The New Orleans Pelicans are 23-32 and sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, but the future couldn’t be brighter for their young core.
The next generation of NBA superstars are making the league take notice. Teams being led by young, generational talents are succeeding ahead of schedule and doing it in exciting fashion. Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks are competing in their respective conferences behind strong play from a core of under 25-year-old players.
All of these teams (and probably several more) can lay claim to having the most enviable young core in the NBA, but the fact is that the New Orleans Pelicans are the best young team in the league. Here’s a look at the best young combinations in the league and how they compare to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Memphis Grizzlies
At 28-27 and currently in eighth position in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies are one of the surprise stories of the NBA season. This young team was supposed to be a year or two away, but someone forgot to tell 20-year-old Morant and the rest of the Grizzlies young core. The Memphis front office has been busy and productive over the last two seasons, turning one of the NBA’s worst teams into a playoff contender while loading up on young talent.
In addition to Rookie of the Year favorite Morant, the Grizzlies showcase fellow 20-year-old Jaren Jackson Jr., who has made the leap to average 17.1 points per game. Brandon Clarke (23) and 24-year-old Dillon Brooks have emerged as solid rotation pieces and are a testament to the Grizzlies’ eye for talent.
Josh Jackson is still just 22 and has a world of unrealized potential. Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton have been solid contributors and are 23 and 21 respectively. Newly acquired Justise Winslow has been injured, but is 23 and still hasn’t hit his ceiling as a player.
The Grizzlies have done an amazing job of maximizing trades and draft picks to stock their coffers with a talented young core. Though they have been a better team than the Pelicans thus far, they’ve had the advantage of good health and a favorable schedule. The Grizzlies are young and deep but few teams would take Morant and Jackson over Williamson and Ingram. The New Orleans Pelicans are slightly better at the top and a bit deeper, giving them the edge over Memphis.
The Contenders
The Duo in Boston
The Boston Celtics (36-18) are the third seed in the Eastern Conference and a legitimate candidate to make the NBA Finals. They have veterans like Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, so it doesn’t seem like they should really be on a list about up and coming cores, but the Celtics make the cut because of their two young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. At just 21 and 22 respectively, Tatum and Brown form one of the best young duos in the NBA.
Tatum has been spectacular, netting 22.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, all career highs. Brown’s numbers aren’t far off at 20.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. In fact, they are nearly identical statistically, with Tatum hitting 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers and Brown 38.1.
Tatum and Brown continue to exceed expectations and are one of the best young pairs on one of the NBA’s best teams, but otherwise the Celtics lack young depth and two players can barely be considered a core. Tatum and Brown deserve recognition for what they are doing at such a young age, but the Celtics are still largely a team of veterans who are ready to compete now.
Boston is better than the New Orleans Pelicans presently, but New Orleans has the better core when it comes to both overall talent and depth.
Deep in Denver
The Denver Nuggets (38-17) are another contender being led by an exciting young core. The Nuggets sit alone in second position in the Western Conference and are poised to make a deep run into the playoffs behind superstar center Nikola Jokic, who is still just 24 years old. Jokic is one of the best players in the league, adding 10.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists to his gaudy scoring numbers.
Jamal Murray is only 22 and is already getting 18.9 points per game. Monte Morris, PJ Dozier and Michael Porter Jr. have all shown signs of being solid rotation players in the NBA and are all under the age of 25. Denver has been one of the model franchises for developing young players and are one of the few teams that can challenge the Pelicans in both talent and depth when it comes to youth.
Denver is deep and very good, but it is hard to put them above the Pelicans. Zion and Ingram may not be better than Jokic and Murray now (emphasis on MAY) but I wouldn’t bet against the young Pelicans moving forward.
The Dallas Mavericks
No list of young cores would be complete without mentioning the Dallas Mavericks. Led by 20-year-old superstar Luka Doncic, the Mavericks (33-22) are the seventh seed in the Western Conference and look poised to compete for the foreseeable future.
Doncic has already established himself as a generational superstar and is putting up numbers that place him in rarefied air. Doncic averages nearly a triple-double at 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. Did I mention that he is 20 years old? His age, size and ability make Doncic the best young player in the league, an anomaly, a freak and if you were going to choose one player from the NBA to start a team with, it would probably be him.
Doncic’s partner is the 24-year-old unicorn Kristaps Porzingis who is proving the Maverick’s made the right move trading for him even while he was injured. Porzingis is getting 18.4 points and 9.1 rebounds a game, and is protecting the rim with 1.9 blocks.
Doncic and Porzingis are arguably the best young duo in the league, but Dallas lacks young depth, with only Jalen Brunson as the only other young player making an impact. Dallas certainly has the top-tier young duo to match with Zion and Ingram, but lack the overall depth of the young Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans: Not Just Zion
It would be easy to look at the Pelicans’ roster and record and think that they are underachieving. They are nine games under .500, out of the playoffs and had a historically bad start to the season. But with both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram missing significant time with injuries, it’s impossible to grade the Pelican’s team success thus far. Since Zion’s return the Pelicans have been a different team, and with Ingram returning after the All-Star break, the Pelicans have an outside chance at the eight seed in the competitive Western Conference. Not bad for a team being led by a bunch of players under 25.
Zion is just 19, and with no offense to Morant, is the best rookie in the league and one of the best overall since Anthony Davis hit the scene. As long as Williamson stays healthy he is going to be a generational superstar who just keeps getting better. He’s already a game-changing force in the paint, a powerful offensive rebounder and a dynamic shot blocker off the ball.
Ingram is only 22-years-old and just made his first All-Star game after establishing himself as one of the best combo forwards in the league. John Hollinger has him ranked as the seventh best small forward in the NBA and he’s the youngest player on the list. Ingram is averaging 24.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, all career highs. He’s shooting 40 percent from behind the arc and it appears that the Pelicans hit a home run with the centerpiece of the Davis trade. Ingram is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but the Pelicans have every chance to extend his contract and make him one of the cornerstones of the team.
Lonzo Ball is also just 22 and has emerged as floor leader and all-around talent at point guard, adding 6.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds to his 11.9 points per game. Josh Hart has also established himself as a solid contributor at age 24, getting 10.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds in one of the pleasant surprises of the season.
Jaxson Hayes is just 19 but has shown exciting athleticism and potential. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Frank Jackson are only 21 and have also shown signs of being solid rotation players in the NBA.
That is a talented young core of seven players that doesn’t even include Nicolo Melli, who was in the Rising Stars Challenge but is a bit older at age 29. In total the Pelicans have the best rookie in the league, a 22-year-old All Star, three players in the Rising Stars Challenge and three solid rotation players who have not yet approached their ceilings.
The Pelicans are deep with young talent and have a chance to keep them all together or make a big splash in the trade market. It’s not hard to imagine this young team making a deep run in the playoffs as early as next season. The New Orleans Pelicans combination of youth, talent and cap space make them the envy of much of the league. Things are looking good in New Orleans.