Ranking the NBA’s Best Young Cores Ahead of Next Season

The 2026 NBA Draft — heralded as one of the best classes in some time — has officially infused the league with top talent. As showcased by a 2026 Summer League that saw plenty of rookies take off.

Where most classes have one or two No. 1-level prospects, the most recent class had as many as four, with all of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson joining fresh squads. Even more, teams already owning top talents have now loaded up on more depth, or took shots at star-power later in the 2026 draft.

The NBA’s contending tier is immensely strong with LeBron James having joined the 76ers, but the next era of up-and-coming teams are currently ripe with talent as well. Below, we’ll rank the league’s top young cores ahead of next season, featuring players 23-years-old or under:

1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Jayden Quaintance

2. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Will Riley

3. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams

4. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr., Dereck Lively, Zaccharie Risacher

5. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Noa Essengue, Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain

6. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, Walter Clayton Jr., Karim Lopez, GG Jackson

7. Charlotte Hornets: Kon Knuppel, Brandon Miller, Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson, Sion James, Tidjane Salaun

8. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Bruce Thornton

9. OKC Thunder: Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Nikola Topic, Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber

Even among a list of the most talented young players in the league, the top talents — Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg and AJ Dybantsa's of the world — dominate the list. The Spurs top the group with undoubtedly the best player and trio.

The Wizards come in second with a fresh No. 1 pick and what is likely the deepest roster of young talent, with the Mavericks largely propped up by the reigning Rookie of the Year. The Jazz land within the top-three due to a mix of both top talent and young depth.

Other standouts include the Bulls, armed with a synergistic trio of Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, who have Chicago fans the most excited they've been in decades.

Interestingly, two of the top teams in the Western Conference make the list in the Rockets and Thunder, despite their hope to win the West next season. Both have built their winning core through the NBA Draft, and still have players hoping to get better with internal development.

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