http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9549583/ranking-bottom-15-teams-based-25-talent-nba

The unintended consequence of the new collective bargaining agreement has been the emphasis on asset collection: draft picks, cap space and youth. Players under the age of 25 are coveted more than ever, mostly for their artificially low rookie-scale salaries, but also for the promise of potential yet to be realized.

During my time as an assistant director of basketball operations in the NBA, I considered it a priority to be as knowledgeable as possible about young players on rosters, particularly those in their "First Four" years in the league (you might have read about these types of players during the Vegas Summer League). The under-25 list is a bit more expansive in that it includes players well into their second contracts, but nevertheless is still a good measure of young talent on a roster.

While an inventory of talent under the age of 25 on a roster is not predictive of a franchise's future success (the quality of management decision-making, financial resources, team chemistry, coaching and, of course, luck all play major roles), you'd rather your team have the assets in hand than not have them, all else being equal.

Given the select nature of those players eligible for an under-25 team ranking, here's an overview of guidelines and some brief rules of thumb:

• In order to be eligible for this list, a player must be 24 years or younger (born on or after Aug. 8, 1988).

• Teams with established superstars get an edge, because there is a greater likelihood of a return on their investment, over teams with multiple "solid" talents (as the adage goes, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.") However, teams with a lot of bushes (a full cupboard of solid talents) may trump teams with a solitary star.

• Added consideration was given to players who made last season's top 25 under 25 list or next 10 list.

• Players considered were only those expected to be on a 2013-14 roster (i.e. no Nikola Mirotic for Chicago, Raul Neto for Utah, etc.).

With the ground rules established, here's our ranking of the bottom 15 teams, those ranked Nos. 16-30, in the league based on under-25 talent. Note that player ages are indicated in parentheses. (To view the top 15 rankings, click here.)



16. Toronto Raptors
Players: Quincy Acy (22), Dwight Buycks (24), DeMar DeRozan (24), Terrence Ross (22), Jonas Valanciunas (21)

One of the absolute stars of Summer League this year was Valanciunas, who looked every bit the part of a player who was too good to be in Vegas. Last season, he was quietly productive in Toronto despite erratic minutes but will be a major part of any Raptors success moving forward. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ross struggled mightily in Vegas, looking tentative and unsure. He's got plenty of talent as an athletic, shooting wing, but he needs to find his game if he's to develop any further. Ideally, Ross can look up to DeRozan, who similarly had a rocky start before finding his footing.




17. Orlando Magic
Players: Maurice Harkless (20), Tobias Harris (21), Doron Lamb (21), E'Twaun Moore (24), Andrew Nicholson (23), Kyle O'Quinn (23), Victor Oladipo (21), Romero Osby (23), Nikola Vucevic (22)

The Magic don't have any birds in hand, so they decided to plant an orchard of bushes. Vucevic was unexpectedly the best center to come out of the Dwight Howard-Andrew Bynum trade last summer, providing finishes out of the pick-and-roll and solid rebounding on both ends. Orlando has other promising young talent: Harris blossomed after being acquired midseason from Milwaukee; Nicholson has shown promise as a post scorer who can also step out and shoot the medium-range jumper; and Harkless has the potential to be a do-it-all wing player. The addition of Oladipo via the draft brings someone who can set the culture and tone for Orlando's future.



18. Phoenix Suns
Players: Michael Beasley (24), Eric Bledsoe (23), Archie Goodwin (18), Malcolm Lee (23), Alex Len (20), Kendall Marshall (21), Markieff Morris (23), Marcus Morris (23), Miles Plumlee (24)

Acquiring Bledsoe greatly boosted Phoenix's youth corps, who until that point were a roster of bench contributors. He brings elite athleticism at the point guard position, although now he'll have to adjust to playing more minutes at the other guard spot (he'll share point guard duties with incumbent Goran Dragic). The Morris twins both have the potential to be productive players, albeit at the same position: power forward (I'm not sold on Marcus as a full-time 3). Marshall is fighting for his NBA life at this stage, and it doesn't help that the Suns are well stocked at point guard. In terms of draft talent, Len has the potential to be a skilled big on the block who can pop out for the jumper, but the real gem was Goodwin, an athletic freak who, at 18, was one of the youngest players in the draft.



19. Philadelphia 76ers
Players: Lavoy Allen (24), James Anderson (24), Michael Carter-Williams (21), Justin Holiday (24), Arsalan Kazemi (23), Arnett Moultrie (22), Nerlens Noel (19), Tim Ohlbrecht (24), Evan Turner (24), Royce White (22)

Philadelphia forged full speed into tank mode with their draft-day trade of Jrue Holiday to New Orleans, leaving Turner as the sole vet under 25 on the roster with the opportunity to become something special. Rather, the Sixers have put their eggs into the rookie basket, banking on Carter-Williams to develop into a unique talent as an oversized point guard and Noel to become a defensive game-changer. I'm not as sold on Noel as I am on Carter-Williams, which deflated Philly's ranking on this list.



20. Atlanta Hawks
Players: Jared Cunningham (22), John Jenkins (22), Shelvin Mack (23), Mike Muscala (22), Lucas Nogueira (21), Dennis Schroeder (19)

Of the young vets on Atlanta's roster, Jenkins is the only one with a discernible NBA skill (as a shooter). Cunningham has some potential as a defensive option in the backcourt, but he's a long way from being offensively competent. The Hawks' potential comes in the form of their three draftees: Schroeder is a crafty point guard with excellent speed; Nogueira is a long, athletic big whose game (and confidence) has improved by strides in the past few years; and Muscala has a lot of potential as a pick-and-pop big who can also do damage on the block.



21. Boston Celtics
Players: Avery Bradley (22), MarShon Brooks (24), Jordan Crawford (24), Colton Iverson (24), Fab Melo (23), Kelly Olynyk (22), Phil Pressey (22), Jared Sullinger (21)

Another orchard of bushes with no birds in hand. The closest thing Boston has to a sure thing is Bradley, who has developed into one of the top defensive guards in the game but leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive end. There are no sure things elsewhere: Brooks and Crawford are both volume scorers who inefficiently fill it up off the bench; Sullinger is a solid complementary big as a high basketball IQ skill player, but lacks the athleticism to be anything more; Melo is extremely raw and might never develop into anything more meaningful than a Steven Hunter-type of player. Of the rookies, Olynyk has a shot at becoming something special if he can translate his game to the NBA, while Pressey and Iverson project to be serviceable backups.



22. Denver Nuggets
Players: Kenneth Faried (23), Evan Fournier (20), Danilo Gallinari (24), Jordan Hamilton (22), J.J. Hickson (24), Quincy Miller (20), Anthony Randolph (24)

The Nuggets are the lowest-ranked team who had multiple players on our January ranking lists and for good reason: Gallinari's devastating knee injury gives me pause over his projected development as a lead scorer, and I believe Faried is pretty much exactly who he's going to be for most of his career (a high-energy, low-skill big with athleticism). Hickson similarly seems to have peaked and might actually come down from last year's career numbers. Fournier, Miller and Hamilton are all scoring wings with some room for improvement, but all are incomplete players for a variety of reasons. Randolph is still the biggest tease in the league from a potential-versus-production standpoint.



23. Milwaukee Bucks
Players: Giannis Antetokounmpo (18), John Henson (22), Brandon Knight (21), Khris Middleton (21), Larry Sanders (24), Nate Wolters (22)

Despite the improvements shown last season, I still have serious doubts about Sanders improving his game beyond what it is; in fact, I'm much more bullish on Henson's potential as a player. Knight is probably a high-level backup at best. Wolters and Antetokounmpo are both underrated draft pickups who are probably several years from contributing.



24. Memphis Grizzlies
Players: Jerryd Bayless (24), Ed Davis (24), Jamaal Franklin (22), Kosta Koufos (24), Jon Leuer (24), Willie Reed (23), Tony Wroten (20)

Davis has All-Star potential as he continues to develop his game, but won't get much of an opportunity to showcase it as long as Zach Randolph is on the roster. Koufos was one of the most underrated pickups of the offseason, but he is who he is: a solid backup center who can start in a pinch. Bayless has finally settled into his optimal role, as a scoring guard off the bench. Wroten has incredible potential, but I don't see him reaching it.



25. San Antonio Spurs
Players: Cory Joseph (21), Kawhi Leonard (22), Patty Mills (24), Deshaun Thomas (21)

Outside of Leonard, who had an outstanding sophomore season capped by a successful playoff run, the Spurs cupboard is bare; Joseph plays hard but isn't very talented, Mills is a third-string point guard and Thomas is a rookie without a clear position.



26. New York Knicks
Players: Tim Hardaway Jr (21), C.J. Leslie (22), Iman Shumpert (23), Jeremy Tyler (22)

Shumpert is developing into what I always thought he'd be: a high-level defender with an improved 3-point shot (and not a point guard). Like Bradley in Boston, he's a nice piece to have but is not going to move the needle from a star-level talent standpoint. Rookies Hardaway and Leslie both project to be contributing role players, but you aren't making either of them cornerstones of your franchise.



27. Brooklyn Nets
Players: Mason Plumlee (23), Tornike Shengelia (21), Tyshawn Taylor (23),

Brooklyn made it clear with its offseason decisions that the focus is to win now, and it mortgaged its future to that end. Shengelia is an interesting prospect as a big wing, but it remains to be seen if he'll want to stick around Brooklyn much longer as a player nailed to the bench. Plumlee also has some promise as a rebounder and pick-and-roll target, but not much else.



28. Miami Heat
Players: Norris Cole (24), James Ennis (23)

The Miami Heat are firmly entrenched in the golden age of their franchise, and every resource is devoted to competing for a championship now. Given their track record, it's easy to forgive them for being shortsighted. Cole is a solid backup point guard as a one-on-one defender and 3-point threat. If Ennis can make the roster, he might be able to eventually develop into a 3-and-D wing who can contribute.



29. Dallas Mavericks
Players: Jae Crowder (23), Shane Larkin (20), Ricky Ledo (20)

Unlike many of the other teams lacking youth on this list, the Mavericks are not close to competing for a championship, making their current predicament a little inexcusable. Crowder might be a 3-and-D candidate, but he's a long way away from the "3" part of that. Larkin is a spark-plug point guard, but I don't envision him being better than a high-level backup. Lastly, Ledo is a volatile player with a lot of talent, but also has a lot self-constructed obstacles that will probably prevent him from realizing it.



30. Los Angeles Lakers
Players: Ryan Kelly (22), Robert Sacre (24)

Bringing up the rear are the Lakers with almost nothing to show for their quest to remain contenders. They are a borderline lottery team with nothing worth mentioning in their pipeline. Of course, part of this is by design, to ensure the minimum amount of committed salaries for the 2014 offseason. Still, it's tough to look at that list and feel good about the future.

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I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...