The NBA playoffs begin, the stage where “legends are born”: the five rising stars to follow

The most important stage of the season has arrived. And, in addition, the most beautiful and captivating. The NBA playoffs, the best moment of the best competition in the world. Where anything can happen. Or, as an NBA slogan said in 2005, “where legends are born”. Also, as a popular phrase from the 80s and 90s said, the stage that “divides children from names”. The part of the campaign that enshrines the truly great. Because while the regular phase is valuable, in terms of defining the identity of the team and their respective leaders — in addition to the positions of the 16 teams playing this instance — the postseason separates the very good guys from the excellent ones, from those who make history. Because in those weeks the pressure builds up and you have to be much more than a talented player. Other condiments are required, the famous intangibles that come into play more than ever. And for that reason, those who perform at this time, those who are figures and define matches, series and championships, are the really different ones.

In recent years - the final decade - we witnessed the presence of a generation that shone in these instances, which allowed no one to miss the Jordans, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan and company anymore... Led by LeBron James, of course, that competitive beast that, thanks to historical performances and several rings, jumped to the top 3 of most important players in history. He wasn't the only one, of course. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Kawhi Leonard followed, giving epic battles and winning titles as well. And others had their moments, such as James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis and DeMarr DeRozan, among others.

But, little by little, another layer began to emerge in the sky, being part of this new stardom that continues to push the NBA up, to remain the best sports competition in the world. This is how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic took off, the last two MVPs (three seasons), with the Greek being the best of the last champion, in addition to the MVP of the Finals. Now the Cameroonian Joel Embiid, the first international scorer in history and another of the MVP candidates, such as Greek and Serbian, joined. Not to mention Slovenian Luka Doncic, the other superstar who completes the foreigners poker that dominates the competition today. When until two decades ago in the United States they still looked sideways at those who came from abroad...

But we, from Infobae, want to propose other names for you to continue in this exciting stage, emerging figures who have already demonstrated their talent and hierarchy, but are one step away from climbing to glory. Something they can achieve in these playoffs, which promise to be the best in recent years.

YES, MORANT

Temetrius Jamel Morant, better known as Ja, is perhaps the most captivating player of the moment in the NBA. This is a 22-year-old, 1m91 baseman who has a speed, power and athletic ability rarely seen. Characteristics reminiscent of the best Derrick Rose, that not so high point guard who was MVP in 2011. This South Carolina-born boy is an entertainer, by his style, but at the same time he is reaching maturity as a player, in just his third season in the NBA. It shows off and plays the team, Memphis Grizzlies, which surprised in this regular phase by finishing in second place in the tough Western Conference.

We're talking about a guy who was discovered, almost literally, by a pack of fries. It was in the summer of 2016, when James Kane, an assistant at Murray State University, headed to Spartanburg High School to recruit players. He had several names listed, especially one called Tevin Brown, but Morant was not listed. It turns out that, after several hours of watching players, Kane left the main court for a moment to eat something quick. He went to the vending machine for a pack of fries and from there he saw a 3x3 bite on a secondary court. That's when he was surprised to see the athletic ability and ball handling of a skinny stranger. He immediately realized that it was different and called the head coach to tell him what he had seen. A few months later, Morant joined the faculty with Brown. Just two seasons were enough for him in the NCAA to make the leap to professionalism, especially a second outstanding one, in which he averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

So, at the age of 20, Morant was chosen in the No. 2 spot in the NBA draft, by the Grizzlies. The transition did not cost him, from the start it was seen that it was a different one: 17.8 points and 7.3 assists in the first season. The numbers improved in the second and in the current one they directly exploded (27.4 goals, 6.7 goal passes, 5.7 recoveries and 1.2 steals), becoming a superstar of the competition. It gained more prominence, being the cornerstone of the offensive. It took more shots (from 15.2 to 206) with more effectiveness (from 45 to 49.3% on the field and from 30 to 34.3% in triples). There were epic matches, like that series between the end of February and the beginning of March, when he scored 46 points, then 52 — maximum — and then 38. In January he had reached caramel point, when he was chosen for the All Star Game, match with the top 24 of the season.

The impact was not even greater because he had injury problems in the campaign. He first missed 11 matches in December and then another 11 - out of the last 13 of the regular phase - due to a strain in his right knee. They say he will be ready to face, from this Saturday at 16.30, the Wolves of the Cordoba Leandro Bolmaro and Pablo Prigioni, offensive coordinator in Minnesota, who come from entering the playoffs after winning the play-in against the Clippers.

If there is a player who deserves to pay a ticket or watch a game on TV or some device, that's Morant. It is actually a guard — it can be a base or escort — who, with spaces, captivates. Transitioning through speed, explosion and creativity is a real wonder. When the hoop attacks, if there are no double and even triple aids from the rival defense, it is virtually unstoppable, a runaway horse, a wild cat that goes sideways and upwards with equal ease. His plays appear in every day's highlights, especially those that defy gravity. Its ball handling and plasticity-agility do the rest. It is also able to pass, it stands out for its creative resources.

Of course, he's not alone. Memphis, led by Taylor Jenkins, perhaps the favorite Coach of the Year, became perhaps the biggest revelation of the season, winning 56 of the 82 games, 18 more than in 20/21. Desmond Bane (18.2 points with 44% three-pointers) made a great pair with Morant, especially when Dillon Brooks (18.4 points), the team's second best player when he could play (only 32 games), was injured. Jaren Jackson and New Zealand lumberjack Steven Adams are the inner stars of a team that has chemistry, attacks (5th in rating) and defends very well (4th). Of course, Ja is the different one and the one who can take Memphis the highest. Glory is one step away for this captivating base that seems to have no roof...

DEVIN BOOKER

This 1m96 shooting guard is slightly larger (25 years old) than Morant, but he is an essential part of this new litter that is being taken by storm by the NBA. An inveterate scorer, with an impressive diversity of resources to score, with one of the best — softest and finest — shots of the moment, whether long, medium or short distance. He also has a devastating 1 vs 1, you can tell that he was born with skill and patience — to know how and when to use his resources — and he has improved his vision and passing. Also, even, in defense, where he was criticized. Greater effort in his hoop, a better reading and a more polished technique have allowed him not to be exposed within a team that went, in just two years, from being a regular at the bottom of the West to becoming a true candidate for the title. And he, in the process, has become a candidate for MVP, as he did this year, making merit to be in a fight with Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Doncic.

Phoenix, from that bubble in Florida, in which he won his eight games and stayed one step away from the playoffs, found his identity with coach Monty Williams and did not stop improving. Last season it was 51-21 and reached the definition of the NBA, which lost incredibly, after being up 2-0, fell to Milwaukee in the next four games and was left with nothing. In this campaign, already more settled, mature and with blood in their eyes, they improved even more, becoming the best team. He took No. 1, winning 64 of the 82 games and thus achieving a record of 133-47 since that NBA rally in Orlando during the pandemic.

Booker is a fundamental part. He has been a premium scorer for at least five seasons, but every season — now in his seventh — he has added things to his game. In the current one he averaged 26.8 points -maximum-, with 51% doubles and 38.3% in triples. In addition, 5 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Numbers and yields that validate a 158 million five-year contract he signed in 2018. We are talking about a complete guard capable of taking matches into his hands. And define them. Devin has always been a precocious talent, shining in high school and then in a lonely season in Kentucky to reach the NBA, barely 19 years old and being the No. 15 pick of the first round. Son of Melvin Booker, former player, and Verónica Gutiérrez, daughter of Mexicans who makes the player have Latin roots and often pronounce himself in Spanish.

He also became known, outside the sports arena, for being the boyfriend of Kendall Jenner, an American supermodel, businesswoman and TV personality, a girl - daughter of Olympic medalist Caitlyn Jenner - who in 2017 became the highest paid model in the world. Although, of course, he is now one of the jewels in the crown, who enjoys his maturity in the game and is supported by a great team, led by veteran point guard Chris Paul (14.7 points and 10.6 assists) and seconded by high-level talents such as pivot DeAndre Ayton (17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds) and forward Mikal Bridges (14.2 points) , 4.2 rebounds and a firm candidacy for Best Defender of the Year), among other essential pieces in this oiled scaffolding. Glory, personal and collective, is within reach.

JAYSON TATUM

Another one from the new guard. He is not so good (24 years old), but he has already been in the NBA for five seasons, all of them at a high level. Another one who arrived very young in the best league in the world (19), as is a trend today, and has grown every year. He has been a star for three years but now, directly, he belongs to the elite and is the basketball leader of one of the two most winning franchises, Boston Celtics, where there is more pressure... This season he averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4.4 assists, adding merits to be considered by the famous MVP. There are at least five ahead of you, but already being at that small table means something very big for this 2m03 forward who has the whole package to be a superstar of this magnificent competition for years.

Early talent who already stood out in high school to the point of being considered the best player in the whole nation and only playing one season in college basketball, at the prestigious Duke. He averaged 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2016/2017, being part of the ideal rookie quintet, and quickly making the jump to the NBA, ranking No. 3 in the draft. In his first two seasons he showed that his ceiling was very high and he gave significant growth in the third, when he reached 23.4 points and 7 rebounds, at the age of 21.

From there he placed himself in the elite until he got Boston to fight back up. This season he finished second in the East with a record of 51-31 with teammates with whom they know each other well and complement each other better, such as Jaylen Brown (23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists) and Marcus Smart (12, 5.9 goal passes and 1.7 steal), among others. Although, of course, Tatum's growth is the cornerstone. Another for which it is worth turning on a device and tuning in to an NBA game. One of those elegant talents that beautify the game.

BRING YOUNG

Another one of those talents that come out once in a while. 23-year-old and 1m85 base who is different for several reasons: for his devastating scoring ability, for his mettle, passion and personality. Another of the new figures for which it is worth paying a ticket. To see him play or to see how they beat him. Because it's bravo, besides, this kid. If not, you have to ask the passionate Knicks fans, who have twisted into a dispute with him and, as in the old days, generated a new rivalry, especially when Young steps on the legendary Madison Square Garden. It's just that, since Trae came to the NBA, in 2019, he never went unnoticed. Because of what it does and how it does it, because of how it communicates, because of how it transcends the screen. Another jewel that cuts tickets and attracts someone to tune in to a game of Atlanta Hawks, a team that has a title (1958) but hasn't fought anything big in the NBA for a while.

In fact, this franchise had been without playoffs for three seasons and four without winning a series until Young and a group of very talented kids returned the illusion. And trust. This boy was called to be a superstar since childhood... If in his last season in high school in Okhlahoma he averaged 42.6 points... He only needed one season in the NCAA Sooners (27.4 points and 8.7 assists) to make the jump to the NBA. And, on the night of the draft, he was part of a castling between two teams that remained in history: Dallas Mavs chose him fifth and exchanged it to Atlanta, which he selected first and made an agreement with the Mavs so that others would not take Luka Doncic, the European jewel that came from Real Madrid.

The Hawks stayed with Luka and passed it on to the Mavs, who in turn chose Young and returned kindness. In addition, to convince them, Dallas gave him another first-round pick. It was always said that it was a mistake by the Hawks, that Doncic was better and they should have selected him, but Trae's transition was so fast and good that today he can't be sure they did wrong. Luka is maybe a little better than Young, but the Texan mouse thing is brilliant too. The same as the success achieved by the team under his command.

A very good first season personally (19 goals and 8 goal passes) was not reflected in the team (score of 29-53). And it didn't happen in the second one, when Trae exploded, greatly improving his numbers (29.6 and 9.3), but without the Hawks taking off (20-47). Everything changed in the third, when he was better surrounded and no longer needed to do everything to win. The team triumphed in 21 more games in the regular phase and surprised everyone in the playoffs, reaching the Eastern Final, which would lose agonically in a sixth game to which it would be champions, Milwaukee Bucks. In that postseason, Ice Trae averaged a whopping 28.8 points and 9.5 assists, being part of the absolute elite of the competition. In the current one he has repeated those numbers (28.4 and 9.7), having seven games of more than 40 points and one of 56, on January 3 in Portland. Atlanta was clearly more irregular in the campaign and needed to win two games, in the play-in (repechage), to finish in 8th place and win the right to face Miami, No. 1 in the East. Some may say it will be a piece of cake for the Heat, but with Trae and his boys you never know.

Trae is a small-build point guard for the NBA, he doesn't seem as powerful or athletic either. But he is a pure scorer, with a self-confidence, determination and impactful variety of resources. Young scores because he's a scorer and no one seems to be able to stop him. That's how he feels it and it's a sensation that transfers her to teammates, rivals and fans. He is an inveterate shooter who always seems to be able to get the shot out, either coming out of curtains and from his own dribbling. If it penetrates, it has floats and runners. He is smart, he has good classic paddock player instincts and takes a lot of fouls, converting 90% of the free ones he takes. He is also a great player of fashion action, pick and roll (curtain and uncheck, between two, a boy and a big one), because he is killer with his shot and can also happen very well. Defensively he has limitations, but covers them with his offensive arrogance.

A different specimen, worth seeing and enjoying, because since it is not very tall, it captivates the common spectator who sees it as someone else on the street who faces the big ones and almost always ends up putting the basket in them...

ANTHONY EDWARDS

Perhaps the least known and laureate of all. Surely because he is the youngest and the one with the least season in the NBA (two). But his last match shows who he is and what he was able to become. In the most important Minnesota Timberwolves game in years, the one that defined playoff entry, Edwards was the brightest star, the most important player, despite the fact that the franchise player qualification still falls to Karl Anthony Towns, the New Yorker with Dominican roots who has been pulling the car of a team that has almost always been left wanting to be in the most exciting part. Until this season... It came from a very bad season (record 23-49) and in the current season they had 23 more wins (46-36), achieving only the second playoff qualification in 18 seasons. It's no small feat for cold Minneapolis.

And a lot has to do with this physical portent of 1m97 - a physicist who used a lot playing various positions in junior football - who plays as a guard/forward and has not felt the change to professionalism. First because he arrived prepared in corpulence and already had a great athletic ability. Second because he is a born scorer, lethal in counterattack, very dangerous with spaces, able to define in penetration and with a lot of confidence in his shot, although he still lacks regularity (34.4% three-pointers in these two seasons). And third because he has character and passion for what he does. And that has to do with his story. Born in Atlanta, life hit him hard, especially with the death of his mother and grandmother, the two most important people in his life, in an interval of just eight months, both of them from cancer, in 2015. It was no surprise that two paintings with the faces of Ivette and Shirley accompanied him on the couch at home when he was announced as No. 1 of the 2020 draft. Neither did the boy wear the No. 5 shirt whenever he could, in his memory and in reference to the days when they both died.

Edwards, despite his short 19 years, stood out as a rookie, averaging 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steal. Just over five months after his debut, he had already had a 42-point game, against Phoenix. And after two months he had already repeated it, against Memphis. The current season started it, being even bigger. Why? In the official measurements they noticed that it had grown four centimeters more since that draft election. What did not surprise is his new leap in quality in the game, stretching his numbers to 21.3 points - the team's second scorer -, 4.8 recovers, 3.8 goal passes and 1.5 steals, including the long shot (he went from 33 to almost 36% in three-pointers).

He is the teammate of Leandro Bolmaro and coached by Pablo Prigioni, the main coordinator of the Wolves offensives. Both were part of the team's improvement in attack, which ended up leading in points (116) and triples (14.6) scored per game, as well as seventh in assists (25.7) and 9th in the offensive rating (points for possession). The two people from Córdoba, one for confronting him in practice and the other for guiding him in his progress, know of this boy's worth but they don't know his roof. “Pablo is my man. He was a very smart point guard in this league and he knows. It has helped me a lot, in how to score easier baskets,” said Anthony, who will have to play even better in this postseason if the Wolves want to win their first playoff series in 18 years. Morant's Grizzlies are waiting for you. A tie not to be missed, with two of the best young players that this wonderful tournament can offer.

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