Who Will Be the Top 15 Players in the NBA in 5 Years?

Let's take out the crystal ball and try to predict who the 15 best players in the NBA will be in the summer of 2029...

It's September, which means some NBA teams will have opened training camps by the end of this month! We're almost there, y'all.

Yet, with the start of camp still weeks away, I thought we could have some fun by glancing far into the future… five years, to be exact.

So, let's take out the crystal ball and try to predict who the 15 best players in the NBA will be in the summer of 2029.

15. Tyrese Maxey (age 28 in 2029) 
Maxey is coming off the best season of his career, averaging career highs in 25.9 points (on 45/37/87 shooting splits), 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds, en route to being named the NBA's Most Improved Player. In July, he inked a five-year, $204 million contract extension with the Sixers. (FYI, there were a bunch of supremely talented players that just missed the top-15 cut: Alperen Sengun, Jalen Williams, Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Jabari Smith Jr., Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, Devin Booker, etc.) 

14. Zion Williamson (age 28) 
Zion is the most perplexing/puzzling player on this list. After an awe-inspiring freshman season at Duke, he entered the league as one of the most anticipated rookies in recent history. And despite missing the first three months of his debut campaign, Zion immediately made a massive impact. In fact, he is the only player in league history to score 20+ points in ten straight games as a teenager. However, Williamson would then appear in a total of just 90 games over the next three seasons combined. Fortunately, he suited up for 70 contests in 2023-24 and averaged a career-high 5.0 assists, but saw his scoring average dip below 23 PPG and grabbed fewer than six rebounds a night. His ultimate upside is league MVP, as he's one of the ten or so players in the NBA talented enough to win the award. Zion could also be out of the league in five years. The unpredictability gap is that wide.

13. Paolo Banchero (age 26) 
After taking home NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23, Banchero was named to his first All-Star squad this past season, averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Remarkably, he took his game to another level in the playoffs, exceeding even the loftiest of expectations in his first taste of the postseason. During Orlando's seven-game series vs. Cleveland, Paolo averaged 27/9/4 and, at 21 years-170 days old, he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to begin his playoff career with three straight 20+ point games, trailing only LeBron James. Banchero is also the third-youngest player to record multiple 30+ point games during the playoffs (Anthony Edwards and LeBron). 

12. Cade Cunningham (age 27) 
I know Cade hasn't lived up to the hype after being selected as the top overall pick in 2021, but I'm still a believer. Over his first three years in the NBA, he's dealt with various injuries (yes, that's a concern) but has also endured a botched rebuilding process in Detroit, resulting in him playing alongside a revolving door of poor players and multiple coaches. However, he's improved his effectiveness and efficiency each season, and the Pistons upgraded the talent around Cade this summer. I think he has a legitimate chance to win the NBA's Most Improved Player award in 2024-25. Five years from now, he'll be 27 and about to enter the heart of his prime.  

11. Chet Holmgren (age 27) 
It flew under the radar because Wemby stole all the highlights and headlines, but Holmgren's rookie season was incredibly impressive. Chet averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks (fifth most in the league). He became the first and only player in NBA history to tally more than 150 blocks, more than 150 assists, fewer than 150 turnovers and more than 100 made three-pointers in a single season. Just as encouragingly, after missing his first pro season due to a foot injury, Chet started all 82 games last year.