The NBA's top 50 players in five years, rankings 26-50

What is the NBA going to look like in five years? Who will be the game's best players? The All-Stars, the guys on the cover of 2K24, the guys with signature shoe deals? As a fun summer project, the NBA team at NBCSports.com pulled out our crystal balls and tried to project forward who would be the 50 best players in the NBA in five years — in the summer of 2024.

In this podcast, Rob Dauster from NBCSports.com's college basketball page joins Kurt Helin to talk about players 26-50 on our list, which includes up-and-coming high school players such as James Wiseman and Emoni Bates. The back half of the list also includes a lot of current stars who will fade in five years — Klay Thompson, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and more — but the question is how much. It's a fun discussion about the NBA's best and how they will fit into an evolving league.