Ranking the 10 best prospects in the Central Division

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MarJon Beauchamp, Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

When it comes to the NBA’s Central Division, the talent is pretty loaded. There are top names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, and other All-Star talents. Next season, there could be multiple teams from the Central Division, our Cleveland Cavaliers‘ division, making the playoffs, and more that could make the play-in, as well.

Even with all the talent in this division, there are also younger players who can become really good players if given the right tools. All 5 of the teams in this division have young players who can become special talents.

There were so many solid young players in this division that I decided to give out two honorable mentions to the list. Other than that, here are 10 young prospects (3 years or less of NBA experience, for the article’s sake) in the Central Division.

Honorable Mention No. 1: MarJon Beauchamp

Selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Beauchamp went to a team with NBA Finals hopes, so he might not see a lot of playing time in year one. However, time in the G-League, a place he is very familiar with, should not be out of the question. Beauchamp spent one year in the G-League after high school with the G-League Ignite.

He averaged 15.1 points per game, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per night in 12 games. His shooting splits were okay, as he shot a tremendous 57.1% from the field, but a measly 24.2% from distance, and 65% from the charity stripe. Beauchamp obviously has talent, but he needs to become a better shooter, especially considering the team that Milwaukee has, to become successful at the NBA level. His defense is already solid, so that is not an issue.

Honorable Mention No. 2: Isaiah Jackson

The 2nd-year big man out of Kentucky showed promise as a rookie, averaging 8.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while only playing 15 minutes per night. His post scoring is already pretty solid for a young player such as himself, and he averaged 1.4 blocks a night with not a lot of minutes. Unfortunately, he isn’t much of a playmaker or shooter, and 6.1 fouls per-36 minutes is pretty eye-opening, but not in a good way.

I really think Jackson can become a solid player, especially if Myles Turner, who has been in trade talks, gets traded to a different team. As of now, Jackson is currently the backup 5, and won’t be the starter until Turner is gone.