Watching Kobe Bryant get his jersey retired in Los Angeles Monday night in front of some of the game’s greatest players really got us thinking.
Without wanting to draw exact comparisons to the Black Mamba, we’re left wondering which young players in today’s NBA are most likely to become the next Kobe Bryant.
The focus here is on whether said player has the talent to dominate on the hardwood at anywhere near the level we saw from Kobe during his magnificent career. It’s also about star power, brand appeal and market size. Because when looking to become a superstar, all of this has to be taken into account.
From a second-year stud in Boston to a rookie doing amazing things in Utah, here are eight young NBA players most likely to become the next Kobe Bryant.
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Brown might not have entered the NBA with as much fanfare as Kobe out of Lower Merion back in 1997, but he was the No. 3 overall pick for a reason. Brown showed flashes of brilliance during his one year at California — a clear indication that he had what it took to make it in the NBA.
After showing up well as a rookie last season, this 6-foot-7 wing has taken his game to new heights during his sophomore campaign. With Gordon Hayward lost in the team’s season opener, Brown is averaging 14.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and shooting at a 47 percent clip from the field. A highly passionate individual, Brown has taken on a fan favorite role in a true basketball city. Kobe knows exactly what that means.
Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Despite being in his fifth NBA season, Oladipo is still only 25 years old. Our subjective mind enables us to conclude he’s still a youngster, especially with well over a decade left in this athletic body. And what he’s done in his first season with the Pacers is nothing short of extraordinary.
Seen as a throw-in from Oklahoma City in the Paul George trade, Oladipo has actually performed better than his counterpart with the Thunder. He’s averaging 24.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting at a 43 percent clip from distance. These are very similar to the numbers that Bryant put up during his age-24 season.
We’re not expecting the same type of impact here, especially with Oladipo stuck in a small market. But if he continues to up his game and proves that stardom is in his future, a larger market will surely come calling once the Indiana product hits free agency a few years from now.
Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks
The type of electricity this 20-year old rookie brings to the table is just infectious. He’s very much a reminder of a young Kobe, who could pretty much jump out of his shoes to rock the rim. Most of you youngsters out there don’t remember that Kobe. But it was real. And it was something special. We’re seeing this unfold in Dallas right in front of our eyes. We’re talking highlight-reel dunk after highlight-reel dunk from the 6-foot-3 guard.
Likely the face of this downtrodden Mavericks franchise moving forward, we wouldn’t be shocked if Smith is moved from a primary ball-handling role to the two-guard. That’s where potential long-term comparisons to Kobe can begin.
Remember, Bryant wasn’t the elite level outside shooter that some want to make him out to be. His genius was in hitting the mid-range jumper on a consistent basis and finding a way to get his own shot up. Smith is similar to that, primarily due to his on-court speed. Thus far this season, the North Carolina State product is averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. If he continues to develop that mid-range game, the sky is almost literally the limit here.
Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets
Largely unknown to the average NBA fan, LeVert entered the Association back in 2016 after an awe-inspiring four-year career at Michigan that saw him up his game each and every season. For LeVert, it didn’t come as easy as it did for Kobe. But his work ethic is right up there with Black Mamba.
This has come out in droves during during a sophomore season with the Nets that has seen LeVert average 11.2 points while shooting at a near 50 percent mark from two-point range. His game is similar to Kobe’s in that he can create off the dribble and does a tremendous job getting into the lane.
While we don’t expect LeVert’s career to come anywhere near the level as we saw with Bryant, there is thirst for tremendous basketball in Brooklyn — a legitimate basketball neighborhood. Should this 25-year-old guard continue to up his game with the Nets becoming relevant, he’ll be a lesser version of Kobe in Flatbush.
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Here’s an under-the-radar aspect of Kobe Bryant’s game. He earned All-NBA Defensive First-Team honors a whopping nine times in his career. Unless Wiggins somehow finds a way to actually care about his defense, he’ll never be mentioned among the game’s best. That’s the harsh reality of the situation.
But still only 22 years old, there’s a lot of room for growth on that end of the court. Offensively, Wiggins is much closer to Kobe’s game than we want to believe. He can create off the dribble, has one of the better mid-range pull-up games and is an absolute dynamo driving to the lane.
Wiggins has seen his points per game drop from 23.6 last season to 18.2 in 2017-18. But he’s shooting at a much higher percentage from two-point range and boasts a 48 percent effective field goal mark. We need to see Wiggins round out his game much more than he has at this point in his career. That must happen before he’s even considered an All-Star. With that said, there’s so much room for growth here that we can’t discount him becoming the game’s next big star.
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
This is all about scoring, baby. At just 21 years old, Booker is averaging 24.3 points per game and boasts a 52 percent effective field goal mark. To put this into perspective, Kobe averaged 22.5 points and posted a 49 percent effective field goal mark during his age-21 season. This goes to show us just how darn good Booker has been early in his career.
As we mentioned before, the thing about Kobe is that he morphed into a well-rounded superstar. That rarely happens to even the game’s most-talented players at a young age. Booker has to grow his game defensively. This is known. But he has everything needed to become a Kobe-like figure in the desert. Oh, and dropping 70 points in his second NBA season doesn’t hurt when it comes to comparing Booker to the Mamba.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
All of the talk this season has been about Ben Simmons coming away with the Rookie of the Year award. That’s likely going to end up happening. And deservingly so. But Mitchell has been an absolute dynamo as a 21-year-old rookie for the Jazz.
The 6-foot-3 shooting guard is averaging 18.1 points and shooting at a 37 percent mark from distance. He’s also played tremendous defense with one of the top defensive ratings among rookies and nearly 1.5 steals per game. Still a youngster, there’s absolutely no reason to believe Mitchell can’t become a perennial All-Star. If his first season is any indication, stardom is written all over this former Louisville star.
Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
You had to see this coming, right? We’re not going to draw any specific comparisons between Ball and Kobe. That would be just unfair to both players. The only real thing that we can focus on here is being the potential face of the Lakers. That’s a big deal. And really, it has only included Magic Johnson and Kobe in modern franchise history. Lonzo is more than on his way.
It’s an interesting dynamic to look at. Already a star in Southern California before he suited up for an NBA game, the comparison here could be that Ball is Los Angeles’ version of what Kobe was in Philadelphia prior to making the jump from high school to the NBA. Having played in just 27 games, Ball is already a brand in Southern California. Think about that for a second before calling us crazy.
With a game that’s more similar to Magic Johnson in terms of porus outside shooting and an ability to distribute the ball, it’s going to be intriguing to see how Lonzo’s game develops moving forward. But averaging 9.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game is not too shabby for a dude that’s less than 18 months removed from playing high school ball.