The Golden State Warriors might have the best young core in the NBA

The Warriors have done a great job over the past decade and a half using what picks they have to draft and develop players into what they need to win.

This has not stopped over the past few seasons as they continue to grow and have built up a solid core for the future. Now, what has stopped is the lottery picks, except for the last two seasons. Players like Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole were late first-round picks.

The Golden State Warriors are fresh off of their fourth NBA championship over the past eight years, but that doesn’t mean they are done winning.

Somehow, despite winning a championship this year, they still have one of the best young cores in the league, featuring some of the NBA’s most underrated rising stars.

Jordan Poole is the centerpiece at 23 years of age and contributed heavy scoring loads on a championship team while also having plenty more upside to grow into. Poole legitimately looks like a young version of Stephen Curry at times and is starting to show the little things that make Curry special.

James Wiseman is another piece of their young core at 21 years old.

He has struggled to recover from a torn meniscus and has missed much of his first two pro seasons, but in what little time he has played, he looked like a future All-Star. He has also gained some muscle during his prolonged time off.

Jonathan Kuminga at 20 years old is the youngest player to start in an NBA playoff game, the second-youngest NBA champion ever, and has looked very similar to what Kawhi Leonard or Giannis Antetokounmpo did in their rookie campaigns.

Moses Moody also at 20 years old has had games where he’s been unstoppable, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to drop 30 points in a game. Moody also had some solid playing time during the playoffs.

This year in the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected Patrick Baldwin Jr .28th overall, one of the top recruits out of high school who was injured throughout his college season. He still has the potential to be the best player in the draft if he reaches his peak.

The Warriors also selected Ryan Rollins who is an elite scoring combo guard with plenty of potential to grow into a special player. One on one, there were very few players in the NCAA who could stop him.

It’s crazy to think how good this young core is, especially considering this team just won a championship led by an aging 34-year-old superstar. Even crazier yet is the fact that all of them complement each other perfectly with their playing styles.

This is rare chemistry that builds dynasties. The Warriors have shown that player development is a top priority for them as they have invested in developmental coaches, and we have seen players grow while in the blue and gold uniforms.

The original three members of this championship core, Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson have also all shown interest in helping the younger players develop and grow into stars as well.

In the first round, Curry was willing to come off the bench for Poole who had a great series against the Denver Nuggets, furthering the idea of being an unselfish superstar.

We have even seen all three of the Warriors’ original superstars take a lesser role in order to win in 2016 when the Warriors signed future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.

This young core has all the leadership they need to reach their full potential while also having the ability to win and gain playoff experience at the same time. If the Warriors are lucky, they may be on their way to many more parades down Market Street.