Ranking of the current 5 best young cores in the NBA | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The core: Jalen Williams (23), Chet Holmgren (22), Cason Wallace (21), Ousmane Dieng (21), Nikola Topič (19)

It was brutal having to choose between the lower age and higher numbers of the Rockets’ core and the slightly more advanced, comparatively thinner group of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Incidentally, critics can justifiably argue that the OKC parts listed here were not even as responsible for the team’s success as those in Orlando.

The Magic were good last year largely due to the performances of Banchero, Wagner and Suggs. The Thunder received big contributions from Williams and Holmgren, but they didn’t lead the way themselves. MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was instrumental in those 57 wins.

If we were to move the sliders a bit to include 25-year-olds, OKC could add Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe into the mix. And it’s not like SGA is ancient either, as his 26th birthday just passed in July.

These rankings are based on the confidence that Williams and Holmgren will establish themselves as All-Stars this season. The former was one of only three players to average at least 19.0 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds while making more than 42.0 percent of his three-point shots last season, and the latter is a great one also plays off the dribble, averaging 2.3 blocks per game.

Just a personal opinion, but I still believe that Williams and Holmgren can both be better in their prime than Banchero in Orlando and Şengün in Houston.

And it’s not hard to imagine one of them being viewed as an irredeemable cornerstone if they were on another team right now. It’s not their fault that they happen to be playing with a top-notch superstar in SGA.

Wallace is more than an afterthought. As a rookie last year, he was on the West’s top seed, hitting 41.9 percent of his three-pointers and defending at an elite level. OKC could trade him for two first-rounders tomorrow if it wanted to. Dieng’s future is uncertain, but it seems unwise to doubt the wisdom of the Thunder’s draft. At just 21 years old, he could still develop into a two-way combo forward if he ever gets the opportunity to play on such a strong roster.

It’s painfully close, but Williams, Holmgren and Wallace lead an OKC core that is currently more successful and has greater future upside than anyone else.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes) and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast where he appears with Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale.