Throughout the 2022 NBA playoffs, many teams have risen to the occasion unlike any other. There have been many series, and victories which no fan saw coming, however each of these nuances all shared common realities. Amongst the teams who each are competing to win the NBA title, each are composed of bonafide young superstars, who at young ages demonstrate their maturity and leadership on the court. These young players are the mere representation of a new era within the NBA, filled with young talent, who don’t wait for greatness, but strive for it. If these NBA playoffs have shown us anything, it is that the future of it is in good hands, and that a new era has arrived in the NBA: the era of young dominance.

As the playoffs continue, there have been numerous players who have continuously excelled. To name a few it is essential to include; Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks (Number 77), Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics (Number 0), Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies (Number 12), and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns (Number 1). Although each of these players all have different play styles that lead to their dominance, they also all shared a commonality between them, they are all under 25 years old. This means that all of the mentioned names have just emerged into the NBA in the last 4-5 years, and have already left their imprint on the game of basketball. For example, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, age 24, single handedly led his team to eliminate superstars such as Giannias Antetokounmpo, and Kevin Durant averaging 28 points per game. Luka Doncic (age 23) has also done the same beating solidified stars like Chris Paul and Donovan Mitchell.

With such young players outperforming solidified older talents in the league, it merely represents an ongoing trend which is occurring throughout the NBA, and not just the playoffs: The NBA is getting younger, and the future ahead is bright. While young talents such as Darius Garland, Trae Young, and Anthony Edward did not reach the highest marks, they still showed their impressive skills across the regular season. To add to this the average age of an NBA player is 26.5 the youngest it has ever been. The NBA is changing and changing fast, as it continues to get younger, the competition will only elevate, entering a new age no one saw coming.