Do the Charlotte Hornets have a top-3 young core in the NBA?

Teams that might/probably have better young cores than the Charlotte Hornets

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans have Zion Williamson. Other young players on their roster include Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Kira Lewis, and Jaxson Hayes. Zion Williamson is by far the best player on this list, and he alone might make the Pelicans’ young core better than the Hornets. That said, New Orleans is 3-15 without Williamson in the lineup this season, which might go to speak for how not-great the other players are.

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks, similar to the Pelicans, have one player in particular that makes their young core one of the best in the NBA: Luka Doncic – a perennial MVP candidate at the age of only 22 years old. There aren’t really any other young players in Dallas worth mentioning. Again, though, Doncic alone makes the Mavericks a top-5 young core.

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks, by my opinion, have the best young core in the league. They have a certified star in Trae Young, along with other core pieces: De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, Jalen Johnson, Sharife Cooper, and Onyeka Okongwu. It’s hard for any team to beat that out.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies, much like the Atlanta Hawks, have a young core that is hard to match up with: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, De’Anthony Melton, Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman. All of those players are rotational players for the Grizzlies, who sit at 8-8 in a tough Western Conference.

The Verdict: The Charlotte Hornets have the third best young core in the NBA.

The Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies are tough to beat out if you’re the Charlotte Hornets – there is just an incredible amount of talent on those two teams. With that said, though, the Hornets do have potentially two young stars in the making between LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges – both of whom are accompanied by PJ Washington, Jalen McDaniels, James Bouknight, Kai Jones, JT Thor, and Nick Richards.

I’ll put the Hornets above teams such as the Pelicans and Mavericks – teams that really only have one major player in their core but below the future powerhouses of the Grizzlies and Hawks.