There is a large amount of young, up-and-coming talent in the NBA right now, and a few teams, in particular, have a bright future because of such talent, even if those teams haven’t arrived yet.
One would have to agree that these two squads have the league’s best crop of young talent, not to mention the brightest prospects over the next five years.
1. Memphis Grizzlies
Even though the Grizzlies haven’t really been at full strength this season, they have a 16-9 record and are in third place in the Western Conference, only because the Phoenix Suns, who are also 16-9, hold the tiebreaker.
Guard Ja Morant has become one of the NBA’s newest superstars over the last year or two, and he has gotten a bit better this season, as he’s averaging 28.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, all of which are career-highs, while also improving his 3-point shooting.
Ja Morant's hangtime 👀
26 PTS | 13 REB | 11 AST in just 30 MINS pic.twitter.com/yKBUXmk0eB
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 8, 2022
In addition, Desmond Bane, who is out with a toe injury, is playing like an All-Star, putting up 24.7 points a contest while shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range in 12 games.
Big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has also played well since returning from a stress fracture with an average of 19.4 points a game.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
But the scariest team over the next several years will undoubtedly be the Cavs.
They already have arguably the best backcourt in the league in Darius Garland, who is 22 and already an All-Star, and Donovan Mitchell, the new 26-year-old superstar in Cleveland.
But the team’s most intriguing piece for the future is second-year big man Evan Mobley, whom many think has superstar potential.
Mobley is putting up 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game this year while making 56.3 percent of his shots.
