Which Team has the Best Young Core in the NBA?

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks may be the first team that comes to mind when you think of young teams. Second year point guard, Trae Young was the runner up for Rookie of Year last year. Throw in Kevin Huerter, who was on the NBA All-Rookie second team, and John Collins who is underrated phenom. As well as Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter who we’re both drafted this year. Not to mention the Hawks also have Jabari Parker, Damian Jones and DeAndre’ Bembry who all seemingly have great potential. The Hawks, led by Trae Young, certainly have one of the best young cores, if not the best.

New Orleans Pelicans

Next, in my opinion, the the Atlanta Hawks’ best competition for the title of best young core. The New Orleans Pelicans have made multiple ground-shaking transactions in the past few months. After trading Anthony Davis, 26, to the Lakers for multiple young assets, the Pelicans won the NBA Lottery, and drafted Zion Williamson with the first overall pick. New Orleans potential lineup looks lethal. Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes are all ridiculously young and talented. Off their bench they have youthful guys like Josh Hart, Jahlil Okafor and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was also drafted in this years draft.

With a mix of many young players with potential and multiple solidified veterans, the Pelicans can be a serious threat this year. The young talent can only be bolstered by veterans who they can learn from. In my opinion, the Pelicans have the best young core, with the Hawks trailing close behind.

Sacramento Kings

One of the most underrated teams in all of the NBA is the Sacramento Kings. The Kings don’t have a mass of players with tremendous potential like some of the other teams on this list, but they have a very solid core. Players such as De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield round out their top three. But the Kings also have a ton of young talent surrounding them. Yogi Ferrell, Richuan Holmes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Harry Giles III are all players that can contribute and grow in the future. Harrison Barnes is an underrated forward who contributes at high rates as well. And Kyle Guy was drafted out of Virginia this year.

Denver Nuggets

I have always believed that the Denver Nuggets don’t get enough publicity. For a team that is so good, they are never talked about enough. Led by superstar center, Nikola Jokic, who is only 24, the Nuggets finished second in the Western Conference at 54-28. It may not seem obvious, but the Nuggets may very well have the most potential in the NBA. They are just waiting to develop a bit more and are ready to make that deep run in the playoffs. Jamal Murray is one of the best young guards in the league, and being paired with another versatile guard in Gary Harris, helps even more. Torrey Craig and Monte Morris are also young contributors.

The most intriguing players on this team though, are two rookies: Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol. Michael Porter Jr. was one of the highest recruited players in his class, but suffered a multitude of injuries that held him to only three games played at Missouri. Drafted 14 overall in 2018, he missed the entire NBA season. MPJ has been compared to Kevin Durant repeatedly due to his build and play style. If he can live up to even half of that, the Nuggets could definitely make a deep run. Bol Bol, who fell to the second round this past draft, is the son of former NBA player, Manute Bol. Bol Bol was slated to be a lottery pick, but dropped severely, unexpectedly. There are questions to his durability, similar to MPJ, but the talent is there for both of them.

Cleveland Cavaliers

After losing LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in years past, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been left without an identity. Recently, they’ve been taking on bad contracts for draft picks, which has helped them build the team they have now. Their current team won’t win many games in the near future, but they seemingly have a lot of potential. Collin Sexton, who was named to the All-Rookie second team last year, proved to be a great scorer in his inaugural season. The former eighth pick showed great talent.

In this past draft, the Cavaliers had three first round picks, taking Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. Darius Garland has drawn early comparisons to Kyrie Irving with his scoring and dribbling ability. Windler has shown decent scoring ability through the Summer League. And the Cavs should be happy to have gotten Porter Jr. with the thirtieth pick, as he was a projected lottery pick. Pairing these players with others like Larry Nance Jr. will help the team grow in the right direction.

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