It's clear that youth will be served in Portland this upcoming season as Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey has built an "emerging" roster this offseason through trades and free agency. Complementing a long-term contract for 25-year-old superstar Damian Lillard and the return of CJ McCollum and Meyers Leonard, the influx of the young talent of Mason Plumlee, Al-Farouq Aminu, Ed Davis, Maurice Harkless and Noah Vonleh has put the Trail Blazers in a position to build for the future.

With an average roster age of just over 24 years old, Portland's roster boasts seven lottery picks selected since 2009. While there may be a lack of robust veteran experience in Rip City following the departures of Lamarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum, ESPN ranks the Trail Blazers as one of the top young rosters in the NBA.

With Portland coming in sixth in ESPN.com's ranking of the top young cores in the league, Bradford Doolittle writes:

"The Blazers did a pretty nifty job of redirecting their priorities in the wake of LaMarcus Aldridge's departure, not to mention the exits of Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez. Lillard gives Portland a young star to lead a rapid rebuild, and the offseason acquisitions of Aminu, Vonleh and Harkless have helped bolster the young depth. Vonleh could turn out to be better than Aldridge someday, while McCollum, Leonard and Allen Crabbe should all benefit from expanded responsibilities."

The Trail Blazers' roster is far from set with nearly two months to go before the 2015-16 NBA season tips-off. That leaves plenty of time for Olshey to continue to bring more up-and-coming talent to Portland.