 FT%
Call him “Pandemic P” if you want, but Paul George shut up his haters in a big way last season when he elevated the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard went down with a knee injury in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals and in eight playoff games without Leonard, George averaged 29.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and shot 43.8% from the floor.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: NBA Top 75 Player Rankings For 2021-22 Season: From 50 to 26
Still being one of the premier two-way wings in the league, a lot of weight is going to fall on Paul George’s shoulders early on in the 2021-22 season since Leonard is out indefinitely as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. Not too long ago, Paul George was running things on his own in Indiana, leading the Pacers to the playoffs, and he will face a similar situation this year with the Clippers.
The 31-year-old wing has made the All-Star game seven times through eleven seasons and we should expect to see him make his eighth All-Star appearance this season.
