3 NBA players under 25 who are most likely to win multiple Finals MVP
The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is perhaps the greatest individual honor a player can get on the NBA’s biggest stage. Playing at your best when it matters the most for your team is what differentiates the legends of the game from the also rans. Michael Jordan won six NBA Finals MVP awards over his storied career in the league. LeBron James has four to his credit, the last coming in the 2020 NBA Finals.
Jordan and James are, rightfully therefore, regarded among the all-time greats of the game. That they dominated their opponents to give their teams championship glory helped cement their legacy for decades to come.
From this perspective, we look at the next generation of young NBA stars, those under age 25, who are most likely to win the Finals MVP Award on multiple occasions. Of course, the assumption here is that the teams these young stars belong to surround them with the right kind of talent to make it to the Finals on a consistent basis. Without further ado, let's take a look at the three players likeliest to win multiple Finals MVP awards.
#1 Zion Williamson (Age 21)
Zion Williamson has only played two NBA seasons. In fact, his combined tally of 85 games over two NBA seasons is only marginally more than a full 82-game NBA season. He hasn’t even played a single playoff game. But Williamson is the future. He is only 21 and is destined to assert himself on the NBA Finals stage multiple times over in the future.
Consider this. In his second NBA season, Williamson averaged 27.0 ppg while shooting 61.1% from the field. 2021 Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has never shot better than 57.8% in any NBA season. The same holds true for current league MVP Nikola Jokic, whose best showing from the field is also 57.8% in a single NBA season.
Or consider Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers centre, who finished among the top three in the 2020-21 MVP race. Embiid has shot more than 50 percent from the field only once in his five-year NBA career when he shot 51.3% last season.
Williamson is an absolute monster. Listed at 6-7, 284 pounds, he is difficult to guard anywhere near the rim. He has often been compared to Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, a mix of power and athleticism. He can spin, drive his way to the basket and handle the ball. Pair him with the right point guard – someone like Ja Morant or Trae Young – and you might get the next elite duo of NBA players.
Also Read: What is Zion’s Net Worth in 2021?