The NBA's Newest Superstars Have Arrived

The basketball is good, and it looks like it will stay that way for years to come.

For this blog post, I have no listicles or unfounded predictions. No metaphors just for hahas. No unrelated anecdotes that will eventually come full circle. Frankly, it’s because the basketball has been so good that none of those gimmicks would do it justice. After another marathon viewing of playoff basketball on Sunday, we witnessed gamesmanship and skillfulness that ushered in a new epoch of the NBA.

I often think about what the post-LeBron James NBA will look like, even though James remains as the foreseeable ne plus ultra star in the league. Every decade has had its flagship player, from Mikan to Russell to Wilt to Kareem to MJ and now to LeBron. The next era may not have one face, but it may not need one. And it may have truly materialized in an empty gym at Disney World.

Luka Doncic, playing on an ankle he had sprained less than 48 hours earlier, without Kristaps Porzingis, played puppet master on one of the league’s best defenses. The 21-year-old, playoff experience be damned, carved up the Clippers for 43 points, 17 boards, and 13 assists. And just for kicks, he clinched the 135-133 win with a 27-foot stepback three in overtime. The kind of tension-filled, moonshot, calling-game 3-pointer that only Luka Doncic could have drained in that very moment. When you create a moment worthy of a “Father Stretch My Hands pt. 1” accompaniment, it’s okay to take a glance at Naismith.

Doncic’s performance was transcendent, operating in a stratosphere of such individual prodigiousness and team-elevating charm that only James occupies right now. The Mavericks should have been swept out of Orlando yesterday, and instead, they are tied 2-2 to Los Angeles. But more on Doncic shortly.

A few gyms over, the Nuggets and Jazz would square off in another barnburner. Donovan Mitchell would evolve from star to superstar. Leading up to this series, Bojan Bogdanovic was out due to injury, and Mike Conley had left the bubble for the birth of his child. A back-breaking 57-point outing from Mitchell couldn’t carry Utah to victory in game one and all looked lost. Then Conley returned, dad strength in tow, and Mitchell could breathe.

Mitchell doesn’t have any particular standout physical attributes — relative to other NBA players, people — but Denver couldn’t stop his ascendence. In game four, Mitchell notched another 50-point outpouring, including the last-minute, 3-point dagger in a 129-127 victory. The shooting guard joined Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as players who scored 50 or more twice in a playoff series. That company is not too shabby. Doncic’s earlier onslaught was historic, and Mitchell nearly matched it. The short-handed Jazz are up 3-1 on a deep Nuggets team.

Mitchell was on the other side of a scoring barrage with Jamal Murray. The 23-year-old Murray was upstaged by Mitchell despite his own 50-point performance. Murray is one of the most brilliant, yet volatile scorers in the league. But make no mistake, Murray could do this every night. When he figures out how to do that, you’ll hear about him as much as Mitchell.

You don’t need me to tell you these young guys are incredible or that they are leaders on their respective teams. It may not even be that forcefully declarative to call them the “future” of what the NBA will become. But it is mightily relieving that league is molding into a new identity marked by basketball genius and firepower. I recently watched a highlight of Tayshaun Prince’s block on Reggie Miller in 2004. The Pistons beat the Pacers 72-67 that night. I guarantee Doncic, Mitchell, and Murray have 60-point-plus games in the future.

They all have styles of game that meet the moment. Plays that can turn Twitter from a cesspool to an excitable frenzy. Leadership that can carry them to wins over LeBron or Kawhi or KD. The pantry of talent is overflowing. Giannis is only 25 but it seemed like overkill to include him at this point. Who knows what Trae Young, Ben Simmons, De’Aaron Fox, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, or any other young leader will evolve into?

The youthful dominance exhibited Sunday night unlocked a treasure trove in my mind of what the NBA will be like without a true figurehead. Watching Doncic bob and weave unpredictably around the Clippers was the only thing I saw being tweeted about, even from the political journalists I follow. Luka Magic was unavoidable.

Sure, it’s not shockingly new for Doncic to dazzle. But, as father time tends to require, the established basketball elites will retire. I am immensely apologetic for the following utterance: the future is now.

And I can’t wait for it to be showcased in front of fans.