The Wizards threw out a legit jaw-dropping starting lineup tonight, and it wasn’t just young by NBA standards. It was young by life standards.
Washington opened with Bub Carrington (20), Tre Johnson (19), Kyshawn George (22), Will Riley (19), and Alex Sarr (20). Two 19-year-olds. Nobody older than 22. An average age barely old enough to rent a car in theory, not practice. This wasn’t a “one young guy mixed with vets” situation. This was a full youth movement, no safety net, no adult supervision.
Whether it worked or not almost doesn’t matter. Lineups like this hit a nerve because they immediately trigger the same question across the league:
Have we ever really seen something like this before?
The answer is yes. And those moments tend to stick, for very different reasons. Some young starting fives turned into dynasties. Some became cautionary tales. Some were just unforgettable snapshots of teams deciding, all at once, to hand the keys to kids and see what happened. Tonight’s Wizards group fits squarely into that lineage, so here’s a look at some of the most memorable young starting lineups the NBA has ever rolled out.
1. The “What If” Thunder
Early 2010s Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook. James Harden. Serge Ibaka. Kendrick Perkins.
Every discussion about young lineups eventually ends up here. Four future MVPs and All-Stars, all barely old enough to legally order a drink, playing high-leverage minutes together. What made this group unforgettable wasn’t just the youth. It was how fast they stopped looking young.
They didn’t play loose or chaotic. They played like a problem. Within two seasons they were in the Finals, and the league spent the next decade trying to recreate this exact mix of timeline, talent, and fearlessness.
2. The Post-Kobe Baby Lakers
2016–17 Los Angeles Lakers
D’Angelo Russell. Jordan Clarkson. Brandon Ingram. Julius Randle. Ivica Zubac.
This was the moment the Lakers fully admitted the old era was over. Two teenagers in the starting lineup. No veterans to hide behind. No shortcuts left.
It was ugly. Turnovers piled up. Defensive rotations vanished. But it mattered because it represented a franchise finally choosing development over denial. In hindsight, this lineup feels like a weird incubator for half the league’s current stars, even if none of them peaked in purple and gold together.
3. The Timberwolves’ Athletic Gamble
2014–15 Minnesota Timberwolves
Ricky Rubio. Andrew Wiggins. Zach LaVine. Thaddeus Young. Gorgui Dieng.
Two 19-year-olds starting on the wings at the same time felt reckless then. It still kind of does now. The Wolves leaned all the way into athleticism and potential, betting that reps would sort out the rest.
The wins never followed, but the image stuck. This was a team openly developing in public, long before that became normalized. In many ways, this lineup helped soften the league to the idea that rebuilding didn’t have to be subtle.
4. The Suns’ “No Apologies” Rebuild
Early 2010s Phoenix Suns
Pick almost any night during this stretch and you’d find five starters under 25. Sometimes under 23.
Goran Dragic was the old guy. Kendall Marshall was learning on the fly. The Morris twins were figuring out who they were. The Suns weren’t pretending to compete. They were stockpiling minutes, mistakes, and patience.
These lineups didn’t win, but they changed expectations. From this point on, teams stopped hiding their timelines. Development became something you could just… do.
5. Thunder 2.0
2022–23 Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Josh Giddey. Jalen Williams. Luguentz Dort. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
This one felt different because it worked. The Thunder weren’t just young. They were organized. Disciplined. Annoying to play.
This was youth without chaos. Proof that you could be one of the youngest teams in the league and still execute, defend, and win games. If the original Thunder showed what talent looked like early, this version showed what modern development looks like when done right.
6. The Hawks Who Didn’t Know Better
2020–21 Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young. Kevin Huerter. De’Andre Hunter. John Collins. Clint Capela.
This group wasn’t historically young on paper, but it played like one. No fear. No hesitation. No memory of how things were “supposed” to go in the playoffs.
That ignorance turned into confidence, and that confidence carried them deep into May. It was a reminder that sometimes youth isn’t a disadvantage. Sometimes it’s insulation.
Why tonight’s Wizards lineup matters
Washington’s starting five tonight won’t be remembered the way these others were. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
But moments like this still matter. They’re markers of where the league is headed. Teams are younger. Timelines are shorter. Development is happening in real time, under bright lights, with no apologies.
Sometimes those lineups become dynasties. Sometimes they become trivia answers. And sometimes they just make you stop, stare, and say:
Wow. They really did that.
And that’s usually how the next era starts.
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