One Player About To Break Out From EVERY NBA Team This Season

No two NBA seasons ever play out the same way, because naturally every season has players develop more, add more to their games, or on the flip side, some top dogs are gradually regressing with age. Players are coming out of nowhere, breaking out, and changing the landscape of the game every single season. And all of that brings us to the topic of today's video. Today we will be going through all 30 NBA teams, and we will be picking out the player that we believe is set to break out in a big way this upcoming season, whether it be a player on the verge of stardom, solidifying himself as a star, a decent role player becoming a very good one with more consistency, or a player coming out of nowhere to prove to just be useful in a rotation at all. Now with all of that being said, let's dive right in. Starting in the east, then making our way through the west, first up is the Atlanta Hawks, and the player that will break out for them this season is Aaron Wiggins. Aaron Wiggins was one of Oklahoma City's most explosive scoring talents off the bench, but the Thunder have built such a deep roster with so many mouths to feed that it feels like we've only gotten a taste of what Wiggins is capable of, and when he has had to fill in for others due to injury for instance, he's always elevated his game. Now in a Hawks rotation, in way more need of secondary scoring options, he is primed for a bigger role which should easily see a career year come out of him. Next is the Boston Celtics, and the player that will break out for them this season is Baylor Shireman. Shireman was a late first round pick for them two years ago, and in his first two seasons, he's been brought along slowly which is a common theme for young Celtics players in recent years. Nemeus Keita barely played at all in his first few seasons with the Celtics, then emerged as a highly capable starting center last year, and this year I think Shireman will have a similar kind of breakout and fill their open starting shooting guard position as a 40% shooter from three, with some useful secondary playmaking skills and overall creativity. Next is the Brooklyn Nets, and their breakout player will be Yegor Djomin. Djomin's rookie season, like most rookie seasons for guards, was pretty up and down, but he flashed more than enough to be excited about what he could be down the line. His three point shooting was way better than advertised, and with a year under his belt and strong showing in summer league, he's carrying a lot of confidence into this upcoming season. He was drafted to be more of a tall playmaking guard anyway, which could shine more this year, and putting all of it together would make him a very strong two-way player in their backcourt. Next is the Charlotte Hornets, and their breakout player will be Moussa Diabate. Diabate already somewhat broke out last season, but his emergence was really only truly over the course of the second half of the season, so now he's entering a year where he'll be the full-time starting center, so he's poised to increase his production from start to finish. I truly believe he can average double-double this year as a beast on the glass, especially on the offensive glass, while also being incredibly quick-footed and athletic, throwing down lobs, and protecting the rim at a high level as a defender too. Next is the Chicago Bulls, and their breakout player will be Matas Bouzelis. Bouzelis has been an exciting prospect for the Bulls since he was drafted in 2024, and now going into year three, it's time for him to start taking the leap on a more consistent basis, having shown a ton of flashes of potential stardom already to this point. Bouzelis is a six-foot-ten shot-creating wing with a tight guard-like handle, unbelievable finishing skills and touch around the basket, sneaky bounce, and the key to unlocking all of it more regularly is if he can knock down threes more consistently. Next is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and their breakout player will be Tyrese Proctor. The Cavs have a star-studded backcourt in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, but behind them there is an opening up for grabs for the backup point guard spot that I believe Proctor will take a hold of when the season begins. After being a second-round pick out of Duke last year, he only saw minutes sparingly throughout the season, but when he did get run, he showed a level of poise and quiet confidence that should excite you when you see it in a young guy like him. His game's not flashy, but he's a ready and willing three-point shooter who is fundamentally sound and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, so running the second unit will be a role that I believe he can do well in. Next is the Detroit Pistons, and the player I believe will break out for them is Asar Thompson. Of course, Thompson has already emerged as one of the best defensive talents in the entire NBA, and in that regard he is a dominant weapon in Detroit's lineup, but he still has a lot of room to grow on the offensive side of the ball, and this season I do foresee progress being made in that regard. He averaged about 10 points and three assists per game last year while hardly taking any jumpers at all. If he can even get a little bit of confidence in his jump shot and make defenses respect him more, it would open things up a ton for him and the team, and his scoring output could end up somewhere in the 15-point-per-game range instead of just 10. Next is the Indiana Pacers, and their breakout player will be Andrew Nembhard. Now, Nembhard is coming off of what was easily the best year of his career already, meaning he technically already broke out, but putting up inflated stats while your team is near last place in the standings is not the same as breaking out and actually contributing to wins. With the Pacers expected to be back in the mix this year at the top, I firmly believe Nembhard's improvement as a scorer and playmaker can carry over next to Tyrese Halliburton, which will give some legitimacy to that breakout. Next is the Miami Heat, and their breakout player will be Pel Larson. Larson is I could genuinely see contending for the Most Improved Player award next season, and he feels like one of the best-kept secrets at the moment in the league that probably won't be a secret much longer. Larson is such a well-rounded guard talent who is growing in confidence on the ball and does a very good job putting pressure on the rim. He's a really good defender, a smart decision maker, a shifty on-ball creator, and if he can improve his 3-point efficiency to get closer to league average, his scoring output could jump a ton because the Heat are going to need him, with their backcourt depth this year currently being a bit thin. Next is the Milwaukee Bucks, and their breakout player will be Kalel Ware. Ware may be starting the season as Miles Turner's backup center, but I don't foresee that being the case that long. With the Bucks shifting into a rebuild, Ware is one of the most talented young players with athletic rim-running ability, aggressive rebounding instincts, and even an efficient 3-point shot, and his development is vital to this team's long-term future, so giving him the green light as soon as possible is very much in their best interest. Next is the New York Knicks, and their breakout player will be Mohamed Diawara. The defending champions admittedly have a rotation that's pretty set in stone, so it's hard to see any major changes happening, but Diawara is the one player who has some upside that could be tapped into under the right circumstances. He's a 21-year-old very raw talent, but last season he had a few flashes as a long 6'9 disruptor who confidently launches up threes when he's open, and with that kind of size and playstyle, his ability to be a high-end 3nd player down the line will give them reason to at least give him more looks this season. Next is the Orlando Magic, and their breakout player will be Jace Richardson. The Magic are a team that desperately need an injection of creativity and playmaking into their offense, and they didn't go about finding any of it in the offseason, so internal improvement will be where it could come from. Richardson didn't really play much at all as a rookie, but he was their late first round pick in 2025 because of his potential as an on-ball creator with a shifty handle and ability to create from all three levels. As a rookie, I understand a playoff caliber team not fully trusting him, but now in he needs to be let off the leash more for their own good. Next is the Philadelphia 76ers, and their breakout player will be Adem Bona. The Sixers are now a star-studded roster, so emergencies will have to come on the margins. The backup center spot behind Joel Embiid is always very important due to his health history, and Adem Bona has been growing slowly over the last two seasons to assume that role. Bona already has elite shot-blocking instincts, ranking amongst the best in the NBA in blocks on a permanent basis. He just desperately needs to be a more disciplined defender overall, and he needs to reduce the amount of fouls that he commits, which comes with time. Next is the Toronto Raptors, and their breakout player will be Colin Murray-Boyles. CMB had a great rookie season last year, and this year, I believe his role will expand even more. He averaged about 8 points and 5 rebounds per game last season, and this year, if Yaka Purtle's back issues continue to persist, his minutes, role, and usage could all be in for a major uptick, which I believe will naturally result in a breakout for Murray-Boyles purely because of how good he already is on both ends of the floor. So more usage means more production. Next is the Washington Wizards, and their breakout player will be Trey Johnson. The Wizards will be looking to emerge out of the basement of the standings, and while new stars like Trey Young and Anthony Davis will be leading the way, I believe a player like Trey Johnson will tremendously benefit from playing with a playmaker like Trey Young. Trey Johnson can be an absolute lights-out shooter when he gets going, and even though his efficiency numbers were pretty mediocre as a rookie, that's the case for pretty much every rookie guard. Trey Young sets his shooters up as well as anybody, and with that, plus natural improvement from year 1 to year 2, Trey Johnson is in for a big season. Now over to the teams in the West, next up is the Dallas Mavericks, and their breakout player will be Max Christie. Christie has been a player that has steadily improved in each of his first 4 seasons, and as that trust has grown between him, his teammates, and his coaches, he's been involved more and more in the offense. He's a shooting guard with great size for the position, he competes on defense, he was just a 40% shooter from 3, and he operates very well off the ball finding openings to get his shot off without needing the ball in his hands to be effective. He'll likely be Dallas' starting shooting guard this year, and I foresee an even better career high season coming from him. Next is the Denver Nuggets, and their breakout player will be Spencer Jones. Jones began to carve out a role in Denver's rotation last year, especially with Aaron Gordon out injured for quite a while, and while his numbers don't necessarily jump off the page, the tape showed a quality role player in the making at the power forward position. He stays ready as a spot up shooter, he's an active cutter, he's very efficient, and he doesn't try to do too much. With a lot of Denver's bench unit from last season leaving in free agency, he is going to see a way bigger role come his way this year, and I think he'll do well with the opportunity. Next is the Golden State Warriors, and their breakout player will be G. Santos. Santos is another player whose breakout can come simply by being afforded more opportunity this season. Last year, he solidified his spot in the team's rotation for the first time consistently in his three-year career, and now he's carrying a lot of momentum into this season as a well-rounded two-way role player who can do a little bit of everything for them. Next is the Houston Rockets, and their breakout player will be Amen Thompson. Now obviously, Amen Thompson has already broken out in a traditional sense, but I believe we may see him take the leap to all-star status next season, putting together an incredible year. The key to taking his offensive output to the next level is improving as a shooter, and reports indicate that that has been a major focus for him this offseason. So if he can become anything close to even an average shooter, he would easily average over 20 points per game, with him already being one of the biggest transition threats and lethal slashers getting to the rim already. Next is the Los Angeles Clippers, and their breakout player will be Yannick Niederhauser. The Clippers are in hot water, so finding future young talent will be tough to come by, meaning the ones they do have should start to become more of the focus. Niederhauser was a first-round pick last year, and Brook Lopez is starting to look very washed up at the center position, so I anticipate that we could see him overtake Lopez for the starting center spot at some point this year. Next is the Los Angeles Lakers, and their breakout player will be Walker Kessler. Any of you who have been consistently watching my videos throughout the summer know how high I am on Kessler, and regarding this topic of the video, I truly believe that as long as he stays healthy, he will be in for a career year. He was already emerging as a top 5 shot blocker and rebounder in the NBA while he was in Utah, and now that he's playing alongside Luka Doncic, who has made life for every center that he's played with on offense much easier, I think a career high in scoring will come rather easily for Kessler. Next is the Memphis Grizzlies, and their breakout player will be Taylor Hendricks. Hendricks was a lottery pick in 2023, whose career has gotten off to a slow start largely due to injury. The appeal with him as a prospect was that he had all of the makings of the perfect 3&D wing with great size and length, useful athleticism, and a smooth shooting stroke while he was in college. Things may not have worked out in his time on the Utah Jazz, but after they traded him to Memphis last year, he began to start putting it all together and got hot to end the season once he got healthy. So now he's coming into the new year healthy, and I do believe he can become the talent that he was meant to be. Next is the Minnesota Timberwolves, and their breakout player will be Terrence Shannon. The Wolves bench has gotten a bit more thin this year, but they still feel content with what they have because of their belief in Shannon's growth as a player. Shannon was drafted because he is a scoring threat from all three levels. Through two seasons in the NBA, he hasn't necessarily been able to carve out much of a consistent role, but he has been steadily improving as a defender, and his effort in the minutes that he has gotten has helped me foresee that that will be rewarded this year. When the Wolves were resting their starters before the playoffs last season, Shannon got a lot of run in those final three regular season games, and in those games, he scored 33 points, 23 points, and 26 points. So now with him about to step into more minutes, I think he'll be able to showcase that scoring talent a lot more often. Next is the New Orleans Pelicans, and their breakout player will be Jeremiah Fears. Fears is oozing in raw talent that can explode at any time. He had a pretty standard rookie season for a player with his type of upside where the numbers looked good on paper, the efficiency left a bit to be desired, and mistakes like committing too many turnovers and trying to do too much at times were prevalent throughout the season. None of that changes the fact that he is one of the most creative playmakers in the game with a level of daringness and ability to make passes and take shots that others aren't even capable of attempting, and with a year now under his belt, I expect the efficiency and those turnover struggles to improve, resulting in the best parts of his game being able to flourish more often. Next is the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their breakout player will be Jared McCain. McCain's career was looking like it was about to be off to a flying start as a rookie, when he was the early leader in the rookie of the year race, but then a knee injury set him back. Last season, the 76ers inexplicably gave up on him shortly after his return from that injury, while he was still working his way back into form, and after his arrival on the Thunder, he began to look like his old self again. Now that he's almost two years removed from that injury, he is set to be heavily involved in the Thunder's rotation from the beginning, and I legitimately believe he has the tools to be one of the best shooters and secondary playmakers in the league. Next is the Phoenix Suns, and their breakout player will be Kamon Malowatch. Malowatch was a lottery pick in last year's draft, who the Suns barely gave any playing to last season in order to focus on developing him behind the scenes, because admittedly, he was a very raw talent. This year should be a different story, with the backup center role now being his, and after an incredible showing in Summer League this summer, I think he will be reminding everybody why there was so much hype around him a year ago. Next is the Portland Trailblazers, and their breakout player will be Scoot Henderson. Scoot Henderson, to put it simply, has just not come close to living up to the hype since he was drafted number two overall, behind Victor Wembenyama. He was hyped up as a prospect similar to the likes of Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Russell Westbrook, but he has not shown that level of burst and explosiveness, and his production really hasn't improved through three seasons. Still though, I do believe he has more to offer, and after he dropped 31 points in a playoff game this year, becoming the youngest player in Trailblazers history to do so, this is where he finally takes a leap. Next is the Sacramento Kings, and their breakout player will be Keegan Murray. Murray's career has been trending in the wrong direction ever since his rookie year, shooting the ball worse and worse every season. He's also, strangely enough, improved more and more as a defender over that time though. I truly believe he is a better shooter than what he's shown over the last couple of seasons, and this year, when the Kings are completely counted out and there's no pressure, it could be setting up nicely for the bounceback season that he needs. Next is the San Antonio Spurs, and their breakout player will be Carter Bryant. Bryant was the team's other lottery selection from last year's draft along with Dylan Harper, but his role fluctuated a ton due to him going through a lot of rookie growing pains. He proved he can already be a high-end perimeter defender despite being so young. All he needs is to settle in as a reliable spot-up shooter, and he can be one of the best role players on this roster next year. And finally, last up is the Utah Jazz, and their breakout player will be Ace Bailey. Of everyone on the team, Bailey's breakout, like a few others we've discussed today, will come as a natural level of improvement that players see from year one to year two. As a tall shot maker from all three levels with a quick release off the catch and active off-ball movement, Bailey will be an explosive scorer whose efficiency I would expect to see improve with a year of experience under his belt. And with that being said, that's all I have for you today. Make sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and comment down below who you think will break out this upcoming season. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you all next time.