Are you interested to know who the 17 youngest NBA players are? You have come to the right place because we have just the list for you!
We see many new and talented players every year during the NBA draft. The young players enter the draft hoping to be drafted and signed by the NBA franchises. But not everybody can make it.
But after entering the draft, they have even more pressure. All eyes are on them and how they will perform depends on their hard work, dedication, and a little luck to make it big in the League.
Then who are the young players playing in the NBA right now? Let’s get straight into our list and look at these 17 young players.
Quick Overview
First, let us look at the preview of our players and their ages at the table.
| Player Name | Age |
| 17. Paolo Banchero | 21 years-old |
| 16. Bryce McGowens | 21 years-old |
| 15. Jalen Duren | 20 years-old |
| 14. Trevor Keels | 20 years-old |
| 13. AJ Griffin | 20 years-old |
| 12. Nikola Jović | 20 years-old |
| 11. Shaedon Sharpe | 20 years-old |
| 10. Ousmane Dieng | 20 years-old |
| 9. Jeremy Sochan | 20 years-old |
| 8. Jabari Smith Jr. | 20 years-old |
| 7. Malaki Branham | 20 years-old |
| 6. Kendall Brown | 20 years-old |
| 5. Dyson Daniels | 21 years-old |
| 4. Blake Wesley | 21 years-old |
| 3. Max Christie | 21 years-old |
| 2. Michael Foster | 21 years-old |
| 1. Caleb Houstan | 21 years-old |
17 Youngest NBA Players
We have prepared our list of the 17 youngest NBA players with references from Wikipedia.
17. Paolo Banchero
- Position: Power Forward
Starting our list on number 17 is the American-Italian professional basketball player Paolo Banchero. The Orlando Magic drafted Banchero as the first overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft.
To enter the 2022 NBA draft, he forwent his remaining college year and was one of the consensus five-star recruits.
He made his NBA debut in the Summer League, where the Magic played against the Houston Rockets.
Banchero became the second teenager to put up at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game in NBA history.
16. Bryce McGowens
- Position: Shooting Guard
Bryce McGowens is a professional basketball player whom the Minnesota Timberwolves picked 40th overall in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Timberwolves traded him to the Charlotte Hornets. McGowens has signed a two-way contract with the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate team, the Greensboro Swarm.
You Might Also Want To Read About the 12 Tallest Basketball Players in The World
15. Jalen Duren
- Position: Center
The 15th youngest NBA player is Jalen Duren, who plays for the Detroit Pistons. The Charlotte Hornets drafted him as the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Duren was the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. The Hornets traded him to the New York Knicks, and he was again traded to Detroit Pistons on draft day.
Duren played his debut NBA game in the 2022 NBA Summer League.
14. Trevor Keels
- Position: Shooting Guard
Trevor Keels is the professional basketball player whom the New York Knicks drafted 42nd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. He played college basketball at Duke.
Keels declared for the draft on June 1, 2022, and forwent his remaining college eligibility.
The Knicks has signed him on a two-way contract. He is signed with the Knicks and their affiliated NBA G League team, Westchester Knicks.
13. AJ Griffin
- Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
Next, we have the shooting guard for the Atlanta Hawks, AJ Griffin. The Hawks drafted him as the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Griffin was a five-star recruit and played collegiate basketball for Duke. He was projected as a potential top-five pick before the draft.
The Hawks signed Griffin on a rookie-scale contract, and he made his NBA debut in the 2022 NBA Summer League.
12. Nikola Jović
- Position: Small Forward
Number 12 on our list of the 17 youngest NBA players is the Serbian professional basketball player Nikola Jović. The Miami Heat drafted him in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft as the 27th overall pick.
Before declaring for the NBA draft, Jović made his professional senior debut in 2021 for Mega Basket, a Serbian basketball club.
The Heat has signed him on a multi-year rookie scale contract. Jović made his NBA debut at the 2022 NBA Summer League.
11. Shaedon Sharpe
- Position: Shooting Guard
Shaedon Sharpe is a Canadian professional basketball player whom the Portland Trail Blazers selected in the first round as the 7th overall pick during the 2022 NBA Draft.
247Sports and Rivals ranked Sharpe as the third-best player of the 2021 class. Similarly, he was a consensus five-star recruit.
He declared for the 2022 draft and forwent his remaining college eligibility.
The Blazers signed Sharpe on a rookie contract. He made his NBA debut in the Summer League but suffered a shoulder injury under six minutes into the game.
He was unable to play for the remaining season.
Also, Read About The 12 Best Women’s Basketball Coaches of All Time
10. Ousmane Dieng
- Position: Small Forward / Shooting Guard
Ousmane Dieng is number 10 on our 17 youngest NBA players list. He is a French professional basketball player playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before entering the NBA draft, Dieng made his senior professional debut with Centre Fédéral in 2020.
He played for the New Zealand Breakers in 2021.
The New York Knicks selected him as the eleventh overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Knicks immediately traded Dieng to the Thunder. He is assigned to the Thunder-affiliated NBA G League team, Oklahoma City Blue.
9. Jeremy Sochan
- Position: Power Forward
Jeremy Sochan is a Polish-American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs drafted him in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft as a ninth overall pick.
Before entering the NBA draft, Sochan made his professional debut in 2020 for the German club OrangeAcademy of the ProB.
He signed a rookie contract with the Spurs and made his NBA debut in the 2022 Summer League.
8. Jabari Smith Jr.
- Position: Power Forward
The eighth youngest NBA player on our list is Jabari Smith Jr. He plays for the Houston Rockets, who drafted him in the first round as the third overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Smith was one of the top players of the class of 2021.
Similarly, he was also a consensus five-star recruit. Before the draft, he was projected as a top-three selection.
After the draft, Smith made his debut in the 2022 NBA Summer League.
7. Malaki Branham
- Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
Malaki Branham is a professional basketball player whom the San Antonio Spurs selected as the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Branham was ranked as the best player in Ohio and declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility which he later forwent.
Analysts projected him as a potential lottery pick.
Branham signed a rookie contract with the franchise. He joined the team in their 2022 NBA Summer League.
6. Kendall Brown
- Position: Small Forward / Shooting Guard
Kendall Brown is our list’s sixth youngest NBA player who is Indiana Pacers small forward. The Minnesota Timberwolves picked him 48th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft’s second round.
Brown was one of the best small forwards of the class of 2021 and a consensus five-star recruit. He declared for the NBA draft and forwent his remaining college eligibility.
The Timberwolves traded Brown to the Pacers on June 23, 2022.
He signed a two-way contract with the Pacers and the NBA G League team, Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Also Read About 12 Best NBA Shooters
5. Dyson Daniels
- Position: Small Forward / Shooting Guard
Number 5 on our list of the youngest NBA players is professional basketball player Dyson Daniels.
The New Orleans Pelicans drafted him as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Before the draft, Daniels was signed with the developmental team affiliated with the NBA G League, NBA G League Ignite, in 2021.
He signed a rookie contract with the Pelicans and joined the team for the 2022 NBA Summer League.
4. Blake Wesley
- Position: Point Guard / Shooting Guard
On number 4, we have Blake Wesley.
He is a professional basketball player whom the San Antonio Spurs drafted in the first round as the 25th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
The analysts considered him the first-round prospect of the 2022 NBA draft and forwent his remaining college eligibility to enter the draft.
He debuted in the 2022 NBA Summer League and signed a rookie contract with the franchise.
3. Max Christie
- Position: Shooting Guard
The third youngest NBA player is a professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers, Max Christie.
The Lakers selected him in the second round as the 35th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Christie was one of the top shooting guards of the class of 2021.
He declared for the 2022 NBA draft but maintained his college eligibility. He made his NBA debut in the 2022 NBA Summer League.
2. Michael Foster
- Position: Power Forward
Number 2 on our list of the 17 youngest NBA players is a professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, Michael Foster. He was undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.
ESPN and 247Sports rated Foster a five-star player. He joined the NBA G League affiliated team, NBA G League Ignite, in 2021 and forwent college.
Although Foster was undrafted, the Philadelphia 76ers signed him on an Exhibit 10 contract.
The contract was converted into a two-way with the 76ers and the NBA G League team, Delaware Blue Coats.
1. Caleb Houstan
- Position: Shooting Guard
The youngest NBA player on our list is the Canadian professional player Caleb Houstan. The Orlando Magic selected him in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft as the 32nd overall pick.
ESPN and 247Sports ranked Houstan the No.1 player of the 2021 recruiting class in the nation.
Similarly, he was a consensus five-star recruit. He declared for the 2022 NBA draft and forwent his remaining college eligibility.
Houstan joined the Magic’s roster in the 2022 NBA Summer League. He signed a rookie contract with the franchise on July 11, 2022.
Conclusion
So these are the 17 youngest players currently playing in the NBA. These players have impressed the scouts and franchises enough to get them signed.
It is fun and exciting to see how these young players will perform in the future!
You Might Also Want To Read About the 10 Best Players in the NBA Right Now
