#NBArank Rising Stars: Nos. 41-50
Who are the brightest young stars in the NBA? We're counting them down on ESPN.com.
And who's No. 1? Should it be Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid or another rising star?
We asked our experts to rate the league's best players under 25 years old, and we're rolling out our top 50 over the next 10 days, leading up to the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
If you want to get involved in the discussion, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.
On to the countdown!
#NBArank Rising Stars: 41-50
50. Elfrid Payton
- Orlando Magic | PG
- Age: 22 | @elfrid
- Drafted No. 10 in 2014
Stats & Info: Payton has posted career highs in PPG (12.5) and FG% (45.5). He's 12th in the NBA in potential assists per game (12.8), ahead of Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving.
49. Bismack Biyombo
- Orlando Magic | C
- Age: 24 | @bismackbiyombo
- Drafted No. 7 in 2011
Stats & Info: Biyombo is one of just 10 players to average one block per game each of the past six seasons. He is by far the youngest of that group, including four years younger than DeAndre Jordan, who is the second youngest of the group.
48. Larry Nance Jr.
- Los Angeles Lakers | PF
- Age: 24 | @Larrydn22
- Drafted No. 27 in 2015
Stats & Info:For the second straight season, Nance ranks among the top 25 power forwards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus. His 1.2 steals per game lead all frontcourt players who have not started any games this season.
47. TJ Warren
- Phoenix Suns | SF
- Age: 23 | @TonyWarrenJr
- Drafted No. 14 in 2014
Stats & Info: Warren has nine 20-point games this season (had three in his first two years combined), posting career highs in PPG (13.1), RPG (3.9), APG (1.0) and steals (1.2) this season.
46. Gary Harris
- Denver Nuggets | SG
- Age: 22 | @thats_G_
- Drafted No. 19 in 2014
Stats & Info: Harris has made 51.5 percent of his 2-point FGs during his three-year career, third best among players 6-foot-4 or shorter in that time behind Steph Curry (54.6 percent) and Goran Dragic (52.8 percent).
45. Marquese Chriss
- Phoenix Suns | PF
- Age: 19 | @Quese_22
- Drafted No. 8 in 2016
Stats & Info: Chriss' 44 starts this season are the second most among the 2016 draft class.
44. Cody Zeller
- Charlotte Hornets | C
- Age: 24 | @CodyZeller
- Drafted No. 4 in 2013
Stats & Info: Zeller has increased his scoring, FG percentage, rebounding and blocksper game ineach of his four seasons. He has the fourth-highest net rating among players selected in the 2013 draft (12.7).
43. Jahlil Okafor
Stats & Info: Okafor has the fourth-highest PPG (15.1) and third-highest FG% (.510 -- minimum 500 FGM) among players selected in the 2015 draft class. He has second-most points scored by a 76er since being drafted (1,315).
42. Emmanuel Mudiay
- Denver Nuggets | PG
- Age: 20 | @emmanuelmudiay
- Drafted No. 7 in 2015
Stats & Info: After shooting 67 percent from the free throw line as a rookie, Mudiay has upped that to 77.5 percent entering Feb. 6. The 10.5 percentage point increase from last season to this season is the largest increase among any of the 69 players who have attempted as many free throws as Mudiay has this season (142).
41. Jaylen Brown
- Boston Celtics | SF
- Age: 20 | @FCHWPO
- Drafted No. 3 in 2016
Stats & Info: Brown (20 years, 95 days) is the third-youngest Celtics player to score 20 points in a game in the past 50 seasons. Only Gerald Green and Antoine Walker achieved that mark sooner in Boston during that span.
Rising Stars: 31-40 | Full list
