In sports, it’s sometimes not apparent that something comes to an end until we look back years later with hindsight. Sure, players retire and winning teams break up, but it’s often the case that careers and dynasties peter out slowly without a distinct beginning and end.
There is a sense that as we watch the NBA Playoffs move towards their conclusion for this season. Many of the big names that defined the game over the last decade and a half – Durant, Curry, Westbrook, Harden – either failed to make an impression in the postseason or didn’t appear at all. It’s not that these veterans are finished – far from it – but it’s a question of influence, and it feels like a changing of the guard.
The names making the headlines today are almost exclusively younger. Perhaps the three most talked about players in the postseason thus far have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging over 30 PPG for the NBA Championship odds favorite, the Oklahoma City Thunder; Victor Wembanyama, who is clearly the game’s most talented young star; and Jalen Brunson, who looks on a mission to drag the Knicks through the Eastern Conference. There are others, of course – some young, some established – but it feels a little unfamiliar.
LeBron has defied the critics
There are exceptions, for sure. The most notable is LeBron James. While not always firing on all cylinders, James starred in the Lakers’ series win over the Houston Rockets. He is currently locked in a battle with the OKC, with the latter heavily favored to win through. But James has rolled back the years, and he may yet have something to say in this postseason. He’s been a headliner for his remarkable longevity, still putting up insane numbers in his 40s, and extending many of the records he set years ago. He’s been doing this for almost a quarter of a century.
Ant-Man is a superstar in the making
While fans can often lament the passing of the torch, the renewal itself is exciting. Of those not mentioned above, we’d cite Anthony Edwards as the most exciting star on the verge of greatness (SGA, we’d argue, is already there). Ant-Man is only 24, but he looks ready to take the step up to the true elite of the league. His trajectory has been amazing to watch, improving on his offensive numbers in nearly all of his six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Cade Cunningham is also 24, and he is already the face of the Pistons franchise. His performance in Game 5 of the first round versus the Orlando Magic was one of the best “I have arrived” moments in modern NBA, breaking the Pistons’ single-game scoring record in the Playoffs with 45 points. He and Edwards conceivably have 10-12 years of peak basketball ahead of them. It’s going to be amazing to see how they develop into the league’s bona fide superstars.
As we said, none of this means an abrupt end to the careers of the veterans mentioned earlier, nor does it mean the new generation has a linear path to the top. But when we look back, say, twenty years from now, it feels like we will be able to see the change of trajectories; the pathways for younger players to become the elite of the NBA, and the beginning of the end for some of the league’s established stars.
