Top-5 Under 25: Northwest Division

This is Part 2 of a six-part series to rank the top-5 players in every division under the age of 25. We take into account a player's performance as well as their potential. These rankings are intended to be fun and to initiate discussion on the league's best players. Stick up for your players, but be respectful about it!

Honorable Mentions: Tobias Harris, Derrick Williams

While he will never be a top-3 scorer for any team he is on, Bradley is one of the very best perimeter defenders in all of the CSL. He’s paired up with another guard that will show up on this list and they compliment each other perfectly. Although a little on the short side for the off guard position, he is still capable of locking down some of the best shooting guards across the league.

With the increased depth across the roster in Minnesota, McLemore has seen fewer minutes this season than last but is still oozing with #1 scorer potential. If he fills out his offensive potential, which we have no reason to believe he won’t, McLemore could develop into a dangerous scorer with his ability to shoot from deep and handle the rock. His court intelligence and floor discipline are positives as well.

One of the top point men in the league, Holiday is the franchise in Denver. He may miss playing with all-league center DeMarcus Cousins but he’s got the ability to take over any game on both ends of the floor. There isn’t much he can’t do on the court and will be recognized on many all-star squads throughout his career.

The premiere big man in the league, Favors has put the league on notice as he is becoming an unstoppable force. He’s averaging 27 points, 10 boards, 2.7 steals and 2.3 blocks so far and there’s no reason to think he won’t continue to put up those numbers as the season progresses. Not scary enough for you? Think about this: he’s still got the ability to progress as a scorer (by quite a bit) and marginally in defensive ability. The single-post offense will be known as “The Favors” very soon.

While not the defensive presence of Holiday or the imposing monster in the middle of Favors, Lillard is in the discussion for best guard in the CSL. One of the few players in league history to have scored 50+ points in one game while posting a 20+ assist game as well, Lillard is as dynamic a guard as we have seen in the CSL. At just 23-years of age, Lillard will be running the league for many, many years.

Can't complain with three POR players mentioned but I think you are missing my main man John Henson on the list somewhere. Certainly a much better player than D-Will imo...

I might put McLemore over Jrue (probably biased though), but you have this list pretty much spot on. Again, it's crazy how much talent there is in this division alone. Lillard, Favors, McLemore, and Jrue are all franchise players and they're all under 25. I would've had Jamaal Franklin and John Henson as honorable mentions, as they're both far better than Derrick Williams.

And as for McLemore's minutes, I'm trying to fix that. My DC was messed up the first 2 games and he was hurt for the 3rd game, so his average minutes are down from what they will be. Going to fix that to try to get him some more minutes and more touches.

Great article, very refreshing.

Gimme Derrick Favors over Damian Lillard for my money, the big fella is showing to be even better this season than last, Jazz are for real.

"McLemore over Jrue".... embarrassing ....

Not even in the same sentence for another 2yrs minimum.

Great article! Favors will give a extraordinary surprise utah fans.
All game of utah will pass favors hands. I don't know the numbers. I think will finish around 33p 13r 3s 3b.

1-4 is totally star-studded and then there is a big drop-off, but that is no detriment to Bradley, Harris and Williams as they are all solid as well.

Love McLemore. Glad to see Jake feels the same way about him as I did when I made the trade to land him.

WillyJakkz (HOU) wrote:Great article, very refreshing.

Gimme Derrick Favors over Damian Lillard for my money, the big fella is showing to be even better this season than last, Jazz are for real.

"McLemore over Jrue".... embarrassing ....

Not even in the same sentence for another 2yrs minimum.

Totally agree here. McLemore is nowhere close to Holiday. Jrue is a playmaker who can also score and is the best defensive PG (of course, Paul is better, but Jrue's rating of 91 puts him as the best considering def ratings) in the league. McLemore needs to prove he belongs as a scorer until we can compare him to Holiday.
Also, Favors is having more impact than Lillard, I'd put him 1st also. Still, too early to say that.
About Williams, he's very solid and much better than everyone thinks. He still has some potential to improve, also.

I'd probably take Favors over Lillard in a vacuum. Of course I think a lot of his hype as the best guard in the league going forward is a bit unwarranted given a certain player in LA.

I can't see potentials but I'm assuming McLemore has a ton of room to grow with all of the hype surrounding him. Pretty easy for me though, Jrue is head and shoulders way above Ben, in a completely different category. Jrue is elite while McLemore is average...as of NOW. No idea what potentials are though like I said

When Jrue Holiday bumped Chris Paul as the starter in last year's All Star game, he simply put a stamp on his legacy in this league.

LakeshowAK7 (LAL) wrote:I'd probably take Favors over Lillard in a vacuum.  Of course I think a lot of his hype as the best guard in the league going forward is a bit unwarranted given a certain player in LA.

you mean Chris Paul right  

I think you have to invest some time into making your top star visible and make sure people talk about him. Lillard is great and is still developing - I think best PG in the game is a real possibility for him...

I think Favors is above Lillard because of the impact a dominant big man can have, and I think McLemore is #4, but the fact that he's #4 shows how many talented young players are in this division. Impressive.