Since 2023, the NBA has become faster and more dynamic. Players leap higher, sprint harder, and cover the floor more efficiently. While skill still matters, athleticism is setting a new standard.
Modern stars don’t just dunk, they dominate both ends. They explode for blocks, defend in transition, and stretch the game vertically and laterally. This surge in physicality has transformed the league. Fast breaks are sharper and athleticism drives roster choices and team strategy.
From Giannis’s coast-to-coast plays to Edwards’ high-flying finishes, the NBA today thrives on power, speed, and aerial dominance.
The Most Athletic NBA Players Since 2023
This list highlights the 10 most athletic NBA players since 2023, whose freakish abilities have redefined what it means to be elite on the court.
| Player | Team | NBA Debut Year |
|---|---|---|
| Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | 2019 |
| Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies | 2019 |
| Anthony Edwards | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2020 |
| Jalen Green | Houston Rockets | 2021 |
| Shaedon Sharpe | Portland Trail Blazers | 2022 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | 2013 |
| Amen Thompson | Houston Rockets | 2023 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | Golden State Warriors | 2021 |
| Miles Bridges | Charlotte Hornets | 2018 |
| Scottie Barnes | Toronto Raptors | 2021 |
Top 10 Most Athletic NBA Players Since 2023 till Present
1. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
When Zion is healthy, he still looks like the most explosive power athlete in the sport. At about 198 centimeters and well over 120 kilos, he changes direction like a guard and then takes off as if gravity forgot about him. His second jump is as scary as the first, and he absorbs contact from centers without losing balance. Since 2023, there have been long stretches where every drive feels like a foul, a layup, or a dunk that shakes the stanchion.
Even with injuries, Zion has averaged about 22 to 23 points, nearly 7 rebounds and around 4 to 5 assists per game in this window, while shooting close to 50% from the field. In 2023–24, the Pelicans went 49–33, their best regular season in 15 years, and won 42 games when he was in uniform. He is already a 2-time All Star and former All Rookie selection, and he was scoring more than 24 points per game again before a back injury led the team to shut him down in early April 2025.
2. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Ja brings that trampoline style that used to belong only to small contest guards. At 6-foot-2 he gets to the top of the square on lobs and put back dunks, and he can twist his body in mid air to finish around help. Since 2023 he has mixed that vertical pop with real burst off the dribble, turning simple ball screens into full speed attacks from almost anywhere above the break. Even on nights when his shot is off, you still see defenders backing up in fear of the next takeoff.
On the numbers side, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 2022–23 while making his second All Star Game and finishing just outside All NBA because of his suspension. He is a former Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player, and he already has an All NBA Second Team on his resume from 2021–22. Even as injuries and team drama have hit the Grizzlies, he has stayed around 20 points and 7+ assists per game and remains one of the league’s most dangerous downhill guards.
3. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards combines running back power with track level speed in a 6-foot-4 frame. Since 2023 he has turned that into one of the most violent dunk highlight reels in the league, with posters over bigs who actually rotate in time and still lose the race to the top of the jump. He gets into his first step off a simple jab or hang dribble and is at the rim in 2 strides, and he has added better body control so he can adjust mid air instead of just trying to go through everyone.
The production has risen with the athletic flashes. Edwards has become a multi-time All Star and was named to the All NBA Second Team in 2023–24 after averaging well over 25 points per game and leading Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. He followed that up by taking the Wolves back to the conference finals again in 2024–25 while establishing himself as a clutch scorer and one of the faces of the league. His official honors now include multiple All NBA teams, several All Star nods, and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA.
4. Jalen Green, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns
Jalen Green has the kind of smooth, elastic athleticism that looks effortless. He glides in transition, covers huge ground in a few steps, and seems to float on lobs. When he gets a clean lane, his head is level with the rim and the ball stays in his hand long enough to hang and choose how he wants to finish. Since 2023 he has also added more strength, which helps his first step and lets him bounce off contact instead of getting knocked off his line.
On the scoreboard, Green averaged 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 76 games in 2022–23, then followed with roughly 21 points per game during the Rockets playoff return under Ime Udoka. That scoring punch earned him a 3-year extension worth over 100 million dollars before his move to Phoenix, where his role has shifted but the burst and leaping have not gone anywhere.
5. Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers
Shaedon Sharpe might be the purest leaper in the league. He does not always need a big run up, yet he still ends up eye level with the rim, and there are plays where he keeps rising after everyone else has started to come down. In December 2024, tracking data measured one of his dunks at a 45.1-inch leap, the highest recorded in-game vertical since the league began logging that data. Multiple reports have mentioned that he is said to own a 49-inch vertical, and there are clips of him hitting his head on the side of the backboard.
The production has been streaky on a rebuilding Blazers roster, but his flashes are loud. In his first 2 full seasons, he has had stretches where he lives around 20 points per night with a diet of transition finishes, backdoor lobs and step back threes. The key fact with Sharpe is that he is doing this as a young guard with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and huge hands, which hints at real two way upside if the rest of his game catches up to the hops.
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis is the veteran on this list, but nothing about his athletic profile has slowed down since 2023. He still grabs a rebound, takes 3 long strides and dunks before the defense can set up, and he remains one of the only players who can credibly guard all 5 positions for stretches. At his size, the way he changes ends and covers space feels unfair, and that length plus timing still produces chase down blocks and recovery contests that erase mistakes by his teammates. The resume is already one of the best of his era.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a 2-time MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year, a champion and a Finals MVP, with 9 All NBA selections, 9 All Star appearances and multiple All Defensive honors. Since the league introduced the in season tournament, he has added a Cup title and Cup MVP in 2024, and he was again in the MVP mix in 2024–25 while averaging over 30 points, almost 12 rebounds and about 6 assists per game.
7. Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Amen Thompson is the modern big guard prototype, built on speed and vertical pop. At around 2 meters tall with long arms, he changes direction like a smaller guard and then explodes off one or two feet with almost no load time. Scout reports before the 2023 draft called his athleticism outlier level, highlighting his first step, hang time and body control when he is twisting through traffic or finishing at odd angles. Since entering the league he has turned that into chase down blocks, transition dunks and blow by drives that bend defenses.
In the box score, Amen averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his rookie season. By his second and third seasons he had stepped into a starting role, with reports noting a 2024–25 line of 14 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks, and later describing him as building on an All Defensive First Team season while the Rockets pushed toward the top of offensive ratings. By 2025–26 he was hovering around 18 points, 6.5 rebounds and more than 5 assists, which is premium production for someone whose calling card is still raw athletic pressure on both ends.
8. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Jonathan Kuminga is power and twitch in one frame. He gets into his moves quickly, changes direction without slowing down, and then explodes off 2 feet as if he is trying to tear the rim off. When he drives from the wing and gathers in the paint, he often looks like a forward sized slasher playing against smaller players who have no chance of staying in front. His vertical and lateral tools were already praised in pre draft scouting reports as an impressive combination of size, strength and athleticism, and that has only become more obvious with real minutes.
The big step since 2023 has been turning those tools into steady scoring. In January 2024 he averaged 20.6 points per game on nearly 59% shooting, a run that signaled he could carry real offensive load. Later analysis of his 2024–25 season highlighted a stretch where he posted more than 25 points and around 7 rebounds per game with efficient true shooting as he attacked the rim over and over. He is still finding consistency, but as a 4th-year forward sitting near 14 points, almost 7 rebounds and close to 3 assists per game, he is one of the clearest examples of pure athletic ceiling in the league.
9. Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets
Miles Bridges brings a different type of athleticism than the guards on this list. He has a strong forward body with real lift off both 1 and 2 feet, and he can go from a standstill to a violent dunk in one hard step. Since returning to the floor he has been back to catching lobs, hammering baseline cuts and bullying smaller defenders on drives. His ability to elevate through contact and still finish cleanly keeps showing up in his tape and in his rebound numbers.
Despite off court issues that cost him an entire season, Bridges has put up serious production since coming back. After returning, he averaged just over 21 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Charlotte in one season that earned him a 3-year, 75 million dollar deal. By 2025–26, he was around 22.1 points, 7 rebounds and nearly 4 assists per game, and his career line sits close to 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. That is the profile of a high volume wing who leans heavily on his burst and leaping to impact games.
10. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Scottie Barnes is not as showy as some of the dunk specialists here, but his overall athletic package is elite. At about 6-foot-8 with long arms and real strength, he can slide with guards on the perimeter, contest at the rim and then immediately push the ball the other way. His strides eat up space in transition, and he has enough vertical pop to finish above the rim or rise for weak side blocks. Since 2023, he has looked like one of the most complete two way forwards in the sport. The accolades back that up.
Barnes won Rookie of the Year in 2021–22, becoming only the 3rd Raptor ever to take that award. In 2023–24 he averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists across 60 games and made his first All Star Game before a broken hand cut his season short. In summer 2024 he agreed to a rookie supermax extension worth up to 270 million dollars, making him the highest paid player in franchise history, and he has followed it with seasons around 19–20 points, nearly 8 rebounds and more than 5 assists.
There are plenty of honorable mentions, from Victor Wembanyama to youngsters like Ausar Thompson, who could jump into this group soon. But if you look strictly at what has happened on the floor from twenty twenty three through today, these ten players give you a very real picture of what peak NBA athleticism looks like right now.
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