Top 10 NBA careers by Michigan State basketball alumni

6. Jaren Jackson Jr.

I have no doubts that Jaren Jackson Jr. will jump up this list even more before his career is over and the only reason he's not top 2-3 right now is because he's only played six seasons in the league while a few other guys ahead of him put up over a dozen years in the league and were good throughout their careers.

Jaren is going to be one of those guys soon enough.

Just six years into the league, Jackson Jr. has been one of the brightest stars and best young bigs in the NBA. He's averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks over his career and he's just scratching the surface. He's also the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

The former five-star recruit who led Michigan State to a 30-5 record in 2017-18 played just one season in East Lansing and considered returning for a second, but Tom Izzo wouldn't let him. His draft stock was far too high and he was expected to be selected in the top five (where he eventually was). He's played his entire career for Memphis and is one of the best players in the league.

After making his first All-Star game in 2023, Jackson Jr. is putting up career numbers in 2023-24, averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. He's also shooting 44 percent from the floor and 32 percent from deep.

We are just seeing the start of his rise to superstardom as Jackson Jr. is still only 24 years old.