Ranking the Best Young Cores Ahead of 2025-26 NBA Season

The Core: Victor Wembanyama (22), Stephon Castle (21), Dylan Harper (19), Devin Vassell (25)

The Spurs might have landed here if its entire core was Wembanyama. Analyzing him is like taking on a dare to see how hyperbolic you’re willing to get; no projection seems too outlandish in the wake of what he’s done to this point in his career.

Wemby will be the league’s best defensive player for the foreseeable future, and he’s arguably held that status from the moment he entered the league. Everything about his profile is much harder to forecast—in a good way.

Don’t rule out a scoring average north of 30.0 points per game as he adds strength and craft while improving his shot diet and, potentially, leading the league in three-point attempts. Considering Wemby has averaged over 3.7 assists per game in each of his two seasons, he’s also a terrific bet to rate behind Nikola Jokić in the big-man passing hierarchy.

All-NBA nods are a given, as are multiple DPOY honors. As soon as this season, it might even rate as a disappointment if Wembanyama finishes outside the top five in MVP voting.

Castle and Harper are young, exciting guards with great size who both come with shooting questions. Castle possesses elite athleticism and high defensive potential, traits he flashed in winning Rookie of the Year. Harper, the No. 2 pick in 2025, is the more natural scorer and ball-handling facilitator. His feel and polish make two-way stardom easier to see than it is for Castle, whose jumper seems a longer way from reliability.

Others: Carter Bryant (20), Jeremy Sochan (22), Julian Champagnie (24)

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