7 Young NBA Teams Filled with Enormous Potential

Throughout NBA history, almost every single team that went on to achieve immortal greatness—or even consistent long-term success—struggled mightily before persevering as an annual championship contender. 

These teams were filled with talent from the start, but were also too young and too inexperienced to achieve the level of success worthy of their collective skill.

Here are seven teams heading into next season that are lucky enough to have several young players who double as franchise building blocks. They're ranked from "complementary pieces" to "championship-level core."

7. Boston Celtics

The Celtics are finally young, with inexperienced, talented pieces collected over the past few years to replace Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

These players (Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and, to a certain extent, Jeff Green) each have noticeable flaws in their overall game, but bring with them an elite strength that’s more than useful at the NBA level.

Bradley (22 years old) is already one of the most effective perimeter defenders in the league, with baseline-to-baseline coverage that leaves opposing guards sleepless the night before they play him.

Sullinger (21) spent much of his rookie season proving he could rebound at the NBA level, posting a 12.6 offensive-rebounding percentage that would’ve placed him at 12th best in the league (higher than Joakim Noah and Nikola Vucevic) had he played enough minutes to qualify, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

At 27 years old, Jeff Green is the elder statesman of this group, but one who still possesses upside. Last year, he ceded much offensive responsibility to Pierce and Garnett—even though it was clear during lengthy stretches that he was the team’s best option—and Boston suffered for it.

Despite never playing a minute of professional basketball, Olynyk is included on this list for his prospective ability to stretch the floor as a seven-footer with three-point range.

This core probably isn’t strong enough to someday compete for a championship, but as complementary pieces, each has plenty to offer.

6. Utah Jazz

This past summer, the Jazz finally decided to take one humongous step back as they let Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap walk in free agency.

However, they did so in order to take two steps forward by developing Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter in the mold of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Along with this, they'll hope that Trey Burke keeps the NBA’s Golden Age of Point Guards alive and that Gordon Hayward continues to improve as a fringe All-Star talent on the wing.

All the young pieces they have are sure to get better, and that isn’t including the high lottery pick Utah should receive in next year’s draft.

What makes this roster so dangerous moving forward is the variance it offers.

If all goes according to plan, the Jazz should be able to pound opponents inside, protect the rim, knock down threes, score from the wing and play at a relatively fast pace with a speedy point guard.

That’s the best-case scenario.

Worst case? They still have two behemoths in the middle, so it’s tough to say anything about their future can be that bad.

5. Washington Wizards

The Wizards have won one playoff series in the past 20 years.

They have very little history to speak of. But now, finally, it appears they’re on the right track, with the franchise’s future placed in former first overall pick John Wall’s uber-quick hands.

Wall has transcendental speed for a point guard, but, despite his five-year, $80 million extension, he doesn’t come without any warts.

He has difficulty shooting the ball, especially from behind the three-point line, where he’s only made 49 of them in 184 career games.

But with Bradley Beal set up as Wall’s partner in the backcourt for years to come, the team should have minimal worries about an inability to spread the floor. Beal's already a marksman who finished his rookie season 91-of-236 from three-point land. (He's 20 years old; Wall is 23.)

Thrown into the mix as a complementary Swiss army knife on the wing is Otto Porter, who should hopefully be able to knock down open shots from the weak side and make himself useful defending opposing scorers outside the paint.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Should Kyrie Irving be fortunate enough to stay healthy over the next few seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers will most likely have the best point guard in the world on their team three years from now.

The 21-year-old Irving is that good, and his inclusion on Cleveland’s roster is significant enough to guarantee it a spot on this list.

Since LeBron James departed for Miami, the Cavaliers have understandably been a perpetual dweller in the Eastern Conference’s basement, meaning Irving isn’t their only high draft pick in recent years to have an impact.

Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters figure to be mainstays at power forward and shooting guard, respectively, for the foreseeable future. And just a few months ago, the team selected Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick in the draft, giving them a truly impressive stable of young, cheap talent capable of producing in different areas.

3. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans' potential to enter the stratosphere of championship contention measurably improved when they selected Anthony Davis with the first overall pick a season ago.

Davis’ potential as a dominant two-way player should make life easier for whoever happens to be on his team for the next 10 years.

What makes this fantastic news even better for the Pelicans is that they’ve already managed to surround their franchise centerpiece with All-Star talent that’s nearly as young as he is.

Jrue Holiday (23 years old) figures to be the team’s point guard of the future, and talented scorers Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon are also in the backcourt and on the wing.

New Orleans was pitted as a franchise to watch once Davis hopped on board. Over the next few years, it might also become a team to fear.

2. Houston Rockets

Last season, the Houston Rockets were one of the youngest teams in NBA history, and they still qualified for the playoffs.

This summer, they added Dwight Howard, who brings obvious All-Star talent and playoff success, but talk of this team being inexperienced as a whole is still somewhat true.

Howard and Omer Asik are both 27 years old, and the other starters are all 25 or under (James Harden, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons).

The potential here is obviously high even before we get to look at how Asik and Howard will gel on the court. It's also clear before we know how well Lin and Harden are able to utilize Howard in the pick-and-roll or whether Howard’s impact on the defensive end will have a positive impact on Houston’s poor perimeter defense.

As the team grows, and as younger pieces such as Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and Patrick Beverley continue to develop, we’ll find out if this roster needs to add a bit more experience in order to win it all.

We'll also discover soon enough if their championship aspirations are realistic as is.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

They’re young and accomplished, but do the Oklahoma City Thunder possess unrealized potential?

Considering they haven’t won a championship yet, the answer here should be an emphatic yes.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (both 24 years old) are still improving, especially on the defensive end, and the team as a whole will only go so far as these two lead it.

But elsewhere on the roster, there’s tons of young talent.

Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones III and incoming lottery pick Steven Adams are all expected to fill important roles next season, especially scoring the ball.

Effectively, no team is closer to the mountain top than Oklahoma City.