NBA: Ranking the top 20 rising stars under the age of 24 heading into 2024-25

There's a strong crop of rising stars in the NBA.

San Antonio Spurs v New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio Spurs v New Orleans Pelicans | Tyler Kaufman/GettyImages
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18. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 22

As the Atlanta Hawks continue to battle somewhat of an in-house identity crisis, there are major questions about several players on their roster. One rising star whose future with the team is pretty solid is Jalen Johnson. As a rising young star in the league, Johnson had a truly breakout year in his third season with the Hawks. With the hope that he has more promising development in the future, it's no wonder why Johnson is one of the few Hawks on the roster who is considered "untouchable" in trade talks.

I'm not sure how good Johnson can be in the future but there's no question he has strongly overtaken one of the starting forward positions in Atlanta for the foreseeable future. If he can continue to develop and hone his skill set, Johnson is going to become a bigger and bigger name across the league.

The Hawks may have some big personnel decisions to make in the near future but it's hard to imagine the team parting ways with Johnson anytime soon.