With Lebron James on the backside of his illustrious career, the debate has begun as to who the next face of the NBA will be. James’ former teammate and ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins chimed in this week to say that it’s a three-person race between Hawks star guard Trae Young, Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and Grizzles superstar Ja Morant.
Perkins also mentioned that Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is beginning to work his way into the conversation.
Fans were quick to point out that Perkins omitted 2x MVP and NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, to which Perkins responded with the following tweet.
Perkins also notably left players like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid off his list.
As for the players he did mention, the comparisons between Dončić and Young have been omnipresent since the 2018 draft-day trade between the Hawks and the Mavs. Morant joined the fold as the second pick in the 2019 draft and his impact in Memphis has been instantaneous and undeniable.
Currently, Young is 5th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 28 points per game followed by Dončić at #6 and Morant at #7. Morant has been on a tear as of late with his highlight-reel performances over the past week including a 52-point performance in a win over the Spurs. Young has turned in several impressive performances of his own since the all-star break. This includes 41 points in a win over the Raptors and 39 points to take down the Bulls.
While there’s no right answer to the question of who the next face of the NBA will be, these young superstars will likely be fixtures in the conversation for years to come.
For Young, his priority at the moment is pushing the Hawks to the postseason as they currently occupy the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
