NBA Talent Rankings: How the Timberwolves stack up against other young teams (Part One)

10. Cleveland Cavaliers

Star Power: Kyrie Irving

Notables: Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson,

Hangin’ Around: Matt Dellevedova, Joe Harris

The Cavs break the top ten, barely beating out talented squads like the Detroit Pistons and the Golden State Warriors, in large part because of the contributions of All-Star game MVP, Kyrie Irving. (Remember, LeBron James and Kevin Love don’t count for these rankings.) Irving is one of the most talented players in the entire league, and at 22 he still has tons of time to further develop his skills before reaching his prime.

Last season Kyrie put up almost 21 points and over 6 assists per contest, but his offensive game goes beyond the numbers. He’s incredibly smooth with the ball in his hands. He can score from anywhere, and with his yo-yo handle he gets to basket whenever he wants to. Simply put, he gets buckets.

But the talent doesn’t begin and end with Uncle Drew. Dion Waiters (22) and Tristan Thompson (23) each add depth to Cleveland’s young core. Waiters, though inconsistent, brings star potential to a team already full of stars. He adds swagger, scoring, and surprising touch from distance (he shot 37% from last season).

Dion is talented enough to start, but might be better utilized as a dynamic spark plug off the bench. And Thompson, while lacking the star power of Irving and Waiters, is a starting quality big with the ability to give the Cavs a double-double on any given night (11.7 points, 9.2 boards last season).

With LeBron returning to his throne, the Cavs are obviously in win-now mode, especially with addition of Kevin Love. Yet with all the young talent on the roster, Cleveland has the chance to remain competitive for years, even after LeBron starts to decline as a player.