Since 2014 I have played the NBA 2K franchise every single year. Recently in the last couple of years, I’ve begun getting extremely competitive with one of my good friends Ethan Hottot in a particular game mode called Connected Franchise. Each team is controlled by a person and you have full control of the entire team to play with, trade and hopefully win a championship.
While playing Ethan and I began trading for these young players who we thought had the potential to be killers. These players included young ballers like Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., Romeo Langford, and Zach Lavine, all players who this year have made some serious splashes in the 2019-2020 NBA season. These players have played inspiration for today’s topic, my favorite rising stars in the league today.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Going by the nickname Tsunami Papi, Kelly Oubre Jr. is most defiantly the waviest player on any court he steps on. The Phoenix Suns acquired the young winger from the Washington Wizards in 2018 for basically scraps and Oubre has made the Wizards pay for sleeping on his potential. Averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists Oubre has begun to break out and not only have the stats shown his growth but also his array of highlights this season.
Not only do I love the way the 24-year-old balls out, but the swagger he carries on the court also lifts his game to different heights for me. Sadly for Oubre, his breakout season has come to a depressing end as he underwent knee surgery on March 3, I look forward to what the new face of the Converse shoe line can do in years to come.
Ja Morant
The explosive rookie out of Murray State has had my eye for quite some time. I remember the first time I saw Ja the world was busy going crazy over the 250 pounder Zion Williamson over at Duke.
I immediately fell in love with the tiny underdog who week after week was seen attempting some of the craziest dunks I’ve ever seen for a guard his size. Since being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies he has shown off how well his game has transitioned to the big leagues. Looking like an early Rookie Of The Year Candidate while averaging 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7 assists Ja has the award on lock as long as he can keep up his impressive play.
Moving forward I’m just hoping Ja will learn to execute this dunk and maybe just maybe I can see the kid becoming my all-time favorite player years down the line.
Collin Sexton
The Young Bull has been on an absolute tear as of late. Averaging 20.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists the young star has become one of the hidden gems of the league. Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers Sexton has managed to slip under the radar of most casual fans.
A beast on the defensive end he constantly plays with a level of intensity that no player can manage to match. In today’s league, it is filled with players who don’t take the game seriously and that’s exactly the kind of person that Sexton is not and that is why I love what he can prove moving forward.
TheWeeklyBallUp 