Ranking the Sixers’ young core against every NBA team

Ranking every NBA young core — 24. Chicago Bulls

• Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams, Coby White, Tony Bradley, Troy Brown Jr., Ayo Dosunmu, Devon Dotson

The Bulls signed Lonzo Ball to a massive four-year, $85 million contract. He’s in a great spot, where he can use his transcendent basketball I.Q. to connect the dots between Chicago’s dynamic triumvirate of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic.

Patrick Williams was the No. 4 pick in 2020, and held up his end of the bargain as a rookie. With Thaddeus Young gone and Lauri Markkanen not in the cards long term, Williams should see more reps in year two. He’s ready. Coby White is another lottery pick. While there’s less optimism around his future, he can still fill it up in a hurry, and should play important minutes off the bench.

Ranking every NBA young core — 23. Golden State Warriors

• Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Chris Chiozza

The Warriors have a lot of unknowns here, but James Wiseman was the No. 2 pick for a reason. He struggled as a rookie, with the complexity of Golden State’s offense — not to mention a knee injury — dampening the excitement around the future. That said, he did show some monstrous flashes, and has all the physical tools needed to become a forceful two-way presence in the NBA.

Jonathan Kuminga was a bit of an unexpected pick for Golden State this summer, but even though he’s not “NBA ready,” he should contribute as a rookie. With two elite playmakers next to him in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, along with the reduced pressure of playing for a contender, Kuminga should have a simplified role well suited to his current aptitude.

Moses Moody is also a day-one contributor, while Jordan Poole played significant minutes in just his second NBA season. Kevon Looney has been the starting center for a contender for a while. He’s a rock-solid NBA rotation piece.