A current NBA player is a hired athlete on a current roster of the league’s thirty teams who are actively playing professional basketball for their respective team at the present. A few are signed to draft rights that expire at the end of the season. The youngest players are often drafted but considered prospects and have not yet played as professionals.
But with these players, age is just a number, and several players in the history of the NBA have earned their spot on the roster before they turned 20. Some stars became household names after getting drafted at an incredibly young age.
In this article, you’ll learn about the 10 current NBA players making splashes for their teams.
10. Malaki Branham (May 12, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 9 months, 21 days
Team: Spurs
Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Weight: 82 kg.
photo source: Wikipedia
Malaki Lamar Branham represented the Ohio State Buckeyes in college. He trained in Columbus under Jason Dawson beginning in the fifth grade. To attend St. Vincent High School, he relocated to Akron, Ohio.
Branham started his collegiate career as a backup but rapidly moved up to the starting lineup. After a COVID break of about a month, he scored a career-high 35 points in an 87-79 overtime victory over Nebraska.
He had a 13.7-point, 3.6 rebounds, and two assists per game average as a rookie. Branham was selected for the Third Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Branham declared for the 2022 NBA draft on April 1, 2022, keeping his eligibility for college. Later on, giving up his remaining eligibility, he joined an agency. He was predicted to go in the lottery for the draft.
Did You Know?
The San Antonio Spurs picked Branham with the 20th overall choice in the 2022 NBA Draft.
9. Jabari Smith Jr. (May 13, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 9 months, 20 days
Team: Rockets
Height: 6 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 100 kg.
photo source: Sporting News
Jabari Smith Jr. was taught by his father how to play basketball as a child. At Sandy Creek High School, Smith would guide the squad to a state title berth as a senior. Smith was recognized as Mr. Georgia Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American in high school.
Smith, a five-star prospect and the nation’s seventh-best recruit overall, committed to play collegiate basketball for Auburn University.
Smith assisted in guiding Auburn to its first-ever AP number-one rating and an SEC regular season title as a rookie. Smith received the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award and was recognized as an All-American at the end of his first season.
Did You Know
Smith entered the 2022 NBA Draft after his freshman year, and the Rockets took him as the third overall choice.
8. Jeremy Sochan (May 20, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 9 months, 13 days
Team: Spurs
Height: 6 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 104 kg.
photo source: NBC Sports
A professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association, Jeremy Juliusz Sochan is of Polish and American descent (NBA). He plays basketball for Poland’s men’s national team. He represented the Baylor Bears in collegiate basketball.
In Guymon, Oklahoma, in the United States, Sochan was born. His mother, Aneta, played Division II collegiate basketball at Panhandle State and represented Polonia Warsaw in basketball.
She met Ryan Williams, the father of Sochan, a basketball player on the men’s team, there. The MK Trojans in Milton Keynes were where Sochan made his basketball debut as a youngster. Later, he moved to Southampton and played for the Solent Kestrels youth club and Itchen College.
Did You Know?
Jeremey Sochan became the youngest player to ever play for Poland, leading Poland to an 88-81 victory against Romania in his opening match at the EuroBasket 2022 qualifying.
7. Ousmane Dieng (May 21, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 9 months, 12 days
Team: Thunder
Height: 6 ft. 9 in.
Weight: 84 kg.
photo source: Peachtree Hoops
French professional basketball player Ousmane Dieng plays for the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA). He plays forward and is 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) tall. In Lot-et-Garonne, where his father, Ababacar, played basketball, Dieng grew up.
Along with fellow Frenchman and future 2022 NBA draft pick Hugo Besson, Dieng confirmed on June 1 that he would play for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2021–22 season.
He became the first player from Europe to sign up for the NBA Next Stars program run by the league. Major college basketball schools and the NBA G League Ignite recruited Dieng. On April 17, 2022, Dieng departed the Breakers to be ready for the 2022 NBA draft.
Did You Know?
At the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Italy, Dieng represented France. His squad won the silver medal because of his 8.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game average.
6. Shaedon Sharpe (May 30, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 9 months, 3 days
Team: Trail Blazers
Height: 6 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 90 kg.
photo source: Oregon Live
At Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Arizona, Shaedon Sharpe was regarded as one of the best players in his class and a unanimous five-star recruit. Sharpe went to Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Arizona, for his junior year and started playing the lead position. In the Grind Session, he scored 21.4 points and grabbed 6 rebounds per game.
On the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, he represented UPLAY Canada and was coached by Dwayne Washington. In the NBA draft of 2022, he was chosen as the seventh overall pick. He turned down invitations to play college basketball for Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and the NBA G League Ignite in favor of Kentucky on September 7, 2021.
5. Nikolá Jovic (June 9, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 8 months, 23 days
Team: Heat
Height: 6 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 93 kg.
photo source: NBC 6 South Florida
Serbian basketball player Nikola Jovic plays for the Miami Heat. He plays power forward, is 6 feet 10 inches tall (2.08 m), and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). Since his father, professional basketball star Ilija, was a patient then, Jovi was born in the Royal Infirmary in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.
Before switching to the Mega Basket youth system in 2018, Jovi was a basketball player for the KK Sava youth system. He joined the Heat for the NBA Summer League in July 2022. Jovi was given a one-game suspension on October 23, 2022, without compensation for leaving the bench following a brawl between the Heat and the Toronto Raptors the previous evening.
Did You Know?
Due to a right arm injury, Jovic could not compete in the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy.
4. Jean Montero (July 3, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 7 months, 30 days
Team: Knicks
Height: 6 ft. 3 in.
Weight: 79.5 kg.
photo source: Posting and Toasting
Basketball player Jean Claudio Montero is from the Dominican Republic. Montero, who was raised playing basketball and baseball and was born in Santo Domingo, first saw the sport when he went to a court to amuse himself. He started off by using an old bicycle’s wheels as a rim to play basketball with his cousin close to where they lived.
At age 10 or 11, he began seriously participating in the sport with Club DOSA in the Villa Juana neighborhood.
Montero, 16, joined the senior national squad of the Dominican Republic in August 2019 for a training camp in advance of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. There were 17 players in total. Although he did not participate in the World Cup, he played three exhibition games for the squad.
Did You Know?
When the Dominican Republic qualified for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup, Montero participated to represent the country.
3. AJ Griffin (August 25, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 6 months, 8 days
Team: Hawks
Height: 6 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 100 kg.
photo source: CBC Sports
American professional basketball player Adrian Darnell “AJ” Griffin Jr. plays for the Atlanta Hawks. With senior Obi Toppin, Griffin started for the varsity basketball squad in Ossining, New York in 2015–16. Griffin participated in basketball for White Plains, New York’s Archbishop Stepinac High School.
Griffin joined his elder brother, Alan, on the field as a freshman, and they helped their squad win its first Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Archdiocesan championship since 1984.
He led Stepinac to the CHSAA Archdiocesan title as a junior with averages of 17.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game despite missing most of the season due to a knee ailment. Griffin’s ankle injury kept him out of action for his final year. He was listed on the rosters for both the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Did You Know?
Griffin participated in the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Brazil on behalf of the United States.
2. Trevor Keels (August 26, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 6 months, 7 days
Team: Knicks
Height: 6 ft. 4 in.
Weight: 100 kg.
photo source: Twitter
American professional basketball player Trevor Jamaal Keels plays for the New York Knicks on a two-way deal with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. He represented the Duke Blue Devils in collegiate basketball. Keels was one of the top shooting guards in the 2021 class and a five-star prospect in general.
Keels was named the Co-Player of the Year in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) as a sophomore after averaging 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
He had 28.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 3.8 steals per game average as a senior. In addition to being chosen for the rosters of the McDonald’s All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit, he was voted Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Did You Know?
The New York Knicks picked Keels with the 42nd overall choice in the 2022 NBA Draft. Keels and the Knicks agreed to a two-way deal on July 10, 2022.
1. Jalen Duren (November 18, 2003 – present)
Current Age (as of March 2023): 19 years, 3 months, 14 days
Team: Pistons
Height: 6 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 113 kg.
photo source: PistonPowered
American professional basketball player Jalen Montez Duren plays for the Detroit Pistons and is the youngest current NBA player. He is a center who is 6 feet 10 inches tall and 250 pounds (113 kg). In addition to basketball, Duren played football and baseball as a child.
However, basketball became his main emphasis as he matured and developed his talents.
Duren relocated to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, for his junior year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this prestigious school was in the process of joining the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), along with other top programs like Oak Hill, Wasatch Academy, and Sunrise Christian.
Only five freshmen, including Duren, were selected for the Sports Illustrated Preseason All-American squad. He was a top talent in the 2021 class and a unanimous five-star recruit.
Did You Know?
Before reclassifying, Duren was considered the best player in the 2022 class.
