Ranking every NBA young core — 4. Atlanta Hawks
- Trae Young, John Collins, DeAndre Hunter, Kevin Heurter, Onyeka Okongwu, Cam Reddish, Jalen Johnson, Sharife Cooper, Skylar Mays
The Hawks need no introduction on this website. Atlanta rolled to the conference finals behind the tremendous play of 22-year-old Trae Young. He was complemented by 23-year-old John Collins, a couple spry vets, and Atlanta’s brigade of recent draft picks, almost all of whom are quality NBA players — if not more.
Atlanta made it to the conference finals despite missing DeAndre Hunter, a top-100 NBA player and an essential defensive presence. Heurter almost single-handedly closed out the Sixers in Game 7, while Onyeka Okongwu is perhaps the most underrated player from the 2020 draft. Once he’s back from injury, expect a landslide of praise and admiration. As the cherry on top, Atlanta added Sharife Cooper — my No. 13 prospect in the 2021 draft — with the 48th overall pick.
Ranking every NBA young core — 3. New Orleans Pelicans
- Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Kira Lewis Jr., Trey Murphy III, Jaxson Hayes, Herb Jones, Didi Louzada, Naji Marshall, Wenyen Gabriel, Jose Alvarado, Daulton Hommes
We have reached the point where you are simply betting on the best player(s). Zion Williamson is not far from perennial MVP contention, and even with the Pelicans’ insistence on bungling the roster around him, New Orleans feels destined for a playoff appearance sooner than later. Zion still needs to work on his defense, but he’s already the most unstoppable downhill, at-rim scorer in the league.
The Pelicans have some nice pieces around him too. Brandon Ingram is an All-Star. Kira Lewis was a lottery pick, and deservedly so. With Lonzo Ball gone, he could receive more oppoiunites as a sophomore. Trey Murphy was the standout of Summer League — arguably the best overall player in Vegas, even though he didn’t win MVP. That’s typically a good sign. Jaxson Hayes is also the real deal. He still requires patience, but no one that athletic will flunk out of the NBA.