The 2023 draft was a huge success, with rookies like Victor Wembanyama And Brandon Miller They looked like stars for their respective teams. The depth and diversity of last season’s rookies was remarkable, with some like Jaime Jaquez And Brandin Podziemski impress for playoff contenders as later and older draft picks, while others like Amen Thompson And Derek Lively As younger players, they have played a lot of minutes.
This does not even take into account Chet Holmgrenwho missed his 2022-23 rookie season due to injury. In most years, there would have been no competition between Wembanyama and other rookies, but Holmgren emerged as another star rookie who helped the Thunder secure the top spot.
In an article for ESPN+, Jeremy Woo takes a look at the NBA’s 10 million most interesting sophomores and ranks them. Woo’s list is subjective, so he didn’t include players like Jaquez, Podziemski, and Lively because in his eyes they don’t have as much to gain as others on this list. Instead, he focuses on players who are more interesting because of their potential.
Unsurprisingly, Wembanyama (No. 1), Holmgren (No. 3) and Miller (No. 4) are all ranked highly. However, Woo ranked Houston’s Thompson twin at No. 2, saying he has the most potential of any Rockets player and that he is in an ideal situation for his development. Orlando’s Anthony Black is also considered an influential player who has the potential to help shape the future of Magic.
We have more from the world of basketball:
- After evaluating other positions, HoopsHype has released its power forward rankings ahead of the 2024/25 season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious choice for number 1, but both Zion Williamson (No. 2) and Paolo Banchero (3rd place) was promoted after successful seasons. GG Jackson was a second-round pick at No. 22 after an impressive rookie season. Jackson landed at No. 10 on Woo’s list of interesting sophomores.
- The Celtics are considered early favorites to win the title after retaining all of their key players and even extending some of them in the offseason. However, health and luck could work against them next season, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. No team has repeated their title win since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, so a repeat for Boston is far from certain, even though they had an excellent offseason. Pincus lists the top 10 NBA contenders and makes the case against each one winning the title next year.
- According to current forecasts, only the Networks and the wizard will have enough room to offer a max contract next summer, as Danny Leroux of The Athletic notes. Leroux looks at the projected 2025 salary tables for all 30 teams in the league and identifies the Rockets, Heat and Bulls as some of the more interesting cases in 2025. The Rockets could keep the roster together or be inclined to move away from Fred VanVleet And Jalen Green while up to $69 million in space will be freed up. In the meantime, the Heat’s situation depends on what Jimmy Butler wants, while the bulls could make room if they move Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucevic.
