The Lakers and Heat find themselves in the NBA’s current elite; they are ready and certainly expected to win now, five years from now either of teams could fall out title contention and are forced to retool through the draft. The teams that will be featured during this slideshow are far from the Lakers and the Heat, however five years from now it could those team that are atop the league’s elite, and the window may have closed on the league’s current powers.
Last year at around the same time I wrote the same article. Last year my five teams were the Blazers, Thunder, Bulls, Warriors, and Timberwolves in that order. If could do it again last year I would probably remove the Wolves and add a team like the Bucks or Kings. I decided not to include the Blazers or Bulls this year because I think they’ve been labeled young teams too long, it looks like both teams are ready to win.
The teams featured on this slideshow, have the core pieces in place, they are still ways way from contending for a number of reasons. The team’s core may still have much potential to be reached, the team is still a significant piece away, or the team may need some veteran leadership to surround their current young nucleus.
For example a few years ago, the Orlando Magic were built around a young core of Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, eventually they acquire Rashard Lewis through free agency, Hedo Turkoglu and JJ Redick start to blossom as players, and the Orlando Magic rode that core to the NBA finals where they eventually lost to the LA Lakers. The Magic still have the foundation of the team in Dwight Howard, and with Howard they’ll likely stay in contention as long as Howard is wearing a Magic uniform.
Any of the teams featured on this slideshow could be the next Orlando Magic. The team has its young players in place, once the young talent fully develops, and the team adds pieces through the draft, trades, or free agency, any of the teams on this slideshow could find themselves contending or an NBA title.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
Despite a depressing injury to the man pictured above, LA’s other team is on the rise, and after two great drafts, they find themselves stacked with young talent. In 2009 the Clippers won the lottery and took Blake Griffin, and this year’s draft they picked Al Farouq Aminu at number eight, and they traded a heavily protected first round pick for a potential franchise guard in Eric Bledsoe.
The key to the Clippers is Blake Griffin, even though he suffered what may have been the most unlucky injury of all time, all signs still point that Blake Griffin is the real deal. If they redid the 2009 draft, I would bet Blake Griffin would still go in the top three, despite that freak injury. Griffin has the potential to be a top player in the NBA, and turn the Clippers franchise into a winner.
He may start slow this season because this is an injury that takes time to rehab from, but we’re not looking at another Greg Oden here. Once this guy gets going he’s going to dominate, he has the physical strength to truck his opponents, and he’s developing a perimeter game. I expect Griffin to fully recover from the injury, average around 18 points, 8 rebounds, and contend with the other rookies for the rookie of the year award which he is eligible for.
The Clippers have a huge hole at the small forward position and while Al Farouq Aminu isn’t ready to step in right away, he has great potential. At Wake Forest Aminu was a rebounding machine averaging 11 rebounds, and 15 points. The big question with Aminu is whether he’ll play small forward or power forward. Right now I think he’d be better suited for power forward because he has great rebounding ability, and his perimeter game hasn’t fully developed yet. Aminu however has the body of a small forward, and that’s the position I see him playing once he develops a solid perimeter game. Aminu is just one of the pieces that can for a nice young nucleus around Blake Griffin for the Clippers.
The other player the Clippers got this draft was Eric Bledsoe, the lighting quick guard out of Kentucky. Bledsoe was heavily recruited out of high school as a point guard, but he chose to go to Kentucky and play alongside John Wall so he could learn how to play off the ball. At Kentucky Bledsoe did average more turnovers than assists which is alarming, but he didn’t get much playing time, and he was playing out of position. Bledsoe is extremely athletic, and with 11 year veteran Baron Davis on the decline, Bledsoe could be the starting point guard of the future for the LA Clippers.
The final young piece the Clippers have is the piece that has been in place for the past two years, young shooting guard Eric Gordon. Gordon is currently at the Team USA minicamp where he has a solid chance at making the team. Gordon is one of the best long range shooters in the NBA; he shot 37 percent from behind the arc last season, and averaged 17 points per game. Gordon was one of the few bright spots for the Clippers last season, this season I could see him eclipse the 20 points per game scoring mark, especially if this Clippers team gets going and Blake Griffin comes back healthy.
The Clippers have become notorious for underachieving, call me naïve but I think this could be the year the team makes a playoff run, and starts to build a potential contender, Blake Griffin is the key.
4. Washington Wizards
The Wizards came into last season with a veteran squad led by the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler. After a heavily disappointing season two of the three core guys on the roster, are playing elsewhere, and Gilbert Arenas has been heavily shopped but no one wants to take on his contract. I had to think hard about putting the Wizards on this list because even though they have great young talent, they have Gilbert Arenas and that untradeable contract that will keep holding them back.
The Wizards fortunes changed greatly on May 18th when they struck gold in the lottery and acquired the rights to draft consensus number one pick John Wall. Wall has been called the best guard prospect to come out of college since Allen Iverson came out of Georgetown in 1996. Wall is going to be a franchise changer the minute he steps on the court for the Wizards. Wall had some turnover trouble in college, but that’s because he was trying to do too much at once, he will eventually figure it out.
There is no question this is now John Wall’s team, if the Wizards could have their way, they would trade Gilbert Arenas as for a bag of basketballs but that contract still has 4 years, about 80 million dollars remaining. A Wall Arenas backcourt could be one of the more explosive in the league, but the Wizards are going to have to figure this out because you can’t pay Gilbert this much when John Wall is now the face of the franchise.
The Wizards also have two young big men in Andray Blatche and Javale McGee. Blatche is extremely talented but he’s been an enigma his whole NBA career. Javale McGee on the other hand was one of the top performers in summer league. it looks like McGee has started to show signs of consistency on offense, he’s one of the most athletic seven footers, he can block shots, and it looks like he’s going to be John Wall’s top sidekick on this Wizards roster. McGee was a last minute invitee to the Team USA minicamp where it looks more and more likely he could make the team. McGee will benefit greatly from playing with a point guard like John Wall, he could have breakout year next season.
The Wizards also added veteran Kirk Hinrich who could help mentor John Wall, plus he’s a solid long range shooter, and Yi Jianlian who could be a nice complementary piece. Overall I’m not sure if the Wizards are going to make the playoffs, they certainly have the capability to do so in a watered down eastern conference.
Think of this year’s Wizards as the Bulls during Derrick Rose’s rookie year, they are very similar teams, both are led by star guards, both have young big men the Bulls had Noah, the Wiz have McGee and both are middle of the road teams in the eastern conference.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies surprised many last season by recovering from a terrible start and adding 16 wins to their win total from the season before. The Grizzlies made major progress last season and some of their young players started to come into their own.
OJ Mayo has established himself as the leader, and go to guy in the clutch for this team. Mayo’s scoring average dropped about a full point from his rookie campaign however Mayo had some huge games for the Grizzlies, most notably a 40 point performance against the Denver Nuggets early in the season, and Mayo was the team’s clutch scorer, and as the season progressed it became his team. Mayo could be headed for stardom, he’ already one of the best shooters in the league, and he can easily create his own offense.
A pleasant surprise this summer was seeing OJ Mayo participate in summer league. By no law was Mayo required to go to summer league as he’s already the best player on the team, but he was trying to improve his point guard skills. That’s sends a message to the to the Mayo’s teammates when the team leader is taking part in summer league. Mayo wasn’t done though as he’s currently at the Team USA minicamp hoping to make the team. Expect to see Mayo play more point guard and do much more ball handling. I wouldn’t be shocked if Mayo were to make his first all star team.
The Grizzlies also managed to resign Rudy Gay, and while they overpaid, this team is not going to continue to make progress without Rudy Gay on the team. Gay and Mayo are one of the better scoring duos in the league, and the Grizzlies need to keep their current core together. Gay may not be a superstar in the NBA, but resigning him was crucial if the Grizzlies plan to continue to get better.
The Grizzlies would not taken the step they took last season had it not been for the play of Marc Gasol. Once thought of as a throwaway in the trade that sent his older brother to LA, Marc has proved he can be an elite center in the NBA. Coming into the season there were many concerns about Gasol’s weight, however he lost significant weight and played at an all star level for most of the season as he averaged 14 points, and 9 rebounds. Marc Gasol should continue to improve and become a top big man in the NBA.
So far he looks like a bust but Hasheem Thabeet is continuing to get better as he got more reps at summer league. Thabeet will likely start the season in the D-league and continue to develop his game.
Unsigned rookie Xavier Henry could be a difference maker for this team. Despite being a rookie Henry has a very polished and mature game. Henry is a terrific outside shooter, and he can put the ball on the floor and get to the line. The Grizzlies better take care of his situation quickly because he’s going to be an immediate contributor.
The Grizzlies are bringing back the same core from last season with the addition of Xavier Henry, overall I see this team making more progress and topping the 40 win mark they reached last season. Don’t be surprised if this team sneaks into the postseason.
2. Sacramento Kings
The Kings only managed to win 25 games last season, but they started off red hot, and looked like they could’ve been contending for a playoff spot early in the season. Eventually they tailed off, but they had many bright spots last season and I do think the team is going to take a big step towards being a serious threat in the west.
The Kings are stacked with young talent; it all starts with the reigning rookie of the year Tyreke Evans. Evans not only won rookie of the year, but he averaged a stat line of 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists as a rookie, a feat only accomplished by Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Oscar Robertson. Evans did so because most of plays were run for him, and he played with ball in his hands majority of the time, but nonetheless he has the potential to be a superstar in this league.
Evans will have to make some improvements on his game, especially now that DeMarcus Cousins has arrived. First of all Evans needs to be more of a distributor, he wasn’t such a willing passer last season and that resulted in many possessions where Evans tried to make something out of nothing.
Then Evans will have to learn how to play off the ball. Evans played with the ball in his hands for most of the game, he’s not a true point guard and he’s going to learn how to play off the ball if he wants to be shooting guard. Evans will also have to significantly improve his defense, for a guy who has Evan’s frame; Evans was one of the worst defenders at his position. Evans will have to give a better effort on the defensive end.
The Kings also brought in DeMarcus Cousins, the biggest risk reward player in this draft. I had Cousins labeled as the 2nd most talented prospect in the country behind John Wall. During summer league Cousins showed why he can be a potential superstar, and why so many teams were afraid to gamble on him with a top four pick. I think Cousins will be productive in his rookie season, and he’ll be the best rookie big man.
Cousins isn’t alone in the frontcourt, he also has two young power forwards who can both play. The first is Carl Landry whom the Kings acquired in a three way trade that sent Kevin martin to Houston and Tracy McGrady to New York. Last season Landry looked like he’d be the 6th man of the year however he was traded to the Kings and he started most of his games in Sacramento.
The other young big man would be Jason Thompson. Thompson is versatile as he can play both power forward and center. Thompson is a solid rebounder and shot blocker, and he’ll be a solid rotation player for this Kings team.
The Kings also have their young shooter in Omri Casspi, Casspi shot 37 percent from behind the arc, and averaged 10 points per game. The young Israeli was a huge piece for the team, and his role will increase as he gets better.
The Kings are following the Thunder’s model of building a team through the draft. I’m not saying they’re going to be a 47 win team next season, but they could certainly contend for a playoff spot with the addition of Cousins, and if Tyreke Evans continues to play at a high level.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
It comes as no shock that the Thunder are the best young team in the NBA. The Thunder shocked the world last season as most people said they were a year away from playoff contention, however they made the playoffs as an 8th seed and were a Pau Gasol layup away from taking the champs to seven games.
Led by Kevin Durant and Co. the Thunder may be the most complete team in the western conference outside the Lakers. The Thunder has Kevin Durant who is going to be the odds on favorite to win the MVP and scoring titles. Durant may be the best young player in the game today, he’s freakishly athletic, he has a Reggie Miller like outside stroke, he gets to the free throw line, and he’s become a better rebounder and paint player.
Durant is the unquestioned leader of the team however he’s surrounded by a nice solid nucleus. Russell Westbrook is already among the top point guards; and Jeff green is a solid role player who is a good defender. Durant, Westbrook, and Green are all at the Team USA minicamp hoping to make the team.
James Harden came off the bench for the Thunder in his rookie season, but he’s going to have a much bigger role this season and potentially start at shooting guard. Harden has a very polished game, he’s a terrific outside shooter, and he can score.
One of the reasons the Thunder couldn’t push the Lakers further is that they didn’t have big men who could limit the Lakers bigs. The Thunder addressed that need by adding center Cole Aldrich who has the ability to be a starting center in this league. Aldrich is 6’11”, he has a nice touch around the basket, he’s a terrific rebounder and shot blocker, and he can play some defense.
The Thunder also have Serge Ibaka the young big man from the Congo. Ibaka has great athleticism, in his limited time he has shown flashes of being a great shot blocker, and a solid pick and pop threat. Moving forward Ibaka is going to be a big piece for this Thunder team.
Despite the team being young, I fully expect the Thunder to challenge the Lakers for the west. After the current Lakers dynasty is over, we could potentially have a Miami Heat Oklahoma City Thunder rivalry due to both frequently meeting in the NBA finals. Bottom line is the Thunder are young, but they may be ready to win now.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
A bit confused why the Bulls weren't placed on this list … Thought maybe it was because they made the playoffs, but then I saw the Thunder on the list.
Anyone really believe that Washington – with an unproven John Wall and no one else – is more promising than a Chicago team with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer? Their average age is under 25-years old …
howard, did you read the article? The Bulls were taken off the list because they're no longer considered "up and coming" – they're ready to win now, which I completely agree with.
Ah, it's not KD in the photo…
Sorry Shady, but I think you meant a Ron Artest layup away from the Thunder pushing L.A. to a game seven. Not Gasol.
No I think ur mistaken there genius, you obviously didn’t watch Game 6 at Oklahoma when Gasol picked up an offensive rebound and putback with like one second left to clinch that series. Ur thinkin about the L.A.-Phoenix Game 5 where Artest snatched Kobe’s airball and layed it up as time expired. Can’t criticize the writer with inaccurate information. Just sayin.
He’s right, you’re wrong. You’re thinking about the Artest shot off of a Kobe airball against phoenix in game 5. Gasol clinched the Oklahoma series with that offensive rebound and putback against y’all in Game 6 with like one second left.
Chicago should be on this list. I think the Warriors should be there too. Everyone is sleeping on their improvement. Biedrins , Lee, Curry and Ellis all 27 or younger. Mayo is an average 2 guard. Certainly not destined for star status or any all star games. Not sure why L.A. is a young and up and coming team when their core is old. Griffin and Gordon are niece pieces, but there cogs are Davis and Kaman, not exactly spring chickens. So add these two and drop L.A. and Washington and you have a better list.
Now tha James and Bosh are are teamed up Wade, Miami is almost unstoppable.
Actually it was infact a Paul Gasol layup that kept the thunder from a game 7…Artest was the Suns series. Clippers core is no longer Baron Davis and Kaman, Eric Gordon was their best player last yr. Now it will be built around him and Griffin. John Wall could get the Wizards in th playoffs his rookie yr just like Brandon Jennings did last yr…and the Bucks are a team that maybe should be on this list solely cause of Brandon Jennings…
No OKCDurantula, it was Gasol. He got the last bucket with .5 left, in game 6 of the first round. OKC got a quick shot but missed. Artest had the game winner against Phoenix in game 5 of the WCF series.
Has someone written a response on how badily this article was written? This isn't professional I hope. Good points but the writing was that of a 4th grader.
I completely agree with you Rich. I read through the comments and I'm surprised it took as long as it did for someone to mention the grammer. Unbelievable! I can't take someone who writes like a child seriously..
This article is extremely poor written. I agree with both Rich and kip. Other than that the grammar, I think only one of these teams are going to be a team of the future. The Thunder! They may even be the second best team in the West right now. The Blazers, if healthy (big IF), and the Mavs, if they put it all together (for once), are the only other teams that can compete with the Lakers.
I think this writer was on drugs. that's the only thing that could possibly explain how he includes some of the worse run teams in the NBA as up and coming.
Outside of the Thunder, none of those teams are going anywhere but staying on the bottom of the league!
thunder will challenge for championship this year with the Lakers, with the winner winning the overall title. Miami will win next year win the three big guys have a season under their belt. From that point on I believe the Thunder and Heat play maybe three years in a row for the championship. The Thunder are that good and gave the Lakers fits last year. I think LA might be able take them again this year if Kobe is injury free, otherwise no. After that it is all Thunder if they can keep their roster as is.
Lebron is better than Kobe,and the heat will win it all
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