Five NBA Breakout Candidates Primed to Take the Next Step in 2026

Every NBA season is packed with pleasant surprises.

Last year, it was Jaylen Brown keeping the Celtics toward the top of the Eastern Conference without Jayson Tatum and a 41-year-old LeBron James dragging the Lakers past the Rockets in the playoffs without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. And how about those Knicks?

Young stars rose to the top with Cade Cunningham guiding the Pistons to a whopping 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the East. Cooper Flagg entered the league and wowed us all on his way to Rookie of the Year honors, while fellow rookie and Duke teammate Kon Knueppel led the entire league in three-pointers. If there was any doubt, the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals proclaimed that the Victor Wembanyama era is officially here and everyone else will need to figure out how to stop him for the next decade-plus.

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Beyond the biggest storylines and the hottest rookies, the 2025–26 NBA season saw breakout campaigns across the league. Norm Powell made his first All-Star appearance in his 11th (!!) NBA season. He joined Deni Avdija, Jalen Duren, Jalen Johnson, Jamal Murray and Chet Holmgren as first-time All-Stars, all recognized for reaching new heights in their respective careers.

The upcoming 2026–27 season should see no different with rosters across the league retooled and improved after a wild summer. That paves the way for more breakout years, whether it’s a product of an improved roster or another year of NBA experience under the belt.

Here’s a look at five players from across the league that find themselves in situations that could aid a massive jump forward in the 2026-27 season:

Matas Buzelis, F, Chicago Bulls

2025–26 stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 46.3 FG%, 34.9 3P%, 78.6 FT% (77 games)

Shockingly, the Bulls have some semblance of good vibes ahead of the new season.

Those good vibes: A new coach, a new front office and an exciting young talent in North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, the No. 4 pick in the draft. What Year 3 could look like for Matas Buzelis gives the Bulls even more to look forward to. He’s the archetype that every team searches for: A long athletic two-way wing who has some semblance of a shot. His three-pointer is still a work in progress, as he finished last season with a 34.9% clip from deep. That said, the mechanics are sound and he was still able to knock down treys with a huge increase in volume a year ago.

On the defensive end, Buzelis turned into the NBA’s best rim-protecting forward last year with 1.5 blocks per game—the most for a forward (depending how you classify Wemby’s position). With an improved roster after the additions of Wilson, Norm Powell and Nic Claxton, the Bulls should take a step forward even if they need some time to become a true playoff team. Last year, it was Josh Giddey who got All-Star murmurs in Chicago before an untimely injury. This year, that could be Buzelis.

Keyonte George, G, Utah Jazz

2025–26 stats: 23.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.7 RPG, 45.6 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 89.2 FT% (54 games)

The Jazz added Darryn Peterson in the draft, and we’re still waiting for a significant sample size with Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah, but a potential leap for Keyonte George could be the most exciting storyline for Will Hardy’s bunch. George took a real step forward last year in his first season as a full-time starter with 23.9 points per game (up from 16.8 the year before).

If Utah didn’t have such a dismal season, George would’ve had an All-Star case. With an improved roster that could surprise some folks in the Western Conference, don’t be surprised if he makes his maiden All-Star appearance this year. George was much more efficient last year on a bad team. He can score at all three levels. If the Jazz are even competitive in the West, George will benefit greatly with a good chance to be heading to Phoenix for All-Star Weekend.

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Cade Cunningham, G, Detroit Pistons

2025–26 stats: 23.9 PPG, 9.9 APG, 5.5 RPG, 46.1 FG%, 34.2 3P%, 81.2 FT% (64 games)

It’s tough to argue that Cunningham is a breakout candidate seeing as he was a first-team All-NBA player and led the Pistons to 60 wins last season, but there could be another level to his game. Detroit’s offense starts and stops with Cunningham. He had more assists than anyone in the NBA aside from Nikola Jokić while leading the way in scoring for the top team in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons’ franchise guard is already a bona fide superstar, but he has room to increase his scoring and improve as a three-point shooter. That’s difficult when every opponent’s game plan targets Cunningham first and foremost, but he’s that good of a player where it often doesn’t matter. Should he be able to increase his scoring from 23.9 points per game closer up toward the 30 range while remaining around 10 assists a night, his name could hover around Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama in MVP conversations.

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Although Cunningham already has a first-team All-NBA nod under his belt, the jump toward the MVP stratosphere is astronomic with the recent dominance of Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić. If Detroit remains toward the top of the East amid improved competition, Cunningham will be right there. He’ll be just 25 this season and it’s scary to think he could get better.

Ajay Mitchell, G, Oklahoma City Thunder

2025–26 stats: 23.6 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.3 RPG, 48.5 FG%, 34.7 3P%, 87.0 FT% (57 games)

With Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort all casualties of the Thunder’s financial limitations, there are shots to be had in Oklahoma City. Ajay Mitchell appears primed for a much larger role with the Thunder after he was a playoff hero until missing the end of OKC’s season with a calf injury. He was arguably the team’s best player in Oklahoma City’s second-round sweep of the Lakers. Even better than SGA. .

Mitchell averaged 22.5 points over that series and dropped 28 in the close-out game as he stepped into the starting lineup in place of Jalen Williams. Even if Williams is mostly healthy this season, Mitchell will have an increased role in Oklahoma City’s operation. Dort was a starter, while Wiggins and Joe made spot starts as needed. Mitchell isn’t the same level of a defender as Dort, but he’s very solid and packs a much greater scoring punch.

As the 38th pick of the 2024 draft, Mitchell saw an increased workload last year and ended up with some Sixth Man of the Year votes. He’s already outgrown that after he showcased how he can change games in the playoffs. In Mitchell, you could be looking at a future 20-point scorer, especially if Williams’s injury struggles carry over into the new season.

Brandon Miller, G/F, Charlotte Hornets

2025–26 stats: 20.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 43.5 FG%, 38.3 3P%, 89.2 FT% (65 games)

The Hornets completely changed course over the summer as the franchise decided to trade away LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. That left Knueppel and Brandon Miller as Charlotte’s two true building blocks. After the franchise’s best season in years, the Hornets are an unknown as they enter a new era.

Through the Ball and Bridges trades, Charlotte brought in Naz Reid, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, which rounds out a solid rotation for coach Charles Lee. The franchise committed to Coby White with Ball out of town, plus it traded for Dennis Schröder to address the lack of guard depth. What’s unclear is how far Miller and Knueppel can lead the team as the pair gets the keys to the franchise. Ball and Bridges combined for more than 30 field-goal attempts per game last year. Miller will be the primary beneficiary of the vacated chances.

Miller had a strong 2025–26 season after he missed the majority of his second NBA campaign the year prior with a wrist injury. Already a strong three-point shooter who can finish at the rim, he just needed more time and opportunity for a chance to enter the upper echelon as one of the NBA’s top scorers. Now he has that, and we’ll see what he does while a significant contract extension is on the line.

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