Top 2025 NBA Draft Picks Most Likely to Have a Breakout Year Two

Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper highlight the top names from 2025's draft, but a few under-the-radar players are looking to make some noise in year two.

Mar 1, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (14) reacts after dunks the ball during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2025 NBA Draft class lived up to much of the hype it was receiving heading into June of that year. Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Kon Knueppel highlighted the 2025-26 rookies who caught our attention the most, with much of that first-round draft pool showing flashes in their own right.

Entering year two, five former prospects stand out as those destined for a leap. Whether it be an open spot in the rotation or the limited but efficient production in year one, these players are most likely to have a breakout sophomore season:

Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, LA Clippers

The Clippers gave Konan Niederhäuser more opportunities in the second half of the season, so he wasn't necessarily a part of their run from 6-21 to the postseason. However, the production over his final 12 games, plus LA desperately needing a true backup center, stand out as reasons for a potential breakout year.

From Feb. 8 to March 4, Konan Niederhäuser averaged 6.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just 15.8 minutes. After Ivica Zubac was traded to the Indiana Pacers, the 30th pick in the draft took advantage of a minutes increase, and with Brook Lopez now 38 years old, Konan Niederhäuser has a legitimate bid to be the starting center.

Joan Beringer, Minnesota Timberwolves

Similar to Konan Niederhäuser, Beringer is expected to have more opportunities, with a chance to enter Minnesota's rotation. The Timberwolves are thirsty in the frontcourt with Naz Reid's departure, in desperate need of a backup center.

Beringer, the 17th pick in 2025, was one of the top rising sophomores to watch in this year's NBA Summer League, and one game was all it took for fans to take notice. The 6-foot-11 French big man put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in just over 25 minutes of action. He should learn a lot from Rudy Gobert, one of the league's top paint protectors.

Khaman Maluach, Phoenix Suns

Maluach turned plenty of heads in Summer League, averaging 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds (led all players), 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks across four games. The former Duke big man also displayed an improved jump shot, shooting 40% from downtown on 20 total attempts.

If that range can translate to the regular season, Maluach should challenge Oso Ighodaro as Phoenix's backup center. He has the physical frame (7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan), but is he ready to be a rotation player on a postseason contender?

Despite being an extremely raw prospect, Maluach was the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, so there's an expectation for the Suns to use him more in year two. Turning 20 in September, he still has plenty of time to grow, but Summer League showed us the development could go quicker than anticipated.

Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors

The regular season went somewhat as expected for Murray-Boyles, coming off the bench for a solid playoff team in Toronto. But that first-round series was a coming-out party for the No. 9 pick in the draft.

The undersized big man averaged an impressive 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in a thrilling seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would eventually reach the Eastern Conference Finals. However, those numbers don't even do him justice.

In a series featuring Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, Murray-Boyles was the scrappiest player in the paint for most of the series. Of the 80 offensive rebounds the Raptors managed, the 6-foot-7 forward accounted for 21.

Egor Dёmin, Brooklyn Nets

322 of Dёmin's 449 shot attempts in year one were from three-point range, but he still managed to put up 10.3 points on 38.5% shooting from downtown. The No. 8 pick was extremely hesitant to shoot inside the arc, but Summer League was a different story.

Dёmin was attacking the basket at an efficient rate en route to being named to the 2026 NBA All-Summer League Second Team. A 12-pound weight gain from the start of 2025's Summer League to this year should have Nets fans excited for what's to come.

On top of that, the 6-foot-9 guard will now start next to Mikel Brown Jr., and the two should complement each other nicely as the leaders of Brooklyn's youth movement.