The NBA future is... WOWZA!

The Core: Karl-Anthony Towns (25), Anthony Edwards (20), D’Angelo Russell (25), Malik Beasley (24), Naz Reid (22)

The Case: This spot was the toughest to decide, with the Wolves just barely beating out the Kings to round out the Top Five. Hard to argue against a team with two All-Stars and a Rookie of the Year on the squad. This team can score in bunches, thanks to their three young stars. After some character-questioning moments under Tom Thibodeau and a disappointing playoff debut in 2018 when he only averaged 15 ppg, Towns has delivered this season on averages of 24 ppg and 9 rpg. D’Angelo Russell has been one of Towns’ best friends in the NBA. As teammates, we haven’t seen that chemistry in its fullest form due to injuries and coaching turnover. With the scoring ability of Anthony Edwards to put the ball in the bucket, Russell can focus more on distributing and knocking down open shots. Edwards is already one of the best scorers in the NBA in just his second year at 24 ppg.

The Ceiling: Play-In Tournament. If new addition Patrick Beverly can get these kids to commit to playing defense on a nightly basis, they could sneak into the Play-In Tournament. But that’s a tall order for a team who has wasted away in the NBA basement with no incentive to try on defense. Towns has the potential to be a two-way game-changer, but time will tell if he realizes his Anthony Davis level of potential.

What’s Missing: In recent memory, the Wolves have never had an elite wing who impacted winning. The days of Andrew Wiggins were full of inflated, empty stats. The Wolves need a young two-way perimeter player to energize the defense and guard the opposing team’s best player from the one through four.

The Core: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23), Luguentz Dort (22), Josh Giddey (19), Darius Bazley (21), Isaiah Roby (23)

The Case: As of late, the Thunder have taken the Knicks’ spot as NBA writers’ favorite punching bag. And to be fair, their tank job last year was obvious and gross once they started sitting players with fake injuries just to nosedive for the right to choose between Evan Mobley or Cade Cunningham. All that nonsense just to land at No. 6 ? But Sam Presti swung for the fences and selected the high upside of Aussie Josh Giddey. Thus far, the 19-year-old looks like a legitimate cornerstone piece with long-range ability and elite playmaking from all over the court. The Thunder are the definition of position-less basketball and employ multiple guys with above-average passing ability to play together in the starting five, making them a tough team to gameplan for. And the centerpiece of the Paul George trade, SGA, has taken the next step toward becoming a superstar. The kid can do everything at an elite level, besides outrun his opponent. He is one of the smartest basketball players in the NBA, and the heir apparent to cerebral efficiency king Chris Paul. He and Giddey have accelerated the rebuild and have the Thunder giving contending teams like the Lakers and Clippers all they can handle this season.

The Ceiling: Play-In Tournament. This is as bombastic a take as one can have, but if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it all the way. If SGA makes All-NBA Second Team, Dort averages close to 20, Bazely continues to mature, and Giddey is in the running for All-Rookie team, they are in the mix for the Play-In Tournament. Seeing Presti doesn’t jump the shark and sit Derrick Favors as he did Al Horford last year to tank. But as Presti apologists know, “scared money don’t make money.”

What’s Missing: While Giddey was an absolute home run, Presti whiffed on the short arms and low ceiling of Tre Mann. Especially when Alperen Şengün was right there. OKC even had him, then traded him, ending up with Mann, who is only slightly better than Theo Maladen, but still way better than the tooth-pick-thin antics of Aleksej Pokuševski. The Thunder will regret letting Şengün go.

The Core: OG Anunoby (24), Gary Trent Jr. (22), Scottie Barnes (20), Precious Achiuwa (22), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (24)

The Case: When the Toronto Raptors passed on Jalen Suggs with the fourth pick, opting for another wing in Scottie Barnes, most NBA fans went into hyperbole mode. The pick was widely criticized across NBA circles with point guard mainstay Kyle Lowery departing for Miami — Suggs appeared the perfect heir to the throne. Plus, there were already two “better versions” of Barnes on the roster with OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. But damn if Barnes isn’t already an early candidate for Rookie of the Year. The kid looks poised and ready for the bright lights of the league and fits right alongside rising star Anunoby. Anunoby has become the focal point of Toronto’s offense with Siakam sidelined indefinitely. Who expected him to average 20 ppg this early in his career? These two-way wings blitzkrieg opponents with their combination of IQ, athleticism, and speed, allowing sharpshooters like Gary Trent Jr. to be left wide open on the perimeter. And Toronto shrewdly snagged second-year player Precious Achiuwa from Miami in the Lowrey deal. Achiuwa brings high character and an endless motor off the bench, fitting in perfectly with the culture Nick Nurse has developed since their 2019 NBA Championship.

The Ceiling: First Round Exit. The jury is out on Siakam as a true first option or even culture fit with his past skirmishes with head coach Nurse. With Barnes and Anunoby waiting on the wings (literally) they could opt to trade him for a proper big and rejoin the playoff ranks.

What’s Missing: As mentioned above, they need a true center who can pass from the top of the key to cutting slashers and hit the occasional three. They have little to no rim protection up front, but might be able to find it if Siakam becomes expendable. Adding another defensive-minded guard to play alongside Fred Van Fleet would be nice since they passed on Suggs.

The Core: Ja Morant (22), Desmond Bane (23), Jaren Jackson Jr. (22), De’Anthony Melton (23), Dillon Brooks (25)

The Case: Along with Atlanta, the Grizzlies are in a class of their own as a team built around an over-achieving young core capable of making the playoffs. This group is led by the future Most Improved Player of the Year, Ja Morant. Morant is a smaller Russell Westbrook, a faster Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a younger Dame Lilliard. The kid is the future of the NBA at the point and has galvanized not only a young core, but an overall young team into the playoffs in just his second year in the league last season. Right there with him is Jaren Jackson Jr. now finally healthy, and starting to show the kind of elite perimeter talent he can be. Jackson only played 11 games last year but has bounced back this season shooting 35 percent from three, 5 rpg and almost 2 blocks per. He has a ways to go in improving his field-goal efficiency (.45 percent) but at 6-foot-8 with handle and an improving three ball, he is the perfect frontcourt complement to Morant. Speaking of compliment, Desmond Bane is the kind of two-way dawg who will do everything asked of him and more. Every single team who picked before the Grizzlies at No. 30 in last year’s draft is kicking itself at letting this future star go. In his second season, Bane is already dropping 18 ppg and shooting 43 percent from three. His upper body strength allows him to guard four positions while elite conditioning allows him to go hard for the 30 minutes a game he is currently averaging.

The Ceiling: Second Round Playoff Series. This depends mostly on Jackson. If he can stay healthy, the Grizzlies have three offensive dynamos to throw at defenses that command double teams and allow for wide-open knockdowns from above-average supporting cast members. Nobody wants to face an 8th-seed Memphis team in the first round.

What’s Missing: A true second star. That could eventually come from growth by Bane or Jackson Jr., or via a trade. Either way, Morant eventually will need another guy to help carry the load, preferably up front to maximize his pick-and-roll efficiency.

The Core: Trae Young (23), John Collins (24), De’Andre Hunter (23), Cam Reddish (22), Kevin Huerter (23)

The Case: Not only do the Hawks have the best all-around young core, but they have exceeded expectations more than any other group. By reaching the Eastern Conference finals last year, they showed they could muster up a better defensive outing in the playoffs than they did in the regular season. We saw them shut down the Knicks’ Julius Randle in the first round and subsequently ousted what would be the final time Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons paired up for a playoff push in the postseason. The star of this group is undoubtedly Young, with his elite playmaking ability coupled with a shooting prowess second only to Steph Curry’s, the diminutive guard makes his teammates better and has been a vocal leader on-and-off the court. Behind him on the list is John Collins, who just signed a max-contract extension this summer for five years and $125 million. Collins is a stretch big who is above average on both ends of the floor but is better suited as a third option. He has yet to show he can take over games or carry the offensive load, only averaging above 20 ppg once in his five seasons. The true gem here is a pair of two-way wings in Reddish and Hunter who have the potential to be better than Collins. Both have floor spacing potential and high athleticism to make them rim running counterpoints to Young’s open-court playmaking. If one — or both — of these players can take the next step, the Hawks can be right back in the Conference Final with even more weapons than last year.

The Ceiling: NBA Finals. Again, it will take consistency from Collins and an evolution from either Reddish or Hunter to give the Hawks a bonafide scorer next to Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic for a true Big Three perimeter attack.

What’s Missing: Hawks are two deep at every position, but they could use a younger, bigger, more slashing point guard backup behind Young. And if this truly is Lou Williams’ last year, the Hawks will either need rookie Sharife Cooper to find his confidence and develop a shot or use their depth to trade for a bigger backup at the point.