Michael Carter-Williams noticeably left off of top 25 under 25 list
Recently, ESPN released a list ranking the top 25 players in the NBA under the age of 25. The list was chock full of young studs and franchise cornerstones like Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins, John Wall, Kyrie Irving and Paul George, as well as up-and-comers like Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum and Julius Randle.
Even Sixers center Joel Embiid, who has yet to suit up this season, cracked the list. He was featured fairly highly, number 14, for someone yet to play professionally. ESPN supported their placement of Embiid by pointing to his potential.
"Embiid projects to be a tremendous two-way player with great size and agility combined with genuine passion to compete. He has all the markings of a true franchise center, though long-term health is an issue."
Injury issues aside, Embiid's play during his short stint at Kansas earned him a lot of respect. Also from ESPN:
"He hasn't played a game and is recovering from injury, but his placement this high should speak to how respected his talent level is. I've never seen a player improve as much in as short a time as Embiid did during his short collegiate career."
Such high praise for the young man is a solid sign for the Sixers.
Embiid however was the only Sixer represented on the list. Noticeably left off was the reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, as well as Nerlens Noel.
Noel, only 21 games into his career may not have yet shown enough to solidify a spot. Carter-Williams however is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign that highlighted the versatility of his game, and is continuing his solid play into his second season. Carter-Williams is currently sixth in the NBA in assists per game, despite not having the world's most talented teammates.
At 23 with only a single season under his belt, Carter-Williams is a bit older than some others on the list. Like the others however, he also has a lot of time for improvement, and in a little over a season he has proven to be one of the league's top young talents, list or no list.
A couple of ex-Sixers, Jrue Holiday and Nikola Vucevic, also cracked the list. Check out the full list here.