Players to Build a Franchise Around
Sometimes, it’s time to admit defeat as the GM of a franchise and start to build your team back up from the ground. If you want that to work, you’ll need a young, promising and top talented player who can be the cornerstone of that team. But, you’ll need a young player to do so, because otherwise the team has to start all over again in a couple of years. Therefore, we selected the young players who can (or are already on their way to) become cornerstones of their franchise.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo isn’t called the Greek Freak for nothing. He’s probably the best athlete in the league, has the vision of a point guard, and is able to score at will. Who doesn’t want to build their team around this player? This year, he definitely had his best season so far, as he grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 26.9 points per game.
Nikola Jokic
Jokic has just signed a huge contract with the Denver Nuggets, one that he probably hadn’t expected when he was drafted with the 41st pick back in 2014. Jokic is a one of a kind player, who can score, has great court vision, and has an outside shot. And on top of that, Jokic doesn’t demand the ball in every offense, but he makes his teammates better.
Ben Simmons
Without being able to shoot the ball outside the bucket, Simmons has already proven he can be one of the best point guards in the league. His court vision is of the charts, he can finish difficult lay-ups and his defensive is starting to improve. To become a real franchise player, Simmons will definitely need to learn to shoot, though he has been able to pass all defender all season without being a threat from outside the bucket.
Joel Embiid
Embiid has become one of the best scorers and defenders within two seasons. And he didn’t even play all games in either of them. As long as Embiid can stay healthy, what will he be able to do in just one or two more seasons? He already shoots a decent three, so he won’t have any problems there. Together with the 76ers’ other rising star, Simmons, they can become a really competitive team.
Anthony Davis
It seems like Davis has been in the league forever, but he’s still only 25 years old. He’s not just any center, as he can dribble the ball like a player half his size, and he was averaging 28 points this season, while also hitting the highest % 3-pointers and free throws of his career. Yes, he has only managed to bring his team to the playoffs twice in six years, but think of what he could do if he had better players around him.
