The Cleveland Cavaliers have put together a solid young core in recent years. They managed to return from irrelevancy to the thick of the playoff picture this season, hoping to make noise there, behind the stellar play of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley who are both under the age of 23.
While they have been spectacular, they are not the only team being led by players in a similar age group. The Charlotte Hornets have also stayed within striking distance of the playoffs, currently sitting at ninth in the Eastern Conference.
While they may not have the storyline like Evan Mobley-Cade Cunningham, these two teams are close enough in team structure, age, and standings to create a true rivalry for the coming future.
While the Cavaliers have already found players to surround their big three and have already developed their stars into stars, the Hornets have consistently seemed like they are just one piece away from leaping up in the standings to join the Cavs and Boston Celtics.
LaMelo Ball, along with Garland, made his first All-Star Game this season. Miles Bridges was another player on the Hornets that received consideration. If Bridges would have made the team both teams would have had two All-Stars under the age of 25.
Both teams hold two of the top three favorites for the Most Improved Player award in Garland and Bridges. The other choice being Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors.
The Hornets and Cavaliers even share a common luxury in having a solid starter that they can trade without dismantling the team in Collin Sexton (if healthy) and Gordon Hayward.
To even further push the similarities between the two teams, the Hornets drafted last year’s Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball. The Cavaliers hold the current favorite to win this year’s award, Evan Mobley.
Both teams’ core has been built on a pass-first, All-Star caliber guard who can score on all three levels (Garland and Ball) next to a 6-foot-1 score-first guard who has faced a lot of doubt among fans (Sexton and Terry Rozier). A forward who can do a little bit of everything fills in the three, primarily for defensive reasons (Isaac Okoro and Hayward.)
The frontcourt of both teams have a two-way rising star that can stretch the floor but is also a lob threat, as Mobley will get there, and Lauri Markkanen is a floor spacer, and Bridges qualifies. And both have a center who is slightly limited to the paint and has had a good season defensively (Jarrett Allen and Montrezl Harrell.)
Both teams are set to make the playoffs consistently over the next five seasons.
Many of the top teams in the East are facing issues going forward as they are loaded with aging talent but lack many young stars.
The Brooklyn Nets are a prime example of this with players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin. Youngest of which is Irving at 30 years old, and Griffin is a shell of his former self.
Many other teams in the East have a similar issue, too. The Philadelphia Sixers have Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tobias Harris. The Miami Heat have Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and PJ Tucker.
All of these players will be out of their primes by the time the Cavaliers and Hornets will be ready to make the NBA Finals.
These young Hornets and Cavaliers teams can very easily be the future of the Eastern Conference, and they could definitely have a budding rivalry for years to come.