Ranking every NBA young core — 18. Miami Heat
- Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Omer Yurtseven, D.J. Steward Jr.
This is Example A of top-end talent over depth. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent are interesting, and Omer Yurtseven was a cult hero in Summer League, but Miami’s “young core” ranks 18th because of one player — Bam Adebayo. He’s the touchstone of an elite defense and continues to grow in new and profound ways offensively.
The Heat can run the offense through Adebayo, then rely on him to anchor the defense. He can face-up and take his defender off the bounce, pass on the move, or hit the occasional mid-range jumper. Tyler Herro struggled as a sophomore, but a year ago, he played essential minutes on a Finals team. He will probably bounce back to some degree.
Ranking every NBA young core — 17. Sacramento Kings
- De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell, Marvin Bagley III, Terence Davis, Justin James, Louis King, Neemias Queta, Chimezie Metu, Robert Woodard II, Jahmi’us Ramsey
It’s fair to point out that Sacramento’s core trio basically plays the same two positions. Davion Mitchell may never be able to share the floor with both De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Even so, that’s a dynamic top-two. Fox averaged 25.2 points per game last season, while Haliburton finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
With Davion Mitchell well positioned to contribute as a rookie — he just won Summer League co-MVP — the Kings’ young core is hard to knock. All three guards bring different, mostly complementary skill sets. Size is an issue, but not the end-all, be-all. I’m less psyched about the rest of the group, but Marvin Bagley is a former No. 2 pick, Louis King looked great in Vegas, and Terence Davis can shoot the lights out.