Predicting the future has never been nailed down to an exact science, and I am pretty sure it will never be, especially when it comes to something as unpredictable as the NBA. Sure, educated guesses and predictions have come true, and analysts all over the world have nailed theirs on various talk shows or programs on television. Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day, right?

Today, I am going to do my best to predict the future based on how I think the NBA landscape will look in just five years’ time. This list will look a whole lot different than it does now. By 2028, players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant will likely be retired from the game as they knock 40’s door down and enter another decade of life beyond basketball.

Players like Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid will be relegated to smaller roles as they increase in age as they approach 35 and 36 years old as well. Given their track record with injuries, they, too, could be sitting at home enjoying retirement from the NBA. Most of the players we recently named as the best players over 30 will be in the same boat, such as Damian Lillard and Paul George, among others.

The players you see on this list will either be in the meat of their primes or just entering them when the 2027-28 season rolls around. Anything can happen over the course of five years, but one thing is clear, the following set of players will undoubtedly be the ones representing the game and playing it at its highest level.

These will be the 10 best players in the NBA in 2028.

Honorable MentionTrae Young

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I want to make it clear that just because a player does not make our top 10 does not mean we think he is a bad basketball player. Being the 11th-best player in the NBA is not a bad thing in any way, shape, or form.

That being said, NBA defenses have already begun to figure out Trae Young as a shooter and scorer. Young shot just 33.5% from three in 2022-23 on 6.3 attempts but has still averaged over 25.0 PPG in each of the last four seasons. Overall, he has not shot the ball particularly well, capping out at 46.0% in 2021-22 and dipping to 42.9% in 2022-23.

Where Young will still be an elite player other than as a scorer will be his playmaking and passing. Young has only improved as a passer, especially when he attacks the paint and averaged over 9.0 APG in each of his last four seasons and averaged a career-high 10.2 APG in 2022-23. Young will still be a top point guard in the game just as he is now as he turns 29 in 2028, but a top 10 overall player he will not be.

10. Donovan Mitchell

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Over the last few seasons, we have seen Donovan Mitchell bloom into one of the best shooting guards in the NBA today. He is an elite three-level scorer with exceptional athleticism and an extremely high basketball IQ.

Mitchell has seemingly found a great situation for himself in Cleveland with the Cavaliers, a situation that has completely opened up his offensive arsenal. Mitchell erupted earlier this season for a 71-point game and averaged a career-high 28.3 PPG. The situation is built for the future, with young stars like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarett Allen surrounding him moving forward.

If Mitchell opts to stay with Cleveland, I can see him becoming a 30.0 PPG scorer in no time. I also see the Cavaliers competing for an NBA championship over these five seasons, led by Mitchell and their stout interior defense. In their first season together, Cleveland went 51-31 on the season, with Mitchell only getting better at just 26 years old. By age 31, I expect him to be a lock for the top 10 in the NBA and possibly an NBA champion by that time as well.

9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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In 2022-23, at age 24, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a season worthy of being considered for the top 10 in the NBA right now. At age 29, I expect him to have reached superstar status while helping to build something special with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander is already a top-three point guard in basketball if we judge him off the 2022-23 season alone. Shai became an All-Star this past season while averaging 31.4 PPG and earning All-NBA First Team honors. If he keeps this up over the next five years, he can honestly be top five in the league before we know it.

The only thing that could possibly hold him back is if we judge him off team success like we have done so many times with so many other players. He can put up all the 30.0 PPG seasons he wants, but will anyone care if it doesn’t lead to success in the playoffs? Likely not. Regardless of those circumstances, Gilgeous-Alexander’s talent and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 will still be enough to land him in the top 10 just as it did in 2022-23 and just as it will moving forward.

8. Ja Morant

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Obviously, the outlook on Ja Morant’s career is pretty bleak, considering how much hot water he found himself in with the league this year. Morant will be suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season due to a second instance of flashing a firearm on social media.

Assuming he matures just as most young NBA players do, the league cannot afford to sleep on Morant. By 2028, Morant will still be in the prime of his career at just 28 years old. With five years of experience under his belt, I expect all of the young mistakes to be cleaned up and Memphis to be toward the top of the West, consistently led by Morant. Over the last two seasons, Morant has increased his assist numbers while becoming a much more willing distributor of the basketball. His scoring will always be there due to his unreal athleticism and speed/control while getting to the rim.

Where I really expect him to improve as he gets older is his jump shot. Morant has been a 32.1% three-point shooter up until this point in his career, and that can only get better if he wishes to make the next step. This is something he will be working on for the next five seasons. Please, just stay on the court, Ja.

7. Zion Williamson

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Just as things looked bleak for Morant’s future, things have looked a lot worse for Zion Williamson. The obvious issue has been Zion’s inability to stay healthy or in basketball shape for the entirety of one season in his young career so far. At just 22 years old, there is a lot of time to get that under control, just as he will the other issues that have come to the surface this offseason.

Zion is just 22 years old at this moment, meaning that he will be in peak physical condition, hopefully by 2028. If he stays healthy over this time, he will be a potential MVP candidate. We have already seen a young Zion average 27.0 PPG on over 60.0% shooting which is exactly where he can be over the next five seasons.

People tend to forget with Zion that before his injury in 2022-23, the Pelicans were in first place. Now, I do not expect Zion to be in New Orleans all that much longer, but wherever he is, I expect excellence. Am I being overly skeptical about the next five years for Zion? Absolutely. But his talent and abilities are enough for me to overlook struggles at an early age and look brightly toward the future.

6. Victor Wembanyama

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Before he even plays an NBA game, I am definitely signing up on the Victor Wembanyama hype train. The 7’2’’ French phenom has impressed enough people who know more than me about what they’re looking at for me to say that I am confident this kid is going to be one of the greats.

Looking ahead, of course, there are concerns that need to be addressed. We have seen players built similarly to Wembanyama struggle with the physicality of the NBA, thus suffering injuries or completely flaking out on the NBA level. I do not anticipate these issues with Wembanyama. Looking at his game, he does not intend on banging with other bigs in the paint. He relies on a finesse game that is perfect for the direction the NBA is headed.

He can shoot from any spot on the floor, making him an elite offensive weapon already as a center. He also possesses an extremely high basketball IQ as a passer and playmaker in certain situations. Wembanyama will dig the Spurs out of the rut they have experienced over the last few seasons. Popovich, Duncan, and Parker will not let this kid fail at the NBA level. Expect Victor Wembanyama to not only be pushing into the top 10 as a player, but I would venture to say he is challenging for the top five by 2028.

5. Devin Booker

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The only ones who will disagree with Devin Booker kicking off our top five for 2028 are the ones who have come to hate the Phoenix Suns over the last few seasons. The truth is Devin Booker is one of the most s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed offensive players in the game, and his performance in the 2023 playoffs proved it.

Booker averaged 33.7 PPG in 11 playoff games in 2023, showing off the full control of his game from all three levels on offense. He continues to improve as a mid-range and three-point shooter, which will only increase while learning from the likes of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Make no mistake about it, Booker will be the main offensive option for the Suns soon enough, which could even happen with Durant still in town.

Now, saying Booker will be top-five in the NBA is not as big of a stretch as it seems in 2028. He will be 31 and heading into the back end of his best years in the game. If his constant improvement over the last eight years is any look into the future, it tells us that Booker will be battling for MVP awards and NBA championships over the next five years.

4. Luka Doncic

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Luka Doncic has already proven by the time he turned 24 years old that the NBA comes naturally easy to him. At any point during a game, Luka changes the pace to cater to the way he wishes to play or attack a defense. This is the kind of s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and playstyle that just doesn’t deteriorate with time.

It is not only the change in speed and IQ that will carry him into the future. Doncic has a ton of room to improve, which is a scary thought when you break it down. If Doncic even shoots 37.0 or 38.0% from three, we are looking at a 35.0 to 37.0 PPG scorer. That is insane to think about. Improving his outside shooting could put him on another level than anyone in the game, and I am predicting that to be the case in five years.

I also expect him to improve at the team level. There are numerous times that I can point to Luka in a game where he doesn’t trust his teammates in some situations. As the Mavericks continue to improve around him, I do believe that mindset melts away, and the Mavericks become championship contenders once again. One thing is for sure, Doncic will be a top-four player in the NBA in five years’ time vying for multiple MVP awards.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

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As it stands right now in 2023, the debate across the NBA is between Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the title of best player in the world. Giannis is already a two-time MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA champion, and Finals MVP. The scary part is he may just be getting started at just 28 years old.

By age 33, given the way he plays with such force and speed, I do expect Giannis to slow down just a bit. However, as basketball advances, so does medicine and technology, so who knows what exactly we will be looking at. Even at 33 years old, Giannis will still be an athletic and dominant force in the paint, putting up MVP-like numbers.

His instincts as a scorer and passer are only getting better as he has learned to get shiftier and craftier with his moves. One concern I will express is his struggles as a shooter, which has seemed to only decline rather than improve. I do expect this to be something Giannis focuses on as we move into the future and as he relies less on his athleticism to be a dominant force. At 33 years old, there is no way I see Giannis being outside of the top three players in the game, especially with what he brings defensively as well.

2. Jayson Tatum

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Could it be a stretch to say that Jayson Tatum is the second-best player in the world in five years? Sure, it can. Is it as outlandish as some will make it out to be? No.

I think the days of denying that Jayson Tatum is only getting better with time are over. He has done nothing but improve his game and his production since entering the NBA in 2017-18. Tatum will barely be 30 years old during the 2027-28 season, still in the meat of his prime as a player coming off numerous deep playoff runs. Offensively, Tatum is as talented as anyone in the game, armed with three-level scoring that is among the best in basketball. His turnovers are a concern at times, but we can chalk that up to growth for now.

Tatum has also proven to be a so-so individual defender but can be elite in the right system and scheme. He showed us this in 2022 against Kevin Durant in the playoffs and flashes again in 2023. Tatum should not only be toward the top of players in the NBA, but he should have also delivered that elusive championship back to Boston by that time. I expect him to still hover around 30.0 PPG by 2028 and be a perennial MVP candidate.

1. Nikola Jokic

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I can honestly say that I did not feel comfortable putting any player in the number one spot other than Nikola Jokic. As we saw on his run to the championship in 2023, Jokic is unlike any player we have ever seen from the center position or ever in NBA history.

Jokic is what many are hoping Victor Wembanyama will be in the future but on steroids. Seriously, the man nearly averaged a triple-double in 2022-23, and with the entire offense running through him, he is only going to continue to dominate as a scorer, passer, and rebounder.

The scariest thing about Jokic is that his game doesn’t need to change over time. He is already unathletic as it is and still cannot be stopped on the offensive side of the ball. Is there any player you can point to right now in the NBA who can barely jump over a sheet of paper yet consistently picks apart the league’s best defenses and best interior defenders? No, there isn’t. Jokic is one of a kind and will remain that way through 2028 as he becomes one of the greatest players in NBA history.