In this article, we will look at players who have played no more than four seasons in the league and are poised to have a breakout year. Some players listed below are expected to benefit from increased roles and new opportunities, while others are on track to continue impressive trajectories established in their first two seasons. The only rookie mentioned below is Zach Edey, who enters the league with an imposing 7’4″ frame and the expectation to fill a starting role for his squad.
G – Immanuel Quickley
Toronto Raptors
Quickley enters his first full season with the keys to a starting guard role. After being traded to the Raptors midway through last season, he made it clear that he is capable of taking his game to a new level as a scorer and distributor. Quickley averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 0.9 steals through 38 starts with the Raptors, including eight double-doubles, 10 games with at least 25 points and a single-game high of 18 assists. He is primed to build on the intriguing specimen and should thrive pushing the pace for the young, up-and-coming squad.
G – Brandin Pod Ziemia
Golden State Warriors
Podziemski showed some impressive flashes in his rookie season, including four games with at least 20 points and seven double-doubles. He averaged 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 0.8 steals across 53 games in which he accumulated at least 25 minutes of playing time. He also shot a respectable 38.5 percent from long range and averaged 1.2 made three-pointers per game. With the departure of Klay Thompson, Podziemski is poised to take over as the starting shooting guard and should continue to shine with his ability to make an impact across the stat sheet.
G – Keyonte George
Utah Jazz
George made an early impression in his rookie season, earning his first start after just eight games and tallying 11 assists twice in his first five starts. After a brief injury absence, he returned to the rotation in a bench role but was promoted back to the starting lineup for his final 28 appearances of the season. George averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists through 49 games where he played at least 25 minutes last season. On the other hand, he shot just 39.1 percent from the field and has room for improvement in that area. However, George is expected to continue as the starting point for a rebuilding squad and should have plenty of opportunities to build on the strong start to his career.
G – Scoot Henderson
Portland Trail Blazers
Henderson was drafted third overall in 2023 and is 20 years old going into his second season. He is coming off a solid rookie season, despite a lack of team success and having to work through several lineup changes for a roster with plenty of backcourt competition. Henderson started 32 of his 62 appearances and averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.0 steals with the first unit. He also reached the 30-point mark on three occasions and dished out double-digit assists eight times. Henderson is expected to have a firm grip on the starting point guard role in 2024-25 and is likely to continue his emergence as one of the most dynamic full-back players in the league.
G – Three Man
Charlotte Hornets
Mann was traded to the Hornets midway through last season and started all 28 games he played for his new squad. He averaged 11.9 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals during that stretch, including two games where he topped the 20-point mark. With LaMelo Ball back to full health to start the season, Mann is expected to play out of a bench role, but having already proven capable of providing an immediate boost, he will likely see consistent playing time as the sixth man for the Hornets.
F – Bilal Coulibaly
Washington Wizards
Coulibaly missed the last month of last season but put together an impressive display before that. He averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks during 49 games where he played at least 25 minutes. Coulibaly reached the 20-point mark twice and recorded one double-double on the year. Additionally, he made an outstanding impression on the defensive end, grabbing at least two steals on 17 occasions, including a season-high four sweeps in one game. Coulibaly is expected to take on a more significant role in his second year and will likely continue to build on his all-around style of play.
F – Benedict Mathurin
Indiana Pacers
Mathurin’s sophomore season was off to a great start, averaging 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists through 59 games before an injury caused him to miss the final stretch of the campaign. He reached the 25-point mark eight times, including four games with at least 30 points. He also recorded three double-doubles and averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists through 34 games with at least 25 minutes of playing time. He will likely start the season in a bench role but should still see plenty of playing time and pick up where he left off as a very effective wing player.
F – Nikola Jovic
Miami Heat
Jovic started 45 of his 53 games played last season. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from deep. He also averaged 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in games with at least 25 minutes played. He reached the 20-point mark three times and grabbed a season-high three steals on three occasions. At 6’11”, Jovic is a very skilled player for his position and has plenty of room to expand his contribution across the board.
F – Taylor Hendricks
Utah Jazz
Hendricks showed glimpses of significant potential during his rookie season, including averaging 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks through 19 games where he played at least 25 minutes. He hauled in at least 10 rebounds three times and had five games with at least two blocks. Additionally, Hendricks has shown a knack for the long-range shot, averaging 1.3 made three-pointers across his 40 appearances. He began to see an increased role after the Jazz traded Kelly Olynyk midway through last season, and Hendricks remains in line to handle a significant role in his second year.
C – Zach Edey
Memphis Grizzlies
Edey has a great chance to put up solid numbers as he heads into his rookie campaign with a 7’4″, nearly 300-pound build. He is expected to open the season as the Grizzlies’ starting center. Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds. and 2.2 blocks. in his senior year at Purdue, and he shot 62.1 percent from the field over his four seasons in college. The big man should benefit from playing alongside Ja Morant and a strong lineup primed to compete in the West after an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign .
