Ranking every NBA young core — 2. Boston Celtics
- Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, Romeo Langford, Payton Pritchard, Carson Edwards, Sam Hauser
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It’s that simple. There is no better under-25 duo in the game of basketball. Tatum is a borderline top-15 player, with elite three-level scoring and All-Defense capabilities. He’s the type of generational offensive superstar even poorly run teams can build around. The Celtics are not poorly run.
As for Jaylen Brown, he’s a couple tiers below Tatum. That does not diminish his ability. He’s another three-level scorer who can defend more than adequately. The Celtics thrive when spreading the floor and beating defenses with multiple ball-handlers and iso threats. Tatum and Brown are at the heart of that attack.
Robert Williams just earned a healthy extension, and is a potentially above-average starter (and the Celtics’ best center) when healthy. That’s generally a big if with him. The rest of Boston’s young core is flawed and underwhelming relative to draft position, but full of useful NBA players nonetheless. Aaron Nesmith, Romeo Langford, Payton Pritchard, and Grant Williams will all get minutes.
Ranking every NBA young core — 1. Dallas Mavericks
- Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Moses Brown, Josh Green, Tyrell Terry, Nate Hinton, Eugene Omoruyi
It’s pretty darn simple. Luka Doncic. Most people don’t think “young core” when they think of Dallas, but that’s because it’s pretty much a one-man core. And that one man is enough to put Dallas smack dab at No. 1, outclassing the likes of Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, and Trae Young — and doing so by a pretty healthy margin.
If you asked NBA executives to build a franchise around any one player, Doncic would be the overwhelming favorite. At just 22 years old, he is arguably a top-5 NBA player. If a few unfortunate breaks had gone his way, Doncic might have a couple playoff victories on his resumé too.
The Mavs have done a pretty pitiful job building the roster around Doncic, but he’s still primed for a postseason breakthrough. He led Slovenia — a first time Olympic contender — to a top-4 finish in Tokyo. His numbers are historic. His ability to positively affect teammates, while also shouldering the greatest offensive burden in the NBA, makes him special. He, and he alone, makes Dallas the top choice.