First of all, let’s look upon the concept of “young team”. Two parameters define a young team in my opinion. Its average age and the average age of its core. Both should be less than 25 or close to it. Both or at least one of this two requirements need to be satisfied for a team to be labeled young. And with “core” I mean their 3 or 4 best players.

This table summarizes the average age of every team in the NBA as of now. I used ESPN roster pages to fill it, anyway, it is not definitive, as opening-night rosters are yet to be finalized. In any case, you can get a glimpse of the average age of every NBA team.

The Knicks clearly stand as the oldest team. And every contending team(Offseason Power Rankings), except for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is over the average NBA age. That somehow explains how usually contending teams are veteran teams or at least veteran-led teams. The Thunder are the exception to the rule.

Going further you can see that less than half of the teams are “young”. 13 teams are by average younger than 25, but you can make it 15 if you add the Pacers and the 76ers, who are pretty close to that mark. I will consider them both as young in this rankings.

Other teams that are over the 25-year-old mark but still make the cut are the Kings, the Jazz and the Bucks.

Surprisingly these teams are all over the 25-year-old threshold. And that’s because their young players , who happen to be the best players on the team, are surrounded by some veterans and older players. Think about Garcia and Salmons for the Kings. Bell, Watson and Williams for the Jazz. And Przybilla, Dunleavy and Dalembert, among others, for the Bucks. Anyway these teams all have cores whose average age is 25 or less.

Now, without further ado, let’s see the top 10 young teams in the NBA, who could/should be atop the League in the near future.

10 Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving. Do I need to say anything more? The kid is only 20 and, if everything goes right, he will be regarded as one of the 5 best point guards in the League in a couple of years. Someone even said he has more potential than Chris Paul. In a couple of years the other youngsters on the team, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson, should be ready to contribute and help the guard make some noise in the playoffs. Watch out for Irving and his Cavs.

9 New Orleans Hornets

They got the grand prize of the Draft in June, forward/center Anthony Davis, labeled by many as a franchise changer. He sure needs to bulk up and adapt to the NBA game, but in a couple of years he should be ready to battle against the best forwards and centers in the League. First of all, is he a center or a power-forward? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, he has Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and, possibly, Austin Rivers as good young players to play with him. This team will have championship potential in the future if Davis develops as expected and he is surrounded by the right guys.

8 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are a young, up-and-coming team, coached by a young coach in Mark Jackson. The team has a lot of young players, highlighted by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, new draftee Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, and veteran players, like David Lee and Richard Jefferson. How these guys develop and mesh together will be crucial. They already have playoff potential and will eventually get to the postseason if their often-injured players, Curry and Bogut, stay healthy.

7 Utah Jazz

The Jazz have several young players drafted in the last couple of years. Alec Burks, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter are all young and talented. They are surrounded by two young veterans, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, and newly acquired point-guard Mo Williams. This veterans may hinder their development but I think they’ll help them improve and teach them how to play at the NBA level. And, most importantly, they help the team stay afloat and fight for a playoffs spot, just like they did last year. The young guys can learn from them and once improved, maybe take the team fully in their hands. The future is bright for this team.

6 Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are a young team that has gone to the playoffs 2 straight seasons now. Look for them to make more playoffs appearances in the near future as their young players continue to improve. They are a team similar to the Nuggets, in that they do not have a superstar. Anyway they are not as deep as Denver and that, along with the fact that they have no clear-cut star, explains their ranking. Sure, Roy Hibbert made the All-Star team last year, and he is one of the best centers in the League, but the only guy on this team that has real star-potential is Paul George. The problem is that he plays the same position as long-tenured Pacer Danny Granger. I think they will have to trade Granger first, to see real improvements from George.

5 Minnesota Timberwolves

Last year the addition of Ricky Rubio made the T-Wolves exciting and, with another great season of their best player, Kevin Love, put them back on the NBA map. They almost made the playoffs and saw improvement from center Nikola Pekovic, too. The Wolves are pretty much set for the foreseeable future at point-guard, power-forward and center with these guys. Last year talented draftee, Derrick Williams, has to improve on a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign and the T-Wolves have to understand what is the better position on the floor for him. This summer the Wolves added fellow Russians Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved, who shined at the Olympics, taking home Bronze for their home country. This team has all the makings of a playoffs team for now and the future, even in the loaded West. But for now, they have no championship potential. Will K-Love be satisfied with that?

4 Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers this summer added the new best center in the East. Andrew Bynum is surrounded by a lot of young players, who should only get better. Evan Turner is due to a great improvement in what is now his 3rd season in the NBA, and Jrue Holiday has to finally become an elite PG if this team wants to really meet expectations. They have a great force in the middle in Bynum and they are a few tweaks away from being a top team in the East. Can they put it all together? Will Bynum stick there long-term? If he bolts next summer this team will surely fall.

3 Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are young but, at the same time, experienced. They made the Playoffs the last 2 seasons and will be looking to get there again in the future. Their core of Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol is pretty good, and only Randolph is almost out of his prime. Furthermore, Z-Bo and Tony Allen are the only guys over 30 on the roster. So, obviously, they have much room for improvement. If Randolph can put last year knee injury aside, this team has a chance to be very dangerous. At the same time, if their young guys continue to improve they will be a very nice team down the road. But for now, they are not better than the Lakers or the Thunder in the loaded West. Maybe, they are a couple of years and a couple of tweaks away from real championship contention.

2 Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are 10-deep and almost have 2 potential starters at every position. The only thing that is holding them back, is not having a superstar. The addition of Andre Iguodala does not change that, but he will surely improve this team’s defense. Andre Miller is the lone guy on the team in his thirties, as every other player, except for Iguodala, is 26 or younger. So, look for them to continue to improve in the next couple of years and create some problems to the top teams in the West. Will one of their youngsters develop into a star? Will they trade for one? Or they will stay put and try to win it all just like the starless Pistons in 2004? Only time will answer these questions.

1 Oklahoma City Thunder

They are already championship contenders. And they will only get better. Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka are all 24 or younger. The latter has just been re-signed to a 4 year deal and what they will do with Harden is crucial now. His contract is up next summer and he will be a restricted free agent. Will the Thunder re-sign him and become tax-payers or will they trade him? This is clearly a difficult decision to make, especially for a small market team, but with a core like that they would be contenders for at least the next 5 years. That’s why I think they have to re-sign him and dominate the League for the near future.

Marco