The division final is a future battle for the league? Unfortunately, no one can meet the conditions for taking over Zhanku

(The original article was published on May 22, and the author is Martenzie Johnson from Andscape website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views)

This year's playoff division final was particularly eye-catching due to the shining of the four young players, each of whom is unique. Halliburton, Brunson, Edwards and the new MVP Alexander represent the future of the NBA. These four defenders, who are under 29 years old, have shown so-called "superstar potential" in the past few years, especially this year's playoffs. Whether it is scoring crazy, locking the opponent with defense, or hitting the winning goal, these four stars who are still playing in the playoffs have shown a future championship appearance.

At the same time, as the NBA is about to face a not-far retirement moment when James and Curry are about to face, the league is eager to find the next leader. Among Halliburton, Brunson, Edwards and Alexander, no one has stood out to be the "Son of Chosen". They will all be selected as All-Stars, take on commercials and drive jersey sales, but it is far from enough to become the so-called league appearance.

James and Curry (and Durant, who is slightly inferior) have long surpassed the category of great players, and they are themselves iconic existences in the basketball world. Curry can be brothers with the former US president, while James can make the market value of the team he plays for instantly soar. When these two superstars play away, their number of fans often exceeds that of home team fans.

Although I don't think Halliburton will star in "Slam Dunk 3" in the future like Jordan and James, this does not affect his current light at all. These four players are all stars born for the game broadcast and can all bring unique and exciting performances.

Halliburton is a male version of WNBA star Caitlin Clark. He can control the rhythm of the game (you will know if you ask the Bucks), stand up at critical moments, connect teammates with dazzling passes, and hit three-pointers in a seemingly awkward shooting posture.

Brunson is the most reliable key gentleman in the league today, and the winner of the Best Key Player Award this season is proof of it. Although he is only 1.88 meters tall, he never retreats in the confrontation. When the whistle sounds in the fourth quarter of the key game, the arena will instantly enter "Brunson Time".

Edwards's outspoken personality and his attitude as if he was about to force all legendary stars to retire cannot be ignored. The young player is not only eager to execute the last shot, but also obsessed with defending his opponent's final chance. If superstars can be made in the lab, it must be a template like Edwards.

Alexander's style of play was as smooth as silk, and his game was smooth and he had no redundant movements. When he decides to reach a certain position, he will definitely be able to break through the siege. There are very few players in the league who can break down the defense in this way. The

Championship trophy may be able to push one of them to new heights, but that doesn't mean they can be the next James, Curry or Jordan.

And this is completely understandable.

Becoming a league appearance is not something that can be determined by voting or data. Its essence is whose face comes to your mind when you close your eyes and think about professional basketball.

In the 1980s, this answer belonged to the old enemies of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Jordan became the standard answer to this question from the late 1980s to the entire 1990s. James, who was known as the "Son of Chosen" in high school, was equally matched with Kobe in most of the 2000s. Curry, who had just made history at Davidson Academy, dominated the 2010s with James. But now 40-year-old James and 37-year-old Curry have entered the countdown.

As I said, the title of "area facade" cannot be measured by specific standards. However, to be the first player image to emerge when people think of basketball, at least three conditions need to be met.

Winning

The easiest way to become a league appearance is to keep winning. James (4 championships), Curry (4 championships) and Durant (2 championships) won a total of 10 championship rings; Kobe and the Magic each had 5 championships; Jordan reached the top 6 times; although Iverson was a cultural phenomenon, his experience of only entering the finals once in his career and never winning the championship made it difficult for him to take on this great task.

Among the best players under the age of 30, including the four we discussed, as well as Tatum, Doncic, Vinbanyama, Morant and Zion, currently only Tatum has the championship ring, and only Tatum and Doncic have led the team to the finals.

In this fiercely competitive NBA era, it is difficult to achieve the finals for eight consecutive years like James, or achieve the feat of five finals from 2015 to 2019 like Curry. After the playoffs this year, the league will set an unprecedented record of seven different teams winning championships in seven years. Without the championship trophy as an endorsement, it would be difficult to achieve the status of James or Curry.

Business Value

The importance of commercial value is self-evident. Can you drive the sales of sneakers, jerseys and other products? Do you have a personal charm that makes people involuntarily attracted? Can you host Saturday Night Live or appear on the Paris Fashion Week catwalk? Although Doncic's organizational offensive style is similar to that of the Magician, it is far less charming than this senior named "magic". Doncic has had two viral advertisements in the past few months, one from Jordan brand and the other from Gatorade (the advertisement is spelled out with a towel, which is suspected to allude to the Mavericks general manager Nick Harrison), but neither of them uses Doncic's own voice.

Brunson and Alexander both filmed AT&T commercials, but the serious temperament of the former and the elegant style of the latter failed to fully demonstrate the exciting personality charm.. There has been almost never been a precedent in league history where villains become the most popular player, which has limited Halliburton, who has made enemies in Milwaukee, New York, Orlando and even the WWE, despite his natural leadership. Edwards is a golden sentence manufacturing machine, with a confident and ostentatious style of play, and is supported by the entire marketing system of Adidas and Coca-Cola, but it falls under the last requirement...

Stay away from controversy

Edwards is always destroying the Great Wall. Even though he is star-studded, any public relations method is difficult to embellish any scandals such as parent-child relationship lawsuits, remarks demanding abortions from women, and homophobic insults. This may not necessarily mean that Edwards has a bad character, but when trying to promote his image globally, it is difficult to trust such a person who keeps shooting himself in the foot.

This is exactly the dilemma Iverson encountered back then.

Although Iverson is full of talent and represents a long-ignored black culture in the United States, he has never been able to escape from negative news. The legendary star has had many conflicts with his coach. He worked as a part-time rapper to create songs involving gender discrimination and homophobia. He also faced misdemeanor charges (later revoked) for breaking into his cousin's apartment for finding his wife with a gun. These did not hinder Iverson's commercial value, and he signed several Reebok's tens of millions of dollars contracts. But Iverson always lacks stability, which is not a derogatory, but a part of his character traits. Although Edwards has not been involved in the illegal incident, his remarks such as asking the other party to "send videos" (referring to abortion video proof) are by no means an ideal personal label.

To become a league facade, you still need to have American identity: although Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Vinban Yama are talented players, cultural barriers do constitute some obstacle.

Taking all factors into consideration, there is currently no clear next-generation leader in the NBA. The closest to this position in recent years is Zion Williamson, who was well-known in high school like James. But frequent injuries made it difficult for Zion to continue playing games, hindering his rise. Morant was also banned for multiple gun-carrying incidents and faded out of the focus circle like self-destruction.

James and Curry have been eliminated early this year's playoffs, and the probability of their winning again is slim. But the league is still their world: Curry and James are still ranked second and third in the jersey sales list this season, and although Doncic ranks first, this is more due to the Lakers trade that shocked the league in the mid-season.

The successors of James and Curry will not be decided this playoffs, but they will definitely present a wonderful basketball feast, which is worthy of applause.

Original text: MartenzieJohnson

Compiled by: Li Taibai