With many fan favorite NBA stars reaching the end of their careers, there are some young guys that can hoop with the best of them, regardless of their age.

With a lot of young talent spread out throughout the league, this is the list of the top 5 players under the age of 25 for the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Honorable Mentions: Anthony Edwards, 21, Cade Cunningham, 21 & Darius Garland, 22

(Jayson Tatum was excluded because he will be 25 before the end of the season).

5. Zion Williamson, 22

Ever since Zion Williamson came on the national scene as a high schooler, most basketball fans knew he was an extremely special talent that fans could not wait to see on the NBA stage. Now that the former No. 1 pick is in his third season, the same feeling of anticipation is still fresh after missing all of last season with the New Orleans Pelicans due to injury issues. 

With the glimpses the league has seen of him on the NBA level, he consistently shows he is a special talent. With career averages of 25.6 points on almost 60-percent shooting from the field and 7 rebounds a game, the only uncertainties about him is can he stay healthy a full season and keep his weight down? 

These questions are amplified even more now since he is on a young playoff contending team that took the Phoenix Suns to six games last year in the playoffs. Paired with Brandon Ingram, be prepared should look forward to a great season and hopefully deep playoff run with Zion leading the Pelicans.

4. Trae Young, 24

Trae Young never ceases to amaze fans of the NBA whether it be breaking New York Knicks fans hearts or lighting up State Farm Arena from 30-feet out. Young is dangerous with the ball and has a flurry of moves that can get him anywhere on the court whenever he wants. 

He has been struggling shooting the ball so far through the first few weeks of the season but many do not expect that to last for long. Despite his struggles he is still averaging 27.5 points and 9 assists per game. 

Now that he has another dominant ball handler that can score and facilitate the ball in Dejounte Murray, Young will have more floor spacing to give him better looks. 

Surrounding Trae Young with athletes, size and defenders will only help cover for his weaknesses and lead to a lot of fast pace play.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 24

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is probably the least notarized player on this list. That is only due to playing for a young Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder team that did not have many wins or national televised games last season. 

OKC acquired Gilgeous-Alexander in the trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers a few years ago. He is currently fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 32.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. 

Gilgeous-Alexander has incredible pace and ball handling that allows him to control the tempo of the game and make good decisions. He currently has a plus-minus of seven and leading a team of young talent, expect him to be a first time All-Star.

2. Ja Morant, 23

This season Ja Morant has done nothing but build upon his breakout season last year. Last year Morant had averages of  27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists and was selected Second Team All-NBA. 

Morant won the league’s Most Improved Player award and led his team to the second round of the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. It is evident Morant is a one of a kind athlete and tremendous player, but what separates him from most of the pack is his heart and leadership ability. 

He is averaging over 31 points per game this season so far and could end up being an MVP candidate at the end of the season.

1. Luka Doncic, 23

Luka Doncic or Luka Magic, whatever you call him, can flat out ball. 

Coming into this season a lot of people considered him as the MVP front-runner. The way Doncic has started the season off he is definitely making the best case for MVP so far. 

He is averaging 36 points per game, almost 9 rebounds and 9 assists per game all while shooting 51-percent from the field. 

Doncic is an elite facilitator, pushes tempo in transition, grabs rebound, is efficient in the pick & roll and has one of the best in-between games in the league. What makes his game so impressive is not only does he do all of that but he does it at his own pace. 

Right now the Slovenian superstar is the MVP front-runner, the best player under 25, and maybe even the best player in the league.