It’s that time of the year, just before the NBA season begins, when there’s never a better time to speculate player progression. No matter the case, there is always a select group of players that exceeds preseason expectations and explodes onto the scene. For NBA fans and media, there’s no better feeling than bragging about a niche player going for a career season that you predicted months in advance. A handful of players have landed in new spots, signed small deals to prove their worth or posted offseason workout videos, making viewers curious about what kind of season a player can have. Let’s look at some players who could be destined for a leap ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Zaccharie Risacher — Atlanta Hawks
Despite being one of the least anticipated number one overall picks in NBA history, Zaccharie Risacher had a solid rookie campaign that saw him post numbers of 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The Frenchman carved himself a perfect role for a Hawks team that has been directionless for the past few seasons. He played his role as a 3&D wing to a tee, using his length and inhuman athleticism to create havoc for opposing teams’ offences. As last season progressed, he showed signs of a developing offensive game with a more polished three-point shot and signs of an offensive bag that veered its head every so often in the half-court.
The Hawks went to work this offseason, making major moves, including the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. For Risacher, this will allow for more space and less attention with a player like Porzingis sharing the court. In a recent preseason game against the Houston Rockets, Risacher demonstrated his ability to work alongside the Latvian big man, making passes from the short roll to the dunker’s spot and protecting the rim together.
Risacher’s player archetype is one of the most desired in the current era of the NBA: a lanky wing who can do almost everything on the court. He has a motor unlike many other players and his ability to pick up the pace and run with guys like Jalen Johnson and Trae Young creates a new dimension for this Atlanta offence.
Under Coach Quinn Snyder, Risacher will be looked upon to do some major rebounding. Porzingis is less of a rebounder and more of a shot blocker, allowing Risacher to pick up and lose balls off shot attempts around the rim. With his length and jumping ability, the Frenchman has all the tools to become one of the best rebounding wings in the league.
Now with the return of Johnson and a more motivated Young, Risacher will be a part of one of Atlanta’s more talented teams in recent years. If the Hawks want any chance of making a surprise playoff push, they’ll need Risacher to have the season many are hoping for him to have.
Ausar Thompson — Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons had a revelation of a season last year, making the playoffs for the first time since the Blake Griffin era. One key piece to that success was the impact Ausar Thompson had on their culture. Thompson is a hard-nosed, gritty defender who makes up for his lack of offensive production with his tenacious defence and veteran-like basketball IQ. Although his twin brother, Amen, has garnered more attention in Houston, Ausar has been quietly putting the Pistons on the map alongside Cade Cunningham and others. His numbers of 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game might not stick out to you as someone who’s destined for a jump, but it’s his 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game that encapsulate who he is as a player.
In the playoffs, he was tasked with guarding Jalen Brunson for an entire series. Thompson was a lethal weapon, being used solely as a Brunson stopper, even if he fouled out for some of those games.
After the Pistons had a rocky offseason that saw the loss of Dennis Schröder and potentially Malik Beasley, many still believe the Pistons can return to the playoffs or even exceed last year’s surprise run. If Thompson can improve his scoring number by just a few points per game, Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff and company would be more than pleased, considering his defensive output.
The Pistons’ current roster is fine-tuned around Cunningham; however, most of Thompson’s offensive impact comes from the open court or second-chance points. If he really wants to become a more reliable sorcerer in the half-court, he needs to improve on his three-point shooting, in which he shot at an abysmal 22 per cent last year.
Aside from a blood clot issue that kept him sidelined for several games last year, the sky’s the limit for Thompson, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in all-star conversations next season.
Matas Buzelis — Chicago Bulls
For a franchise that has its fanbase’s sanity holding on by a string, there’s a lone bright spot lying in wait for a hopeful breakout year. Matas Buzelis came into the league as a tall, skinny, unproven rookie whom the Bulls hoped would just give them some sort of spark, and that he did.
Buzelis was a pleasure to watch throughout the majority of his 80 regular-season games in 2024-25, posting respectable numbers of 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. The G-League Ignite product showed the NBA world that there was still some fun to be had in a gloomy Chicago Bulls environment.
Buzelis has a lot of upside, the type the Bulls haven’t seen since a player like Coby White. It’s hard to imagine, but he’s only 20 years old. For a player who showed that much confidence throughout his first NBA season, it’s going to be scary to see what kinds of tricks he comes out with this upcoming year. Bulls fans have been going through it recently with the (so far) failed project of Patrick Williams, another once young, promising player like Buzelis, who Bulls fans thought was going to be similar to Kawhi Leonard.
Buzelis shot 36 per cent from the point range last season, an impressive number for a 6’10” rookie who spent a lot of time beneath the arc. The Bulls remain in an awkward spot, without a star player and lacking any real resemblance to a competent franchise. It’s difficult for a young player to develop on a team with no real structure, yet Buzelis proved last season that he is league-ready and ready to potentially make that next step.
He’s shown his defensive prowess; nobody was questioning that. However, it’s now a matter of bulking up to be able to hang with some of the bigger forwards that he’ll have to be guarding. Bigger players like Jayson Tatum, Giannis, and Julius Randle often had their way with the rookie simply due to a lack of physical strength.
Buzelis has the chance to put the league on notice if he comes into this season with a more developed body and the confidence he carried in his rookie campaign.
Donovan Clingan — Portland Trail Blazers
Speaking of dysfunctional franchises, the Portland Trail Blazers seemed to have struck gold in their 2024 first-round pick, Donovan Clingan. The UConn product hit the ground running with the Blazers, fresh off an NCAA championship with the Huskies. Seen as a “ready now” player, Clingan showed out in his rookie year, playing a great brand of basketball amidst a crowded big man rotation in Portland.
He posted stats of 6.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his rookie season. A menace in the class, Clingan made a living rebounding the ball, playing just under 20 minutes a game. Playing alongside DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams III, he held his own in the rotation, sometimes even outplaying his teammates to earn more minutes.
Expect to see a jump in not only his already stellar rebounding numbers, but also his scoring output. Clingan has always been known to be a ferocious workhorse; if he can develop a more consistent pick and role game, there’s no showing how far he can go.
Jrue Holiday joins the Blazers, giving Clingan a true point guard who can play off of him well under Head Coach Chauncey Billups’ system. Clingan has the opportunity to learn from Holiday and develop into a solid pick-and-roll scorer, while simultaneously working on his inside game.
Clingan’s weak point is his inside touch. Teams often live with Clingan taking shots on the inside, which, for a 7’2”, 280-pound big man, is not sustainable if you want to have an extended career in the NBA. With that size, however, he had the tools to be one of the most dominant defenders and rebounders in the league.
If he comes into next season with a developed inside game, he could become one of the most feared big men opponents see on a nightly basis.