NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
Every NBA season is defined in part by the players who take an unexpected leap. The Detroit Pistons went from 44 to 60 wins largely because big man Jalen Duren ascended into an All-NBA player at age-22. The Portland Trail Blazers made an unexpected playoff appearance after Deni Avdija grew into a first-time All-Star. The Atlanta Hawks turned into a plucky playoff team after trading Trae Young in part because Nickeil Alexander-Walker leveled up as a starter in the backcourt. The Phoenix Suns exceeded expectations because they found some hidden gems like Collin Gillespie, who went from a two-way contract to an advanced stats darling in a bigger role. Ryan Rollins went from a totally anonymous end-of-bench guy to one of the league’s better young two-way guards for the Milwaukee Bucks.
There’s going to be more surprises this year. It will only take one or two breakouts to rock our Eastern Conference preseason predictions given how close teams 1-10 appear to be bunched together entering the season. It would be surprising if anyone new can break into the top-6 of our Western Conference rankings, but injuries or a Most Improved Player campaign could turn things quickly. With the 2026-27 NBA season around the corner, here are our picks for breakout players this year.
Advertisement
Collin Murray-Boyles, F, Toronto Raptors
Murray-Boyles has been a cult hero going back to his time at South Carolina that helped make him a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He had a solid rookie year for the Toronto Raptors, and seemed to earn the trust of head coach Darko Rajaković more and more as the season went on. Toronto is dreaming of making a darkhorse NBA Finals run with Kawhi Leonard back in town, and it’s only going to happen if Murray-Boyles fully goes mainstream in his second season. CMB is a monster defender with a strong base, quick hands, and elite instincts. He’s a legitimate game-wrecker at the four, but Toronto might need him to play more center this season, where he’s a bit undersized. He has more room for growth offensively. Murray-Boyles is a very low volume three-point shooter at two attempts per 100 possessions as a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/8-nba-breakout-player-candidates-120000637.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-10-07 12:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
