Power Ranking NBA Teams by Young Talent
Youth, when used and assembled properly, is an NBA commodity.
Some teams are young and hopeful. A select few are young and ready to dominate. Others are young and hopeless. Certain squads just aren't young at all, which, depending on the situation, is either a good or a bad thing.
Distinguishing between these tiers can be difficult. That's the inherent risk of passing judgment on players who, in many cases, haven't had the chance to reach their full potential. And it's something that will be kept in mind as we sort through the NBA's youngster ranks.
Players over the age of 25 will not be included in our findings. So long as they won't turn 26 by opening night, though, they're good. (Sorry, Festus Ezeli.)
Placement is based on a combination of factors. Past performance matters, but it is not everything. The expected level of production for every included player as time marches on, and what that could mean for each team, is the more pressing priority.
Bad teams might rank on the high end. Good teams may fall to the basement. Mediocrity is no longer a nagging detriment. Quantity is a plus, but quality is even more important.
In this space, the future is everything.
30. Brooklyn Nets
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Notable Youngsters: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (20), Sergey Karasev (21), Quincy Miller (22), Shane Larkin (23), Markel Brown (23), Thomas Robinson (24)
The Brooklyn Nets are not counting on young talent to serve as the foundation of their quasi-rebuild, and it shows.
Part of this direction is by design. They handed out a pair of colossal contracts to Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, two 27-year-olds best suited on a team looking to win now.
Mostly, though, the Nets' dearth of young talent is beyond their current control. They're still reeling from the future assets they gave up in order to get Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce while attempting to briefly open their championship window.
Brooklyn doesn't unconditionally enjoy the rights to its own first-round pick until 2019 as a result and has been left to feed off the promise of impending cap space and prospects who have flamed out elsewhere.
Shane Larkin, Sergei Karasev, Quincy Miller and Thomas Robinson all began their careers on other teams. Rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a legitimate first-round prospect, but he's a small forward in size (6'7") who cannot stroke the long ball (20.5 percent at Arizona).
All of this is to say the Nets' stable of young, NBA-ready talent barely exists—if it exists at all.
29. Dallas Mavericks
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Notable Youngsters: Justin Anderson (21), Maurice Daly Ndour (23), John Jenkins (24), Dwight Powell (24)
Most of the Dirk Nowitzki era has seen the Dallas Mavericks steer clear of extensive draft-dependent rebuilds. They don't reinvent; they retool, primarily through free agency and trades, aiming to never fall out of the Western Conference playoff conversation.
Such thinking has proved both viable and costly. The Mavericks won a championship in 2011, and they have the NBA's second-best regular-season winning percentage since Dirk Nowitzki—whom they traded for on draft night in 1998—began his career. But chasing the overnight rebuild, the transition-less overhaul, has helped make them what they are now: shallow and mediocre, with an unimpressive young core.
Seldom-touted rookie Justin Anderson, whom Dallas drafted 21st overall, is as good as it gets for the Mavericks. Standing at 6'6", he can play shooting guard or small forward, soar above the rim and create space off the ball.
Beyond Anderson, there is John Jenkins, the collegiate sharpshooter who has appeared in just 37 games over the last two seasons. There is Dwight Powell, an offensively raw second-round prospect whom Dallas is trying to turn into a stretch 5. And there is Maurice Daly Ndour, the undrafted NBA Summer League wonder.
That's it. And while that might be enough for the average NBA contender, the Mavericks no longer fit said mold. They've tethered their livelihood to a 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, the injured Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons, an injury-prone Deron Williams and a complete lack of frontcourt defensive talent.
Oh, the Mavericks, already thin on authentic prospects, will also ship their 2016 first-rounder to the Boston Celtics if it falls outside the top seven. Put another way: Don't expect them to climb the young-gun ladder anytime soon.
28. Los Angeles Clippers
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Notable Youngsters: Austin Rivers (23), C.J. Wilcox (24), Lance Stephenson (25)
No, the Los Angeles Clippers aren't brimming with young talent.
Yes, this is OK.
No, that's not because Austin Rivers is ready to steal minutes from Chris Paul.
Yes, it is because Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Paul account for nearly 65 percent (73.4) of the Clippers' victories over the last two seasons.
No, this is not good for Lance Stephenson's superstar ego.
Yes, we can move on.
27. Miami Heat
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Notable Youngsters: Justise Winslow (19), Tyler Johnson (23), James Ennis (25)
Something Miami Heat team president Pat Riley said in reference to rebuilding stands out when looking at the team's thread-thin cupboard of young bodies.
"For me, it's not through the draft, because lottery picks are living a life of misery," he told Ethan Skolnick, then of Bleacher Report, in March. "That season is miserable. And if you do three or four years in a row to get lottery picks, then I'm in an insane asylum. And the fans will be, too. So who wants to do that?"
Not the Heat, that's for sure. They did draft Justise Winslow at this past summer's prospect pageant, but they've preferred to restructure and reload through trades and free agency over the last two decades.
That's why the Heat mortgaged everything to land LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010. That's why Riley willingly forked over two first-rounders in last season's Goran Dragic trade.
And that's why, when 2015-16 tips off, only one of the Heat's projected top-10 minutes-getters (Winslow) will be under 25.
26. Memphis Grizzlies
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Notable Youngsters: Jordan Adams (21), Jarell Martin (21), Jarnell Stokes (21), Russ Smith (24), JaMychal Green (25)
Here's a fun exercise: Which player on the Memphis Grizzlies has the most upside?
You might say the quick-to-score Jordan Adams, or Developmental League standout JaMychal Green, or the small but slippery Russ Smith.
Whomever you name, you'll quickly realize it doesn't matter. The Grizzlies are not in the business of collecting or utilizing burgeoning upside.
Less than 18 percent of Memphis' minutes last season were doled out to players 25 or younger, a small fraction that figures to drop even more in 2015-16.
Just three of the Grizzlies' expected top-10 players are younger than 30 years old (Mike Conley, Jeff Green, Brandan Wright). Not one of them is under the age of 28.
Young talent is hard to find in Memphis. And even if it wasn't, you get the feeling the Grizzlies would be too focused on their veteran core to notice.
25. Atlanta Hawks
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Notable Youngsters: Dennis Schroder (22), Tim Hardaway Jr. (23), Walter Tavares (23), Mike Muscala (24), Shelvin Mack (25)
Like many other projected contenders, the Atlanta Hawks are not knee-deep in budding superjocks. Three of their five starters are 29 or older, and that number will likely reach four once Thabo Sefolosha, who is still rehabilitating a broken leg, returns to form.
Mike Muscala could see some extra time with Pero Antic out of the picture, and Tim Hardaway Jr. will be part of an inexperienced, albeit not exactly young, perimeter platoon that attempts to replace DeMarre Carroll. Third-year point guard Dennis Schroder, though, is the only young gun on Atlanta's roster guaranteed any burn.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer nearly tripled his playing time in 2014-15, and Schroder responded with provocative per-36-minute totals. He joined Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas as just the third player in league history aged 21 or younger to average at least 18 points, 7.5 assists and one steal per 36 minutes while also logging 1,500 total ticks.
Still, the Hawks were a net minus with him on the floor, and though comparisons to Rajon Rondo sell him short, Schroder alone is not enough to laud the youth—or lack thereof—on Atlanta's roster.
24. Indiana Pacers
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Notable Youngsters: Myles Turner (19), Glenn Robinson III (21), Rakeem Christmas (23), Joseph Young (23), Solomon Hill (24), Paul George (25)
If not for Paul George making two All-Star appearances before his 26th birthday, the Indiana Pacers wouldn't even be this high.
For a team so obviously trying to redefine itself, having bid farewell to Roy Hibbert and David West in favor of faster, more versatile components, the Pacers lack up-and-coming fledglings.
George himself has even become a question mark. He's still technically working his way back from a broken right leg, and Indiana is trying to make him an everyday power forward—an ongoing transition that has been met with a certain level of disdain by George, per the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.
Though George has since kind-of-sort-of warmed up to the idea, as indicated by the Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor, this remains a process. Less than 1 percent of his career has been spent playing power forward, and the Pacers are still experimenting with different defensive schemes aimed at streamlining George's positional switch.
Besides, George is just about it on the young-buck scale.
Lottery pick Myles Turner gives Indy a high-profile prospect to develop, one who should inevitably drain threes and protect the rim. But immediately, as the Pacers attempt to balance competing in the Eastern Conference with rebuilding, there's no telling how much of an impact he and any other of the team's youngsters will actually make.
23. Los Angeles Lakers
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Notable Youngsters: D'Angelo Russell (19), Julius Randle (20), Jabari Brown (22), Larry Nance Jr. (22), Tarik Black (23), Jordan Clarkson (23), Ryan Kelly (24)
Deep breaths, everyone: The Los Angeles Lakers deserve a gentle pat on the back.
This is still a team caught between eras, make no mistake. The Lakers are trying to make something, anything, out of Kobe Bryant's twilight, and as their ability to open up two max-contract slots next summer implies, they remain heavily invested in the elusive insta-turnaround.
But Los Angeles has also put together a nice young foundation upon which to build and develop in the meantime.
Julius Randle is something of a tweener, and not the ideal kind. He isn't athletic enough to defend opposing 3's, his iffy perimeter game isn't fit for either forward slot, and his 6'9" stature won't allow him to line up against rival centers. But, on the flip side, he's a high-energy top-seven prospect, and you can never have too many of those.
Jordan Clarkson is working off an impressive debut campaign that saw him earn All-Rookie First Team honors while tallying the third-most win shares of anyone on the Lakers. Larry Nance Jr. has "The next Jae Crowder" written all over him.
Rookie D'Angelo Russell, meanwhile, has a superstar ceiling, one made possible by his ability to play on or off the ball after modeling his game in the image of Stephen Curry's and Manu Ginobili's.
The concern, for now, isn't whether the Lakers have enough young talent to find silver linings in losing. It's whether they're prepared to place the growth of neophytes such as Randle and Russell over the minutes totals of veterans like Lou Williams and Brandon Bass.
22. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Notable Youngsters: Cameron Payne (21), Steven Adams (22), Josh Huestis (23), Enes Kanter (23), Mitch McGary (23), Andre Roberson (23), Dion Waiters (23)
There is still some young talent on the Oklahoma City Thunder's docket. But as their once-young core has aged, with certain cogs moving on to different teams (James Harden, Reggie Jackson), the Thunder's youthful exuberance has faded.
Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Cameron Payne, Dion Waiters and even Mitch McGary are all legitimate NBA prospects worth extensive looks. Opportunity is just scarce when playing in the shadows of Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook.
Playing time will be almost nonexistent for Payne with both D.J. Augustin and Westbrook in the fold at point guard. Adams should start alongside Ibaka, but the Thunder recently shelled out $70 million for Kanter, who, realistically, shouldn't ever play without Ibaka.
Employing both Kanter and Waiters also puts the team in an offensive pickle.
Neither is accustomed to playing off the ball, a non-negotiable requirement when complementing Durant and Westbrook. Nor do they space the floor; Waiters is shooting 32.6 percent from deep for his career, and Kanter only posted flashy stat lines with Oklahoma City last season because more than 75 percent of his shot attempts came inside 10 feet of the bucket.
So while the Thunder do house an above-average supply of young talent, the absence of opportunity and tactical balance diminishes the appeal of what they have to offer.
21. San Antonio Spurs
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Notable Youngsters: Nikola Milutinov (20), Kyle Anderson (22), Kawhi Leonard (24), Ray McCallum (24)
How much can one young star impact the perception of a veteran team's puddle-deep pool of NBA kiddies?
This much.
Kawhi Leonard is the real deal, and he won't turn 25 until June. He is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He has already grabbed an NBA Finals MVP award. The San Antonio Spurs fielded what would have been a top-three offense and league-best defense with him in the game last season.
Sophomore Kyle Anderson deserves some dap here, too, after receiving MVP honors at the Las Vegas Summer League. Picture the player Boris Diaw could've become had he been drafted by San Antonio, and you'll get a rough idea of how Anderson should turn out.
Overseas prospect Nikola Milutinov, whom the Spurs selected 26th overall in this year's draft, is another project worth noting. It's unclear how long it'll take for him to reach NBA-level status, but he has all the tools necessary—both physical (athleticism) and functional (developing jumper)—to succeed at the 5 position.
Nevertheless, let's not even begin to pretend the Spurs' placement, while hardly overwhelming, isn't buttressed by the steady rise of Leonard, their nascent superstar with a veteran's resume.
20. Houston Rockets
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Notable Youngsters: Clint Capela (21), Sam Dekker (21), K.J. McDaniels (22), Terrence Jones (23), Donatas Motiejunas (25)
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey doesn't typically view young projects as prospective building blocks. They are trade assets, a means to acquire another star (Harden, Ty Lawson) or open up cap space that will lead to the acquisition of another star.
But that view is nothing without youngsters who can actually be viewed as assets. And the Rockets have a sneakily respectable number of serviceable saplings.
Terrence Jones has struggled to stay healthy, missing at least 45 games in two of his first three seasons, but he has all the makings of a hybrid center. His three-point percentage has improved every year, and statistically, he was a better rim protector than Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Hassan Whiteside, among many other heralded shot-blockers, last season.
Donatas Motiejunas is in the same boat as Jones. He's not the stoutest defender, but he can succeed inside team-oriented schemes, and his three-point stroke is more polished than not. He drilled 37.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot treys in 2014-15.
Sam Dekker should, in time, be able to replace Chandler Parsons. Clint Capela flashed elite-level rim protection in limited action last season. K.J. McDaniels is a perimeter-policing stud playing on a bargain-bin-priced contract.
Some of the Rockets' youngest talent won't be in Houston for the long haul. Jones and Motiejunas are approaching restricted free agency, and Morey will undoubtedly pursue available superstars amid next summer's cap boom.
Truthfully, the Rockets' puppy pond isn't even particularly deep. But, despite their placement, the quality is there.
19. Charlotte Hornets
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Notable Youngsters: Aaron Harrison (20), P.J. Hairston (22), Frank Kaminsky (22), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (22), Jeremy Lamb (23), Cody Zeller (23), Kemba Walker (25)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's injury admittedly butchers the Charlotte Hornets' youthful standing. The recently extended defensive dynamo will miss six months after undergoing shoulder surgery, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Losing Kidd-Gilchrist isn't just an obstacle the Hornets must overcome. It's the crushing blow by which their playoff hopes will fall. Charlotte went from a plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor last season to a minus-7.7 without him, a 10.8-point swing in the wrong direction.
It's difficult to like, let alone love, the Hornets' crop of youngsters without him.
Kemba Walker still can't shoot threes (career-low 30.4 percent last season) and doesn't even rank in the top half of his own position. P.J. Hairston and Jeremy Lamb haven't yet shown they can score consistently outside of college.
Cody Zeller, a top-five prospect, will be hard-pressed to find enough playing time with Frank Kaminsky, Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Spencer Hawes and Tyler Hansbrough taking up roster spots. It's Kaminsky, a modern-day floor-spacing forward-center, who actually checks in as Charlotte's most intriguing prospect.
And, given all the lottery picks the Hornets have cycled through over the last few years, that's not nearly enough to feel good about this team's future.
18. Chicago Bulls
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Notable Youngsters: Bobby Portis (20), Doug McDermott (23), Tony Snell (23), Nikola Mirotic (24)
In young-talent terms, the Chicago Bulls are, without question, the Rockets of the Eastern Conference. They don't have a ton of high-end prospects, but there is quality in their tempered quantity.
Nikola Mirotic finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last season. And that was with then-Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau capping his ceiling with limited minutes and the decision to occasionally play him at small forward.
Indeed, Mirotic notched a shaky three-point clip, draining just 31.6 percent of his long balls. That's an unimpressive mark for someone considered a stretch 4. But he found nylon on 35.4 percent of his standalone missiles, and there will be room for his outside touch to grow within new head coach Fred Hoiberg's offense.
Doug McDermott should be equally thrilled to find himself working under Hoiberg. For one, he's actually going to play. And when he plays, there will be threes for him to launch; he buried more than 45 percent of his deep balls (14-of-31) through Chicago's first four preseason contests.
Tony Snell won't see many minutes behind Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy, but he looked sensational for games at a time during the latter half of 2014-15.
Much of the same can be said for rookie Bobby Portis. Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah—as well as Mirotic and McDermott—could keep him chained to the bench. On the other hand, Portis' preseason hustle could demand more playing time than Hoiberg initially planned.
17. Sacramento Kings
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Notable Youngsters: Willie Cauley-Stein (22), Ben McLemore (22), DeMarcus Cousins (25), Seth Curry (25)
"You're welcome," is what DeMarcus Cousins should say.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore are both top-seven picks, so exponentially high ceilings are implied. But Cauley-Stein has yet to see a second of regular-season action, while McLemore's trumpeted outside touch has left much to be desired (34.2 percent career clip from deep).
Developing under Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl should help both McLemore and Cauley-Stein. His pace-and-space offense can be a shooter's dream, and Cauley-Stein, provided he plays within the right lineups, should have a chance to establish himself as a devastating pick-and-roll finisher from the jump.
But in signing Marco Belinelli, Kosta Koufos and Rajon Rondo over the offseason, the Kings waved goodbye to rebuilding. They're now gunning for mediocrity.
Offseason salary dumps didn't cost them much in the way of tangible novices. They mostly gave up future first-round goodies and Nik Stauskas.
Sacramento's young-gun arsenal just wasn't well stocked to begin with. Now, for the most part, it's being held together by Cousins, an All-Star center and the primary reason why the Kings, against all odds, might emerge as more than lottery fodder in the wild Western Conference.
16. Toronto Raptors
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Notable Youngsters: Bruno Caboclo (20), Anthony Bennett (22), Bismack Biyombo (23), Lucas Nogueira (23), Jonas Valanciunas (23), Cory Joseph (24), Terrence Ross (24)
Assembling a conference contender without bilking a team's nucleus of sufficient seedlings is hard to do. But Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri has done it.
Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo were free-agency steals. The former is a per-36-minute demigod, the latter a rebounding and shot-blocking superhero when used in measured doses.
Terrence Ross is mostly a disappointment when judged against other top-eight selections. But he's already a solid three-point specialist. He is shooting better 37 percent from long range for his career and is even more accurate when firing off the catch.
Jonas Valanciunas won't ever anchor an above-board defense, but man, can this Lithuanian score. More and more of his shots are coming inside three feet of the hoop, which is problematic. But he has the post moves to justify a dramatic disparity and moves markedly better off the ball. His 77.8 percent career foul-line clip is also good enough to believe that he can eventually expand his offensive range.
Good luck figuring out what Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira will become. But Caboclo has been called the "Brazilian Kevin Durant" in the past, and Nogueira has a sweet haircut. They're worth roster spots.
Newcomer Anthony Bennett is, at this point, just a late-game victory cigar. He's also a No. 1 pick, and deserving or not, teams can never stash too many of those.
Did I mention the Raptors have installed this quaint hub of youth without removing themselves from Eastern Conference contention?
Thumbs up, Masai.
15. Denver Nuggets
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Notable Youngsters: Emmanuel Mudiay (19), Nikola Jokic (20), Gary Harris (21), Jusuf Nurkic (21), Will Barton (24), Kenneth Faried (25)
Evaluating the Denver Nuggets is tricky. They are clearly rebuilding and have some nice young talent on the roster, but they also devoted a portion of their offseason to doubling down on win-now pieces (Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Jameer Nelson). And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Kenneth Faried can still be a double-double machine. He spent the tail end of last season blasting through the wall he appeared to hit, averaging 15.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game through March and April.
Passing out of double-teams and on the move will need to be areas of focus for Faried under head honcho Mike Malone. If he's to be a full-time power forward in today's league, he'll also need to add a semi-reliable jumper. More than 58 percent of his career field-goal attempts have come inside three feet, and he has yet to eclipse 70 percent shooting from the charity stripe even once.
Emmanuel Mudiay is, unequivocally, a megastar point guard prospect. He would have been drafted in the top three of this year's selection soiree were it not for an erratic jumper, and his shooting warts have done little to slow his offensive potential.
Drive-and-kicks are his specialty. Mudiay collapses defenses with incisive drives, setting up slingshot passes to the corners (much to the ecstasy of Gallinari). With Lawson out of the picture, he's a surefire Rookie of the Year candidate.
Jusuf Nurkic tends to fly under the prospect radar, even though he shouldn't. As Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine wrote while discussing Denver's mostly likely breakout candidate:
"Mudiay, but since we've already discussed him, let's go with the 6-foot-11, 280-pound Nurkic, whose mammoth stature, surprisingly deft passing — only 15 centers last year played 1,000 minutes and dropped dimes on at least 7 percent of their teammates' buckets; Nurkic was one of them — nimbler-than-you'd-expect footwork and litany of trash-talking taunts make him something of a Marc Gasol-as-a-Wrestling Heel Starter Kit. (Unsurprisingly, Nurkic has already beefed with Big Spain.)
"
Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris round out the Nuggets' subtly superb collection of youngsters. Both will struggle to earn minutes at their respective positions (center and shooting guard), but given Denver's direction, Malone has every incentive to give them a look.
14. Philadelphia 76ers
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Notable Youngsters: Jahlil Okafor (19), Joel Embiid (21), Nerlens Noel (21), Dario Saric (21) JaKarr Sampson (22), Nik Stauskas (22), Tony Wroten (22), Furkan Aldemir (24), Isaiah Canaan (24), Robert Covington (24), Kendall Marshall (24), Hollis Thompson (24)
The Philadelphia 76ers should be higher. Much higher. Two years into general manager Sam Hinkie's loss-loaded experiment, they should be at or near the top. But they aren't. They can't be.
There is a discernible blueprint in Philadelphia, and the Sixers do have a healthy number of promising prospects with which to push forward. Nerlens Noel served as the fulcrum for a top-12 defense last season, and Jahlil Okafor was a consensus No. 1 pick before Karl-Anthony Towns and Russell got in his way. Joel Embiid could be a superstar if he ever gets healthy, and Nik Stauskas projects as a solid shooter for a team that can't shoot.
But the Sixers are still trying to carve out a definitive foundation. There is no way Noel, Okafor and Embiid can all play together long term, and Philadelphia continues to place an emphasis on future and intangible assets over actual talent (see: Michael Carter-Williams trade).
Certain bumps in the road can be explained, even justified. Dario Saric is still stashed overseas and will be a frontcourt boon upon arrival. Embiid's injuries are out of the Sixers' control, and he looked like a potential steal on draft night in 2014.
Still, for all the growing pains Philadelphia and its fanbase have endured, a 20-win season shouldn't be this team's mountaintop. But that's just what it is. And until their youth movement resembles something worth all the losing, the Sixers roster will remain a disappointment.
13. New York Knicks
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Notable Youngsters: Kristaps Porzingis (20), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (23), Langston Galloway (23), Jerian Grant (23), Cleanthony Early (24), Derrick Williams (24), Kyle O'Quinn (25)
Impact veterans still make up the majority of the New York Knicks roster. Carmelo Anthony, Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez and, to a lesser extent, Jose Calderon are all supposed to ease the Knicks' rebuild by keeping them within striking distance of a playoff berth.
At the same time, New York's youth movement is real.
Kristaps Porzingis is a years-long project with a body that, judging by his numerous offseason injuries, he must still grow into. But, at his peak, he projects as the quintessential modern-day big man: a three-point shooter with a post presence who also dabbles in rim protection.
Jerian Grant is a lottery talent whom the Knicks scooped up at 19th overall (via a trade with the Hawks). He can play both guard positions and has, at times, appeared ready to take the offensive reins from Calderon. I mean, Vines don't lie.
Langston Galloway did not disappoint as a scorer last season, averaging 11.8 points through 45 appearances, and deserves a second look as that role player who can contribute to a good-not-terribly-awful basketball team.
Kyle O'Quinn is the old head of the Knicks' young heads. Incidentally, he drums up New York's standing just as much, if not more than any other youngster.
(Dramatically clears throat. Grabs mic.)
Since 2012-13, only two players have averaged at least 18.5 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per 100 possessions while logging 2,500 total minutes. One is Tim Duncan. The other is Kyle O'Quinn.
(Drops mic.)
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Notable Youngsters: Kyrie Irving (23), Tristan Thompson (24), Matthew Dellavedova (25), Iman Shumpert (25)
Is this high? It feels high. So it must be high.
It's not high.
Kyrie Irving, all of 23 years old, is just that good.
Sure, some of the other notable names help. Tristan Thompson—who is still miles apart with the Cleveland Cavaliers in contract negotiations, as ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst told Grantland's Zach Lowe—is a phenomenal offensive rebounder and fantastic pick-and-roll diver. Matthew Dellavedova can, at times, defend like a rabid bloodhound.
Iman Shumpert—who, per a team announcement, will miss 12 to 14 weeks after having surgery on his right wrist—can be a dangerous three-and-D assassin when playing alongside the right talent. He posted the fourth-highest net rating of any Cavaliers player upon arriving in Cleveland.
None of the Cavaliers' other young guns compare to Irving, much like almost everyone else on this list. He's a clear-cut superstar, and the fact that he won't be ready for opening night as he rehabilitates a fractured left kneecap, per the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd, changes nothing.
Few players can shimmy between playing on and off the ball as Irving does. Even fewer have his handles.
Far less have, like him, averaged 21.5 points and 5.5 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 39 percent from deep through their first four seasons—as in, no one else.
Irving is a fringe top-10 superstar, and because of him, the Cavaliers' youthful corps, though shallow, stands up to most others.
11. Portland Trail Blazers
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Notable Youngsters: Noah Vonleh (20), Maurice Harkless (22), Meyers Leonard (23), C.J. McCollum (24), Al-Farouq Aminu (25), Damian Lillard (25), Mason Plumlee (25)
Without Damian Lillard running the show, the Portland Trail Blazers' newly inexperienced infrastructure wouldn't stand a chance of sniffing the top 10.
Fortunately for the Blazers, they do have Lillard, a two-time All-Star and maker of clutch shots who is now under lock and key through 2020-21. And if you're going to tear down a championship contender, as Portland did, retooling around a superstar point guard is a good place to start.
Lillard is now flanked by an array of other young contributors. Noah Vonleh is a top-10 prospect who never got off the ground in Charlotte. Mason Plumlee provides Portland with additional athleticism up front, the kind that could one day translate to invaluable rim protection. Al-Farouq Aminu is a reliable three-point shot away from coveted three-and-D status.
Last season, Meyers Leonard became just the ninth player to see at least 800 minutes and post 50/40/90 shooting slashes. His outside shooting, which is no doubt buoyed by curtailed usage, will prove huge for a frontcourt rotation with limited spacing.
C.J. McCollum should, as of now, be penciled in as Lillard's second in command. He exploded during the playoffs, averaging 17 points, four rebounds and 1.2 steals through five contests, and will be called upon to both spell Lillard at point guard and complement him at shooting guard.
Should the Blazers hit on two or more of Lillard's fellow young running-mates, they'll invariably skyrocket up this list. For now, they're talented enough on paper to land in the top 11.
10. Phoenix Suns
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Notable Youngsters: Devin Booker (18), Archie Goodwin (21), Alex Len (22), T.J. Warren (22), Brandon Knight (23), Eric Bledsoe (25), Henry Sims (25)
Very few pundits will peg the Phoenix Suns as a Western Conference playoff squad. They are a shell of the surprise darling that won 48 games in 2013-14 and appear headed for a repeat of last season, when they only flirted with an eighth-seeded postseason slot.
That they can even be colored playoff flirts is a testament to their youth, specifically Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. Neither is an established superstar, and the Suns were an offensive nightmare in the 11 games their floor generals played together. But we're still talking about two top-tier playmakers, each of whom Phoenix decided was worth a five-year, $70 million pact.
Bledsoe in particular seems on the cusp of superstardom. He's undersized at 6'1", but as CBS Sports' Ananth Pandian detailed, he can still be an offensive and defensive force:
"As one of the strongest guards in the league, Bledsoe resembles a mini-freight train when driving to basket. And then on defense, Bledsoe's strength and athleticism allows him to guard bigger wing players. Bledsoe is physically strong but his overall game may also be as robust.
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Four players averaged at least 17.5 points, five rebounds, six assists and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes last season: Harden, James, Westbrook and...Bledsoe. If Bledsoe isn't a star already, he's pretty darn close.
Knight projects as the perfect backcourt complement. He's most comfortable when operating on the ball, but he torched twine on 39.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot treys, suggesting that, together, he and Bledsoe can headline a first-rate offense.
Phoenix's backcourt is accompanied by Alex Len, who was drafted fifth overall in 2013 and stands to benefit from the addition of Tyson Chandler. T.J. Warren's place in the NBA is still unclear, but he lit up Las Vegas over the summer and is yet another first-round talent the Suns get to evaluate. So, too, are Devin Booker and Archie Goodwin.
There is hope in this volume, even if it doesn't yield a playoff berth this season.
9. Detroit Pistons
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Notable Youngsters: Stanley Johnson (19), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (22), Andre Drummond (22), Reggie Bullock (24), Reggie Jackson (25)
Detroit Pistons coach and president Stan Van Gundy has pieced together an understated horde of young talent, a crew of good and possibly great basketball cubs he's just the man to guide.
Andre Drummond is Detroit's Dwight Howard. He is rough around the edges when asked to create his own shot and chases blocks to the point that he's a defensive minus. But he's also an explosive giant who lives above the rim and moves well without the ball. He ranked in the 87th percentile of pick-and-roll finishers.
Reggie Jackson might be a star. The Pistons are betting $80 million on him being one, anyway. And if his end-of-season effort is any indication, their gamble will pay off.
Jackson averaged 17.9 points and 9.7 assists on 45.6 percent shooting between March and campaign's end. He also put in 52 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes during that time.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has the offensive goods to make you smile. He was a wash defensively last season, which is actually pretty impressive given the tough assignments he drew. His three-point touch is whatever (33.7 percent for his career), but he went nuts off the catch, hitting on 37.5 percent of his standstill rainbows.
These three will set the tone for Detroit's 2015-16 showing. And that's good. The Pistons scored with the efficiency of the league's best offense when Caldwell-Pope, Drummond and Jackson shared the floor. Their net rating was also a plus-6.8, up from the team's season average of minus-1.8.
Essentially, then, the Pistons played like the Clippers (plus-6.9) in the 600 minutes Caldwell-Pope, Drummond and Jackson saw together. The freaking Clippers. And now they get to add their resident Kawhi Leonard-Jimmy Butler hybrid, 19-year-old Stanley Johnson, to that fold.
Moral of the story: Do not underestimate the Pistons' youngsters.
8. Boston Celtics
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Notable Youngsters: James Young (20), R.J. Hunter (21), Terry Rozier (21), Marcus Smart (21), Jared Sullinger (23), Avery Bradley (24), Perry Jones III (24), Kelly Olynyk (24), Jae Crowder (25), Tyler Zeller (25)
Boston takes the "There is hope in first-round volume" argument to a whole new level—so much so that we must move at the speed of Isaiah Thomas before we run out of room.
Avery Bradley is a three-and-D magician. Questions about his health are gradually ebbing into nothingness, and he'll earn less than half of what Wesley Matthews will get from the Mavericks this season.
Marcus Smart still needs to prove he can be a league-average three-point shooter, but his defense speaks for itself. The Celtics guarded like a top-10 unit when he was in the game last season.
Jae Crowder is a stone's throw—read: half-competent three-point shot—away from being the future of NBA tweener forwards. Tyler Zeller fits so well into head coach Brad Steven's offensive scheme, it makes you wonder what Amir Johnson is doing in Boston.
Jared Sullinger's below-the-rim skill set hasn't prevented him from hitting the defensive glass hard. The struggle to turn him into an outside threat is real, but his three-point percentages, while still ugly, are on the rise. Stevens' decision to plug him on the perimeter has also aided in the improvement of Sullinger's playmaking abilities.
Kelly Olynyk has the height (7'0") and three-point stroke (34.9 percent for career) to join the exclusive stretch 5 ranks. He'll never block shots like Ibaka, but he's a plus-defender inside 10 feet of the basket.
First-round prospects R.J. Hunter, Terry Rozier and James Young will struggle to find playing time. Perry Jones III isn't even guaranteed a roster spot. That's how much young depth the Celtics boast.
Poke fun at their advancement of a low-level playoff nucleus if you must. Just know that, in the end, the Celtics will be the ones laughing.
7. Golden State Warriors
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Notable Youngsters: Kevon Looney (19), James Michael McAdoo (22), Harrison Barnes (23), Draymond Green (25), Klay Thompson (25)
Wait, no. No, no, no, no. Not the Golden State Warriors. Not them. Not here. Not now. It can't be.
Except it is.
Golden State isn't overrun with a depth chart's worth of youngsters by any means. But the few 25-and-under performers it does have are scary good. Thus, the Warriors are here, on the backs of Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Green is the player every NBA team wants. He defends all five positions and spaces the floor with (almost) average three-point marksmanship. During last season's postseason run, the Warriors were only a net-minus when they were without one player. It was Green.
Thompson is a flat-out All-Star. He has gone from a spot-up and isolation specialist under former head coach Mark Jackson, to a do-everything scorer who knows how and when to make the extra pass under current sideline stalker Steve Kerr.
Barnes is the least proven of this triumvirate, which means pretty much nothing. He flourished as the third and fourth option on offense last season, converting a whopping 42 percent of his spot-up triples. He's equally valuable on the defensive end, where he absolutely stifled opposing power forwards, according to 82games.com.
Those who brush off Barnes, citing that he's never registered an average PER, will want to reconsider their stance. The Warriors were willing to make Barnes their highest paid player in 2016-17 with a four-year, $64 million extension offer, per Wojnarowski—an overture Barnes has thus far resisted (because, cap boom). That says something.
And because the Warriors clearly aren't rich enough, they have rangy wings in Kevon Looney and James Michael McAdoo, who will probably end up as everyday rotation fixtures either with them or another team.
6. New Orleans Pelicans
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Notable Youngsters: Anthony Davis (22), Jrue Holiday (25)
On the one hand, the extent of the New Orleans Pelicans' youthful assets lies in Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.
On the other hand, the Pelicans have Davis and Holiday.
Injuries have hit Holiday hard since he arrived in New Orleans. He has appeared in just 74 games over the last two seasons and, as he informed SI.com's Rob Mahoney, will begin 2015-16 on a strictly enforced minutes limit.
But Holiday is a former All-Star, and the Pelicans are much better when he's piloting the offense. They scored like a top-three point-piling machine when he was in the game last season.
Plus, you know, Davis in the NBA's overlord.
To say he does everything would be an understatement. Four years into his career, he's still someone the league doesn't fully understand, because he's someone it hasn't ever seen.
Davis became the youngest player to notch a player efficiency rating north of 30 last season, accomplishing the feat during his age 21 campaign—five years before Shaquille O'Neal (26) and three years before Michael Jordan and James (24).
This kid is realistically unreal, and he alone is enough to vault the Pelicans' superficial fountain of youth into top-five territory.
5. Washington Wizards
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Notable Youngsters: Kelly Oubre Jr. (19), Bradley Beal (22), Otto Porter (22), John Wall (25)
So, this explains Durant's presumed interest in joining the Washington Wizards next summer.
Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and John Wall form a terrifying three-headed monster. They offer the right combination of speed, explosion and spacing. It's no wonder the Wizards outscored opponents by 10.5 points per 100 possessions when they graced the hardwood together.
Throw rookie Kelly Oubre Jr. into this mix, and Washington has a versatile juggernaut in the making. That the Wizards are planning to bring Nene off the bench, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, is a good thing. It means head coach Randy Wittman will actually, at some point, toss out this four-man combination. Yay, us.
Best of all: Beal and Wall are not satisfied with the status quo.
"I want to be First Team All Defense," Beal said, per CSNWashington.com's J. Michael. The 22-year-old also plans to cut back on his diet of long two-pointers, as detailed by Castillo.
Wall, for the record, has bigger individual goals. As he said to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy:
"I want to be in the MVP conversation and give myself a shot at being the MVP. That means I need to play well, help my teammates play well, get those guys shots and lead my team to wins. I definitely want to be an All-Star starter again. I want to be All-NBA First Team. I want to be on the All-Defensive First Team...Another individual goal is definitely leading the league in assists this year. There are a lot of things I want to do, but those are some of the main ones.
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Loosely translated: The Wizards youngsters are motivated. And when weighted against everything they've already shown, that drive is good enough for top-five recognition here.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
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Notable Youngsters: Tyus Jones (19), Karl-Anthony Towns (19), Zach LaVine (20), Andrew Wiggins (20), Shabazz Muhammad (22), Adreian Payne (24), Ricky Rubio (24), Gorgui Dieng (25)
The post-Kevin Love era has been pretty good to the Minnesota Timberwolves' on-court product. It'll be years before they make any real noise in the Western Conference, but they already have many of the pieces who will be responsible for causing that racket.
Andrew Wiggins is a transcendent talent. Case closed. He still has quirks to iron out—his jumper imploded from February on, too many of his shots came from no-man's land (37.8 percent), etc.—but a superstar foundation has been laid.
Karl-Anthony Towns should evolve into a cross between Ibaka and Davis. Hitting Davis' ceiling will prove impossible (related: Davis is an alien), but we have seen the centers of tomorrow: They shoot and block shots. That describes Towns' projected prime to a T.
Ricky Rubio may or may not be Minnesota's point guard of the future. It doesn't really matter. He's a crafty enough passer and steal-collector to warrant a chance.
Zach LaVine has invincible springs for feet. Shabazz Muhammad, when healthy, scores from all over. Gorgui Dieng led the Timberwolves in win shares last season and now has the benefit of being one of Kevin Garnett's whipping boys. Tyus Jones is so legit, Andre Miller doesn't belong in Minnesota. You may just learn how to spell Adreian Payne's first name by heart yet.
It's all happening for the Timberwolves, just not right now. And yet, right now, you can clearly see bigger, better, brighter days are on the horizon.
3. Orlando Magic
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Notable Youngsters: Aaron Gordon (20), Mario Hezonja (20), Elfrid Payton (21), Evan Fournier (22), Tobias Harris (23), Victor Oladipo (23), Shabazz Napier (24), Nikola Vucevic (24), Andrew Nicholson (25)
Let's not come right out and say the Orlando Magic are the Eastern Conference's Timberwolves. Let's instead not-so-subtly infer it.
Victor Oladipo is going to be an All-Star within the next two years. He was one of just eight players to eclipse 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes last season. Six of the other seven were All-Stars.
Elfrid Payton isn't necessarily the next Chris Paul, but the two do share an affinity for passing and defense. Payton is just the second rookie over the last 10 seasons to post an assist percentage greater than 30 and steal rate better than 2.5. The other: Paul.
Nikola Vucevic should have been an All-Star last season. Tobias Harris can now play both on and off the ball. (He will also earn more than Harden in 2015-16. Just saying.)
Aaron Gordon destroyed the Orlando Summer League. Mario Hezonja can be an offensive delight. Evan Fournier is working off a breakout campaign.
Young talent is strewn across the Magic's entire roster. All that's left for them to do is wait for everyone to catch up with one another.
Postseason contention will follow soon after.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
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Notable Youngsters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (20), Jabari Parker (20), Tyler Ennis (21), Michael Carter-Williams (24), John Henson (24), Khris Middleton (24), Greg Monroe (25)
Somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks took their surprise 41-win ballclub from last season and made it even better.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Carter-Williams are our starting point. They're some of the most-played holdovers from last season.
During the 494 minutes they spent on the hardwood together, the Bucks outpaced opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions, a differential that would have ranked second in the Association, behind only the Warriors.
Greg Monroe, who just made our age-imposed cut at 25, and Jabari Parker will now join the party. Neither is known for his defense, and that's OK. The Bucks maintained a top-two defense last season. It's their offense that sputtered.
Parker and Monroe give Milwaukee two polished bucket-blitzers to try out. Though Parker is essentially a rookie after an ACL injury held him to 25 games in 2014-15, he reached the NBA with the most pro-ready offensive game of his class. As for Monroe, well, he scored more points in the post than the entire Bucks team last season. Milwaukee needs him.
John Henson would like you to remember he plays for the Bucks, too. He is now the proud owner of a four-year, $45 million extension and remains the master of per-100-possession potency.
Over the last three seasons, only three players have logged a minimum of 3,500 minutes while averaging 21.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per 100 possessions: Davis, Duncan and Henson. Seriously.
Floor spacing does remain an issue for this team. The Bucks don't have enough of it and could find themselves once again struggling to put points on the board.
But, even with their potential offensive shortcomings in mind, they still have one of the Association's best young cores—one that's swiftly bridging the gap between rebuilding and competing.
1. Utah Jazz
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Notable Youngsters: Trey Lyles (19), Dante Exum (20), Trey Burke (22), Rodney Hood (22), Rudy Gobert (23), Alec Burks (24) Derrick Favors (24), Gordon Hayward (25), Tibor Pleiss (25)
If you've been fighting the impulse to pencil in the Utah Jazz as a playoff team this season, it's time to surrender.
Dante Exum's ACL injury is of some concern, since it could hamper Utah's defensive potential on the perimeter. The Jazz were the league's best points-preventing team after the trade deadline, but they were even stauncher with him on the floor. Exum actually recorded a better net rating than Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward during that time.
But the Jazz's playoff potential isn't about any one player. It's about the sum of their parts. Besides, Alec Burks is set to return from a campaign-crushing shoulder injury, and he's at least an offensive upgrade over Exum.
Adding Burks to last season's four-man combination of Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood, Gobert and Hayward is a tantalizing proposition. They outperformed opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions when playing side-by-side.
That mark wouldn't have only guaranteed the Jazz a playoff berth. It would have been the fourth-highest net rating in the entire league, surpassing everyone except the Warriors, Clippers and Spurs. And the Jazz did this in the brutally built Western Conference.
You may now surrender to the immediate and future promise of Utah's childlike collective at your convenience.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited. Player ages taken from ESPN.com. Draft-pick commitments via RealGM. Salary information from Basketball-Insiders.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @danfavale.
