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Golden State Warriors young core gets eye-popping ranking

By Nathan Beighle

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Jonathan Kuminga #00 and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Kuminga slam dunked and was fouled on the play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA game at Chase Center on January 25, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Jonathan Kuminga #00 and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Kuminga slam dunked and was fouled on the play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA game at Chase Center on January 25, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors have several young prospects that they’re excited to see develop this upcoming season.

The most notable being James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, especially after the former missed all of last season. The latter didn’t have a great international debut. Both should be primed for heavy minutes in a revised role.

The Golden State Warriors have one of the best young cores in the NBA, but according to Sports Illustrated, it’s a middle-of-the-pack group of prospects.

However, they’re far from the entire group though. Jordan Poole, Moses Moody (2021 No. 14 overall pick) and Patrick Baldwin Jr. (2022 first-round pick) help put together a young core that should be the face of Golden State for years to come.

While Poole’s future, becoming a free agent next offseason, is up in the air, he still counts, especially after he’s developed into one of the best score-first guards in the NBA. Poole is just 23 years old, within the scope of player that counts within a team’s young core.

That said, Sports Illustrated ranked the best young cores in the NBA, a list topped by the Memphis Grizzlies with the Boston Celtics right behind them. The Warriors came in at No. 15, per S/I columnist Michael Shapiro.

"“Poole will earn a nine-figure contract next offseason, though it’s unclear whether that will be with Golden State. It’s also unclear which of the following trio will pop as starting-caliber players. Moody should stick in the league for years to come, while Kuminga has All-Star tools despite stretches of inconsistency. As for Wiseman, any contribution in 2022–23 should be viewed as a success,” Shapiro wrote."

Shapiro seems to take Poole’s potential exodus into question as well which is fair. However, Kuminga has a true superstar upside. Wiseman struggling to stay healthy after being the No. 2 overall pick is a tough selling point.

This ranking isn’t the most outrageous, but it does open some eyes that maybe many of these prospects, mainly Wiseman, have had their value crushed over the past few seasons. Nonetheless, many players have All-Star upsides, and they just need to get there.

Next. Top 30 Golden State Warriors players in franchise history. dark

However, the big question is if they can get there. This upcoming season should be a good gauge of where many of these young players are at.

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