Boston Celtics: Ranking Jayson Tatum among the top future stars

No. 3: Jayson Tatum

Realistically, Jayson Tatum has more accomplishments than anyone else on this list. While he has never started an All-Star game like Young or Luka Dioncic, he has led his team to playoff success in his first season…something only Ja Morant or Zion Williamson can potentially lay claim to if either can somehow sneak past the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

Tatum’s not the passer that the other guys on this list are, but he is arguably the most skilled one on one scorer of any player drafted since 2017. He is also an underrated defender, which is starting to not be the case given the praise his teammate Marcus Smart recently bestowed upon him.

No. 2: Zion Williamson

Even though Zion Williamson hasn’t played more than 20 games so far in his career, one look at the 2019 first-round pick in action tells you everything you need to know about the prospects of the New Orleans Pelicans having potentially one of the most dominant athletes this league has ever seen.

Williamson can do a lot for his young legacy if he is able to lead the Pelicans to the playoffs in his rookie year, but regardless of what happens in the Lake Buena Vista bubble, Williamson is going to be a superstar in this league for a very long time.

No. 1: Luka Dioncic

Luka Dioncic is having such an incredible sophomore season that he is already in MVP consideration at 21 years old. After being passed on for worries about how his game would translate from Europe in the 2018 draft, Dioncic has become one of the league’s marquee names after leading the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs in his second season…barring unprecedented catastrophe in the bubble.

While Williamson may have a higher ceiling based on athleticism and physicality alone, Dioncic has a much higher floor. He already is spearheading the most dominant offense in history while leading a young team to the postseason in the shark-infested waters of the western conference.