The National Basketball Association (NBA) 2017-2018 season is more than half over. Lots of things look familiar about this season. Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors look unstoppable. And LeBron James is playing great.
But there are some new stars in the NBA that you should know. They are all young, have cool nicknames and can really play. Let’s take a look.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
(pronounced YAHN-iss ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh)
Nicknames: the Greek Freak, the Alphabet
At 6 feet 11 inches, Antetokounmpo can do it all. He plays every position — from power forward to point guard — and leads the Milwaukee Bucks in points, rebounds and assists.
Antetokounmpo just turned 23 years old, but he is in his fifth NBA season. Blessed with arms that are longer than his name, the Greek Freak is almost unstoppable around the basket. Antetokounmpo is so good he will challenge James for the Most Valuable Player Award this season.
Joel Embiid
(jo-ELL em-BEED)
Nicknames: JoJo, the Process
Born in Cameroon (a country in Central Africa), Embiid did not start playing basketball until he was 16 years old. Boy, did he catch on quick.
The 7-foot center was the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA player draft. Sidelined his first two seasons with foot injuries, 23-year-old Embiid is just beginning to show the league what he can do. Big enough to battle under the boards for rebounds, Embiid can also step out and shoot three-pointers.
After several years near the bottom of the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers are climbing back to basketball respectability. Embiid is a big part of that.
Kristaps Porzingis
Nicknames: KP6, Godzingis
Share this articleShareBasketball fans also call Porzingis “the Unicorn” because there is no one in the NBA quite like him. Even though he is 7 feet 3 inches tall, Porzingis can run the floor and shoot three-pointers like a much smaller player. In fact, the New York Knicks power forward has hit 38.5 percent of his three-point shots this season.
Porzingis is 22 and playing his second season in the NBA. He learned his all-around offensive game in his native Latvia (a small European country near Russia). But the Unicorn can also help on the defensive end. Porzingis leads the NBA in blocked shots.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Nicknames: Special K, KAT
Towns is another big man who can shoot. The 22-year-old, 7-foot center for the Minnesota Timberwolves is shooting 53.8 percent from the field, almost 84 percent from the foul line and nearly 42 percent from the three-point line.
Towns, who’s in his third season, is more than just a shooter. He is a terrific rebounder, too. In fact, Towns leads the NBA this season in “double-doubles” with 38. That means Towns scores 10 or more points and grabs 10 or more rebounds in almost every game.
New names. New stars. The NBA is definitely worth watching.
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