Why are enchidorms considered to be closely related to chordates?

Echinoderms, such as sea stars and sea urchins, are considered closely related to chordates due to their shared evolutionary ancestry within the deuterostome clade. Both groups exhibit similarities in their embryonic development, specifically the formation of the blastopore, which becomes the anus in deuterostomes. Additionally, they share structural features at certain life stages, such as the presence of a notochord in chordate ancestors and certain molecular and genetic similarities. These factors highlight their common lineage and evolutionary relationship.