Denver’s do-it-all big man Nikoka Jokic, did the unthinkable this week (June 12)  in leading the Denver Nuggets to its first-ever NBA title.

The confetti on Ball Arena’s floor hadn’t been swept up yet before the newly crowned NBA champions were crowned by the Las Vegas oddsmakers as running it back for a second straight title, in 2024.

But just as Jokic shocked so many in leading Denver to its first-ever NBA title, there’s a handful of players who are just as young or younger than the 28-year-old Jokic who appear to be on the cusp of winning their first NBA title soon - like hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy a year from now, soon.

We take a look at three youngsters who fall into this category, and why they and their respective teams will be in the hunt for an NBA title next season.

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

There really isn’t a player who on paper at least seems as likely to win their first NBA title as Jayson Tatum. An ankle injury in the opening moments of Boston’s Game 7 loss to Miami, prevented Tatum and the Celtics from pulling off what would have been the greatest series comeback in NBA history.

And a sore wrist injury limited Tatum’s impact in the 2022 NBA Finals when the Celtics fell to the Golden State Warriors.

Statistically speaking, Tatum, 25, is on pace to shatter just about every scoring record in the storied history of the Celtics franchise. And unlike a lot of his basketball brethren, Tatum doesn’t just talk about wanting to play as much as he can - he actually does it on a night-in, night-out basis.

He has played in more games (419)  and total minutes (14,916) than anyone in his draft class, while also leading in win shares (45.6, which is an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a specific player. Tatum also ranks among the top-4 in his class when it comes to points, rebounds and assists totals. The Tatum resume includes all that you would want except for one thing: an NBA title.

But for Tatum to be among the all-time greats in Celtics lore, winning a title can’t be a goal - it’s an expectation.

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Being traded to Cleveland from Utah, Donovan Mitchell’s impact was felt right away. The Cavs spent most of Mitchell’s first year in Cleveland among the top-three teams in the East before eventually finishing fourth.

Mitchell delivered another all-star worthy regular season, but he’s moving into the “What have you done for me lately” stage of his career where postseason success - more than points - define who you are as a player.

That’s in part why NBA scouts and insiders anticipate the 26-year-old Mitchell being a different kind of postseason player in 2024.

Cleveland’s first-round series loss to the New York Knicks was a disappointment for Mitchell., averaging just 23.2 points while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and a woeful 28.9 percent from 3-point range.

All-Star Darius Garland is an up-and-coming star in this league. He also has one of the best 1-2 big man tandems in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

It’s a good nucleus of talent, but still feels as though another piece or two is needed to put them over the top. We saw that play out with Denver in adding Bruce Brown to the mix. Can the Cavs find their own Bruce Brown this offseason?

De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

One of the breakout stars of the 2023 playoffs was Sacramento’s De'Aaron Fox, the winner of the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award.. An All-Star this past season, Fox took his game to a supernova level in the postseason before the Kings were ultimately eliminated by the Golden State Warriors.

In the seven-game series against Golden State, Fox averaged 27.4 points, 7.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds along with 2.1 steals per game which included one of the greatest individual performances by a player in their first playoff game, in NBA history.

Fox’s strong play as well as the roster of youthful talent around the 25-year-old, gives the Kings the kind of hope at a title run soon that this franchise hasn’t experienced since Vlade Divac and Chris Webber were running things.

Like most teams, the Kings will have to add some talent - particularly in the front court to help Sabonis more - in the offseason.

But Sacramento has the kind of nucleus of talent that bodes well for their immediate future, a future that should include legit runs at an NBA title with Fox leading the charge.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

The Kyrie Irving trade was an epic failure for Dallas. The decision to strategically play their way out of the playoffs? That didn’t work either, with Dallas having to settle for the 10th overall pick in next week’s NBA draft.

So why does Doncic and the Mavs make this list?

Because the 24-year-old Doncic is that good of a player. The Mavericks have yet to figure out the best combination of talent to surround him with, but folks forget that the Mavericks were in the Western Conference finals in 2022 before losing out to eventual NBA champion, the Golden State Warriors.

Talent, timing and a little bit of luck all factored into Dallas’ postseason run that year, a run that was led by Doncic who more nights than not, was the best player on the floor.

While it may seem a longshot for the Mavs to be a title contender this upcoming season, similar doubts existed a year ago when it came to the Denver Nuggets whose title run was led by Nikola Jokic - the best player on the floor most nights, something Doncic would need to do even better than he did in 2022.

A. Sherrod Blakely is in his Michael Jordan year (No. 23) of covering the NBA, and is also a full-time lecturer at Boston University.