The Detroit Pistons finally have some exciting young talent but so does the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Many of the best under-25 players are now in the East, though the Western Conference is loaded with young talent as well.
For the purposes of ranking the teams in the East, we looked at ten teams whose core is built around young players.
Specifically, the teams we considered had a group of players 25 or younger who are the team’s core.
So the Bucks, Nets, Raptors, Magic and Wizards will not be featured on the list, as their core either doesn’t have many young players or they aren’t playing a big role with the team.
When considering these teams we looked at both their talent now as well as potential for the future.
Here are the top-10 young cores in the Eastern Conference. Where should the Detroit Pistons rank?
Detroit Pistons: Top-10 young cores in the Eastern Conference
No. 10: New York Knicks
Young Core: Obi Toppin, R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox
The Knicks finally have some young talent and are currently in the playoff picture in the East, so they have to be happy.
Of their young group, only R.J Barrett has looked to have star potential, though Obi Toppin could be very solid as well.
Immanuel Quickley has been a nice find and looks like a player.
There might not be a superstar in this group but it is solid and something to build around, which the Knicks have not been able to say for a long time.
Best young cores in the Eastern Conference: Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls
No. 9: Detroit Pistons
Young Core: Killian Hayes, Sekou Doumbouya, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Josh Jackson, Svi Mykhailiuk, Deividas Sirvydis
This might be high or low depending on how you feel about Killian Hayes and Sekou Doumbouya.
Bey and Stewart already look to be at least can’t-miss role players in the NBA and could be much more.
Mykhailiuk will be a shooter off of someone’s bench eventually and the Pistons are still high on Sirvydis, though he hasn’t played.
Hayes and Doumbouya are the wild cards, as they both have high-ceiling talent but as of now it is all potential. People who believe in this potential will rank them higher, people who don’t will have them at the bottom of the East.
If 26-year-old Jerami Grant is included then the Pistons are a few notches higher.
No. 8: Chicago Bulls
Young Core: Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter Jr., Coby White, Patrick Williams and Lauri Markkanen
It’s possible that Carter Jr. and Markkanen won’t be with the Bulls much longer but they already have a star in LaVine, a bench scorer in White and a high-ceiling prospect in Williams.
It hasn’t translated to much success but the Bulls could easily make a move that would propel them into the playoffs.
If the Bulls make the right moves over the next couple of seasons then they could finally turn things around in Chicago.
Best young cores in the Eastern Conference: Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers
No.7: Charlotte Hornets
Young Core: LaMelo Ball, Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Malik Monk, Jalen McDaniels and Vernon Carey Jr.
The Hornets have assembled a really nice young group of players, but outside of LaMelo, none of them really look like stars.
Graham, Bridges and Washington are all good players whose ceiling is likely below All-Star but are good pieces.
LaMelo is the wild card. If he develops into a superstar then this Hornets team could be good very soon, especially if they have an impact off-season.
No. 6: Indiana Pacers
Young Core: Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Aaron Holiday Cassius Stanley
I was going to put the Pacers higher, especially considering the rest of their team is pretty much the same age, as Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon and most of their other contributors are under-30.
Sabonis is one of the best under-25 players in the league, Turner has turned into a valuable rim protector and the Pacers are good now, which is more than most of the teams on this list can say.
The only problem is that most of their guys are just outside of the age range to be considered “young.”
Best young cores in the Eastern Conference: Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers
No.5: Atlanta Hawks
Young Core: Trae Young, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish and Onyeka Okongwu
Young is already a burgeoning star in the NBA and John Collins has All-Star potential. Cam Reddish is probably the wild card of this group, as he has blue-chip potential and is starting to show it.
The rest of their young guys are quality role players and Okongwu has yet to see much action, so it’s too soon to tell.
No. 4: Miami Heat
Young Core: Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Precious Achiuwa
The Heat have not been good this season but rode Jimmy Butler and their young players to the Finals last season, so the talent is there, especially if you factor in Duncan Robinson, who is only 26.
Adebayo is already an All-Star and is starting to add more shooting to his game.
Herro is a lights-out shooter who averages 17 a game in his second season and will only get better. Nunn is a solid scoring option off the bench and Precious Achiuwa is already a contributor as a rookie.
Best young cores in the Eastern Conference: Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers
No. 3: Cleveland Cavaliers
Young Core: Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro
After some savvy wheeling and dealing and a good draft, the Cavaliers suddenly have one of the best groups of young players in the league.
The Cavs are a surprise 6th seed in the East right now behind the strong play of Sexton, Garland and rookie Isaac Okoro, who might be the best defensive player in the last draft.
Sexton is a rising star and will be in the running for Most Improved Player and all of these guys are 22-years-old or younger.
If the Cavs can get something for Andre Drummond and Kevin Love, this team could potentially be loaded with young talent.
No. 2: Philadelphia 76ers
Young Core: Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle
Obviously, the 76ers get a boost from Joel Embiid, who is 26, but one of the best players in the NBA.
Simmons is already one of the best defensive players in the NBA, a versatile All-NBA talent that you can build a team around even though he still can’t shoot.
Maxey might be one of the steals of the draft and has already flashed elite scoring ability. Shake Milton has improved this season and Matisse Thybulle is a quality wing defender.
The 76ers are the best team in the Eastern Conference and have the top-tier under-25 talent to go along with MVP candidate Embiid.
Best young cores in the Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics
No. 1: Boston Celtics
Young Core: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith
You could have stopped at the first two names, as Tatum and Brown are two of the best players in the league already.
Tatum is just 22 and Brown is 24, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a better under-25 duo in the entire NBA.
Both can score and defend and have already made Boston a perennial contender with no end in sight.
If the Celtics make the right moves around them in the next few seasons, they will have a window to a title and may win the East as soon as this year.
I hate the Celtics, so this pains me to say, but they are set up to win now and into the future.
The Detroit Pistons have a long way to go to get to the top of this list, but they at least have some foundational players in Bey and Stewart and a couple of high-ceiling prospects in Doumbouya and Hayes.
This could go a lot of ways but things are looking up for the Detroit Pistons.