2020 NBA Free Agency: Top 4 Under 25 Free Agents Still Available

1. Emmanuel Mudiay — Despite having 6 NBA seasons under his belt, Eric Bledsoe lite (as I like to call him) is only 24 years of age. This past year with the Utah Jazz might’ve been the best thing for him for a number of reasons: 1) the once lofty expectations have simmered 2) he settled into a backup role 3) his backup duties were on a competitive playoff team. As you might expect he averaged career lows in just about every category, but he also saw his FG%, 3FG%, and PER rise well above his career averages. Having spent some time with Mudiay in New York I believe he’s best suited to be used in spurts, providing smaller sample sizes, and most importantly being a member of a competitive team. Most (if not all) playoff contenders are running low on cap space, I don’t see why you wouldn’t take a swing on the 24 year old at the minimum if you need a guard and have a roster spot.
2. Skal Labissiere — While he’s been in the league 5 years, I’m not quite ready to pull the plug on providing Skal chances. The 6’10 power forward just possesses too many special traits that are very tough to teach. He’s a long, lengthy, and athletic string bean with a soft touch of the offensive end of the floor possessing a solid midrange jumper (also an above average free throw shooter for his size). Although his overall feel for the game continues to be a work in progress, he has above average footwork, can put the ball on the floor for 1 to 2 dribbles when given space, and while he’s not a good screener he still can disrupt defenses with his ability to either pop or roll to be a lob/dump-off threat at the rim. One of his bigger knocks is he has never really developed any strength which hurts him defensively and on the boards, but he is a shot blocker that can disrupt shots. It’s too bad the Knicks are out of roster space, he’d make a great fit there.

3. Check Diallo — Although he’s never been able to put his game together, Diallo is an aggressive wild horse that consistently brings instant energy off the bench. He’s definitely a young player I’d consider adding this late into the offseason as he can provide a team’s established bigs a break for 5–8 minute stretches while he unleashes full throttle. I thought he was a great little add for the Suns last season and would be worth another look again this year.

4. Alonzo Trier — After just 2 seasons as member of the unstable New York Knicks, I’m not quite ready to close the door on Trier. The former youth basketball prodigy showed enough offensively with his scoring capability that I’m willing to take a flyer on a guy who loves the game, is an absolute gym rat, and is determined to improve.