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Who are the NBA’s top up and coming stars?

The National Basketball Association has created some of the biggest global stars that sport has ever seen, with a number of star players going on to earn legendary status for their commitment to the cause.

The likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant can all be viewed in said category, with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry all widely regarded as the games finest as well.

Such players are few and far between, but the NBA does boast a strong crop of young prospects who’ll be jostling to cement their place in the most prestigious basketball league in North America.

Here, we take a look at the four best up-and-coming hopefuls.

Jayson Tatum

The 20-year-old prodigy has already made great strides in the NBA for Boston Celtics, and he looks set to earn a place in The All-Star game this season. With 214,622 votes at the time of writing, Tatum is currently fifth in frontcourt voting.

The rookie has enjoyed a strong start to his NBA career, and it’s almost as if Tatum shouldn’t be this well-rounded so early on in his career. His versatility and natural talent for the game will hold him in good stead moving forward, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him represent the Eastern Conference during the midseason festivities.

Ben Simmons

The Philadelphia 76ers star has made some great strides since making his NBA debut in 2016, and similarly to Tatum, is expected to be a leading star in the future. So much of Simmons’ play leaves very little to be desired, although his shooting has been questionable at times.

The Australian has proved he has what it takes to mix it with the NBA’s elite, with his strong defence play and aggressive nature while on the court making for all the right ingredients to create another global star.

Joel Embiid

The 24-year-old was picked in the NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014, and the Center has gone on to establish himself as one of the league’s best players. Standing at exactly 7ft tall, Embiid was named in the NBA All-Rookie First Team during the 2016/17 season.

This was in spite of the Cameroonian man entertaining a series of foot and knee injuries, and Embiid was also named in the NBA All-Star the following season. A genuine talent who’ll be making great impressions in the NBA for years to come.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar appears to be streets ahead of the remaining young hopefuls, and he’ll likely hit the heights of Jordan and James.

Arguably one of the deadliest scorers in the NBA, Antetokounmpo continues to be the Bucks star man and his stats from last season are more than impressive. He averaged 26.9 points per game, 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks.

There really is no telling at this stage just how far Antetokounmpo can go but the sensible thinking behind it is that one day, he’ll be spoken of as one of the game’s all-time greats. The Greek star is next up in action against the Atlanta Hawks, and you can find all the latest NBA markets here: https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/basketball/competition/10547864

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