Ranking Top 5 NBA Teams with the Best Shot at a Future Dynasty

When attempting to predict a future dynasty, we have to take a few factors into consideration.

Existing and potential talent needs to be spread throughout the roster, ideally in the form of players ages 25 and younger. Someone with generational talent must be present to lead the charge, a player who looks like a perennial All-Star in the making. Spreading the young talent out over multiple positions without it overlapping at any one spot is also important.

Current success has to be taken into consideration, as well. Some teams with cores of players 25 and younger have already gotten a taste of the postseason.

Finally, we have to factor in upcoming draft picks and the potential to add additional pieces via trade or in free agency.

While plenty of teams have young talent, these five stand out from the rest as they strive to become dynasties.

Focal Point: PG Ja Morant (20)

Supporting Cast: F/C Jaren Jackson Jr. (20), SG Dillon Brooks (24), PF Brandon Clarke (23), F Justise Winslow (24)

The Memphis Grizzlies still had Marc Gasol and Mike Conley just 14 months ago, yet they have already flipped their roster into one of the best young groups in the NBA.

After years of draft flops, the Grizzlies selected Jackson No. 4 overall in 2018 while picking up Morant (No. 2) and Clarke (No. 21) in 2019. Trading for De'Anthony Melton (21 years old) and signing Tyus Jones (23) last offseason has helped Morant ease into his playmaking duties, an area in which he has already excelled.

Putting Memphis ahead of other franchises with young talent like the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns comes down to winning. The Grizzlies have held strong to the eighth seed in the Western Conference and, at 32-33, are far ahead of expectations in Morant's first season.

The point guard's averages of 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 0.9 steals on 49.1 percent shooting should easily win him Rookie of the Year honors, and he's on pace to join Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson as the only rookie guards in NBA history to average at least 17 points and five assists while shooting 49.0 percent or better from the field.

While Jackson's rebounding needs improvement (8.8 total rebound percentage), the second-year big man is actually a month younger than Morant and has the skill set to become an elite scorer and defender.

Clarke's athleticism and Brooks' scoring chops help balance out the Grizzlies' versatility, and we've yet to see how Winslow (11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game with the Miami Heat) will fit in after he was acquired in a midseason trade.

While the success of the team will ultimately come down to the play of Morant and Jackson, there's plenty of talent throughout the roster that could grow into a tremendous supporting cast.

Focal Point: C Nikola Jokic (25)

Supporting Cast: PG Jamal Murray (23), PF Michael Porter Jr. (21), SG Gary Harris (25), G Monte Morris (24), Bol Bol (20)

The Denver Nuggets' core doesn't possess the depth of some other squads when it comes to young talent, but already experiencing playoff success earns them a spot on this list.

Going from 40 to 46 to 54 wins and the second seed in the West during the 2018-19 season was a good start. Being on pace for 54 and another top-three finish this campaign with just two players on the roster in their 30s (Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee) is a testament to the player development and coaching in place.

Jokic is on the precipice of becoming a perennial MVP candidate. He's the best passing big man in the NBA and has already been tested in the playoffs, averaging 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.1 steals on 50.6/39.3/84.6 shooting splits in 14 games during the 2019 postseason.

Murray has All-Star potential, especially if he can improve his outside shooting. With Jokic, he never has to be a true point guard but rather a primary scoring threat who can distribute as needed. The two-man unit of Jokic and Murray has a net rating of plus-6.8 this season, regardless of who the other three players around them have been.

The wild card for Denver's ceiling is Porter, a lottery pick in 2018 who has struggled to get consistent playing time in head coach Michael Malone's rotation.

At 6'10" and 215 pounds, he has the potential to be a force at the power forward position and is shooting 42.2 percent from three this season. Per 36 minutes, Porter is averaging 19.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in his first 48 career games. If Millsap and Jerami Grant both leave in free agency, Malone may not have any choice but to start him next season.

Harris has regressed in recent years but is still young and talented enough to be a high-level starter, and Morris is a good shooter and spark off the bench. Bol is a developmental project, but he is 7'2" with a 7'8" wingspan and can hit the three. Yet to make his NBA debut, the 2019 second-round pick is averaging 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in only 19.3 minutes per game over eight G League appearances.

Already winning a playoff series is big, but Denver won't reach its full potential until we see what Porter can become.

Focal Point: PG Luka Doncic (21)

Supporting Cast: PF Kristaps Porzingis (24), G Jalen Brunson (23)

What the Dallas Mavericks lack in quantity, they certainly make up for in quality.

Doncic is the best young player in the NBA, a second-year guard who's sixth overall in scoring (28.7 per game) and fourth in assists (8.7). Mix in 9.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, as well as a step-back three-pointer growing more unstoppable by the day, and Doncic looks poised to win at least one MVP before his career is over.

Only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook have put up at least 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists over the course of a season in NBA history, with both taking home MVP honors (Robertson with one in his four such seasons and Westbrook in his lone qualified campaign).

Porzingis is one of the most uniquely talented players in the league, a 7'3" power forward who can score from all levels. Before the NBA went on hiatus, he was up to 25.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game over his last 15 appearances. He projects as the perfect second option, able to lead the team in scoring on any given night or help facilitate for Doncic with his spacing and pick-and-pop ability.

The pair has led Dallas to a 40-27 record this season, becoming a lock to make the playoffs in the first year without franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki. By surrounding them with quality role players, the Mavericks may eventually be good enough to begin a dynasty with Doncic and Porzingis as the only true standouts.

While Brunson projects to be a good role player, the Mavericks' core is all about their star duo.

Focal Point: PG Trae Young (21)

Supporting Cast: PF John Collins (22), F Cam Reddish (20), G/F De'Andre Hunter (22), SG Kevin Huerter (21), C Clint Capela (25)

In terms of across-the-board potential, this may be the best group of young talent in the NBA.

Young is already an All-Star starter in his second season, ranking fourth in the league in scoring (29.6 points per game) and second in assists (9.3). He and Luka Doncic are the only players to rank in the top four for both categories. 

At 21, he's already assisting on more than 45 percent of his teammates' baskets when on the floor, a number only Doncic and Muggsy Bogues have reached in their first two NBA seasons.

But while Young is the headliner, there's plenty to like around him.

Collins is already up to 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in his third season, while his true shooting percentage of 65.9 percent is the third-highest among all players making at least one three-pointer per game. Huerter (6'7", 190 lbs) is similar in size to Klay Thompson (6'6", 215 lbs), and while he's nowhere near the same caliber of shooter, the second-year guard is a better passer who fits in well next to Young.

Hunter has the potential to develop into an elite multidimensional defender and competent scorer, while Reddish is a 6'8" athlete with undeniable star potential. Capela has yet to play a game for the Atlanta Hawks but is a double-double machine who should feast off lobs from Young.

While the record hasn't yet reflected the talent of this group (20-47), this could be the best team in the Eastern Conference in a few years.

Focal Point: PF Zion Williamson (19)

Supporting Cast: SF Brandon Ingram (22), PG Lonzo Ball (22), G/F Josh Hart (25), C Jaxson Hayes (19), G/F Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21)

With Williamson finally in the lineup, the New Orleans Pelicans are built to win now and for the next decade.

In their first season together, the trio of Williamson, Ingram and Ball already has a net rating of plus-17.0 in 299 total minutes while assisting on 70 percent of all baskets and pulling down 55.5 percent of available rebounds. For a group that averages 21 years in age, those are incredibly good numbers.

Williamson is just 19 games into his career and already averaging 23.6 points on 58.9 percent shooting. There's no way to tell how good he'll become this early, but the MVP skills are there.

Ingram is already an All-Star and the 13th-highest scorer in the league. He'll likely sign a max deal to return to New Orleans in restricted free agency after flashing his complete skill set this year.

Ball is getting overshadowed by his teammates but is averaging 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.3 percent from three over his last 32 games. If he can maintain those kinds of outside-shooting numbers and continue his path to becoming an elite passer and defender, he'll be the perfect third star beside Williamson and Ingram.

If Hayes can turn into a defensive force at center and Hart and Alexander-Walker help lead a strong bench, these Pelicans will quickly turn into one of the NBA's best teams.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com or Basketball Reference.