You need battle scars to win titles. That’s the saying we always heard and passed down from generation to generation. Jordan needed to get over the Pistons to learn how to win or LeBron needed to learn how to defeat Boston to climb the mountain of winning a championship.
It sounds nice and probably is true that your team needs to go through playoff wars to gain that level of experience to know how to overcome and win. Though this season might truly test that theory as 3 teams currently in the top 10 of best record in the entire league are also some of the youngest team in the league.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Average Age 25
Your current #1 seed in the west isn’t the defending champion Denver Nuggets or the In Season Tournament champion Los Angeles Lakers. No, it’s the team that just 6 months ago was viewed as a completely dysfunctional organization. They made one of the most head scratching trade of the 21st century in trading 5 first round draft picks and 4 players for Rudy Gobert. Last season was an utter disappointment to be kind as they dealt with internal and on court fighting while barely squeaking into the playoffs.
This offseason experts were predicting that Anthony Edwards would become the next angry young star to demand his way out. Yet despite the noise from the outside, the young Wolves team came together and shot out like a cannon this season. Edwards is a legitimate MVP candidate and establishing himself as the next young superstar in the league. Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have fixed the issues of them being on the court together and have become one of the most dominate front lines in all of basketball.
Uniting Together
Yet despite the noise from the outside, the young Wolves team came together and shot out like a cannon this season. Edwards is a legitimate MVP candidate and establishing himself as the next young superstar in the league. Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have fixed the issues of them being on the court together and have become one of the most dominate front lines in all of basketball.
Defensive Wins Championships
Traditionally young teams with success generally do it on the offensive end. But this Minnesota team is by far the best defensive team in the entire league, suffocating their opponents on the perimeter and making it almost impossible to get easy looks near the basket. They are the most equipped team in the western conference to face off against Denver. The size of Gobert, Towns and Reed can at least make Jokic work on both ends, plus the elite scoring and playmaking Edwards can have on the series has truly put Minnesota in the title contention conversation. If they continue to play at this level, they will have a run similar to the great Oklahoma City Thunder team of 2012 where they shocked the world and made it to the Finals behind the young elite core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Average Age: 24
And speaking of Oklahoma City, they have raised a lot of eye brows with how well they have been playing this year. We all knew after making First Team All-NBA last season that SGA was only going to get better. But the emergence of last years NBA draft class of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams has what truly separated the Thunder this season.
Size Does Matter
They are one of the longest and tallest teams in the entire league, and you see it on a nightly basis with how many steals and deflections they get routinely. SGA unique play style along with his size made him lead the league last year in points in the paint and is in the top 3 again this season. Then when you add a 7’0 foot guard in Chet Holmgren that has true instincts to be a playmaker and block shots. Has made the two of them for the Thunder the most versatile and unique dynamic duo in the entire league.
Where’s The Beef?
Now despite being the second youngest team in the league, they have a superstar in SGA, a rising star in Holmgren and a great core of complementary pieces in Giddy, Dort and the Williams. Though the only roadblock truly for the Thunder and why they are not ahead of Minnesota, is because they need more beef on their front line. As great as Holmgren and the Williams are for OKC, when they go up against teams with real size like the Lakers with Anthony Davis and LeBron, Minnesota with Towns and Gobert or Denver with Jokic.
They get absolutely annihilated on the boards, putting them in foul trouble and eventually get overwhelmed where they are playing in catch mode the entire game. If they had a guy like Brooke Lopez or Jonas Valanciunas on this team to solve that problem for them, then they would be easily in the conversation with Minnesota, Denver, Phoenix and the Lakers are true contenders to come out of the West.
Orlando Magic: Average Age 24
We’re in the spirit of the holiday season and nothing brings people in the Christmas spirit more than Christmas movies, because they bring joy, happiness and magic to the screen. And that’s exactly what the Orlando Magic have done for their fans this season. After being in NBA purgatory since trading away Dwight Howard in 2012. The magic have finally seem to hit homeruns on their recent draft picks of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, to truly have foundational pieces to build for a brighter future.
There’s No Place Like Home
Orlando has truly made the Magic Kingdom into a home court advantage this season. They are currently 11-3 at home and averaging 119 points which would be currently 6th in the entire league. Also there shooting makes a jump at home compare too on the road where they are a 50%/36% split at home compared to 44%/31% on the road. Now that’s expected for the 5th youngest team in the league. To go through the natural highs and lows of what young teams do, but unlike young teams such as the San Antonio Spurs or Detroit Pistons. The Magic are able to close out these games because they have two versatile all around forwards that can finish games for them.
Enjoying The Ride
This is like the underground artist or band that you know is about to hit it big in 2 years but you found before everyone else did. Over the next few years Magic fans will start to have expectations of winning multiple playoff rounds and becoming a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. But this season a lot like the Sacramento Kings last year, it’s more about enjoying the ride of feeling winning and success of finally making the playoffs. And anything after that is just whip cream on a delicious cake.
Being a fan of a young team is a lot like parenting a 10-year-old child. Where you are just excited to see them grow and starting to show off their personality a little bit. Yeah sure they are going to make mistakes but you won’t be as mad cause you understand that this is part of the process. So if you’re a fan of the Timberwolves, Thunder or Magic, enjoy the ride of what this season is because starting next season you’re going to be expecting them to learn how to drive which might result in a lot of sleepless nights and paying more for insurance.
