The 2025-26 NBA season is barely a week old, but there are already some narratives forming. Victor Wembanyama is leveling up at a terrifying rate early in the season and might be the best player in the world. The East looks completely wide open with the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls leading the conference with undefeated records. The Oklahoma City Thunder might win 70 games this year given how dominant they look so far, and they don’t even have a healthy Jalen Williams in the lineup yet. This rookie class looks fantastic.
While Wemby, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic are getting a lot of the attention for their dominant play early in the season, there are also plenty of less heralded players around the league who are seemingly making dramatic leaps, which could change everything for their teams.
Here’s five young role players who look significantly better than season to start the new year.
Jonathan Kuminga, F, Golden State Warriors
Kuminga’s contract negotiations with the Warriors in restricted free agency dragged on all summer, and even after their agreement, a split between the two sides eventually seemed inevitable. Not so fast. Almost out of nowhere, Kuminga has set aside his volume scorer dreams and finally embraced being a role player, doing a little bit of everything for Golden State during its red hot start. Kuminga isn’t hijacking the offense to take mid-range shots anymore, now he’s screening hard, cutting with more verve, and playing with more force around the basket. Kuminga’s usage rate has gone down, but he’s still scoring at career-best levels (16.2 points per game) with scorching efficiency of 64 percent true shooting. This is everything Steve Kerr has wanted out of Kuminga for years, and he’s suddenly becoming a dependable starter. If Kuminga can continue avoiding his worst tendencies and keep focusing on making winning plays, the Warriors really might be a true Western Conference contender again.
Ajay Mitchell, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Sam Presti did it again. The Thunder drafted Ajay Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 draft at No. 38 overall and signed him to a two-way deal. Mitchell showed enough as a backcourt scorer to earn a new three-year, $8.7 million contract over the summer, which is suddenly looking like one of the biggest bargains in the NBA after his electric start. Mitchell is emerging as one of the league’s best bench scorers by averaging 18 points per game on 57 percent true shooting so far. The 6’4 guard is a fantastic driver who can change direction quickly with his handle and finish below the rim through contact from a variety of angles. He’s taking a lot more threes this year, and will contribute a little bit on the glass and as a passer. The Thunder needed some creation ability on their bench for when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is resting, and Mitchell has filled that void by making the most of his opportunity as Jalen Williams and Nikola Topic recover from injuries.
Ryan Rollins, G, Milwaukee Bucks
Rollins was a mid second round pick out of Toledo in 2022 who was drafted by the Warriors, traded to the Wizards, and then cut. The Bucks signed him to a two-way contract, and after some nice flashes in a small role last year, he was retained on a three-year, $12 million deal. Rollins is now in the starting lineup filling in for an injured Kevin Porter Jr., and he’s giving the Bucks exactly what they needed in the backcourt. With Giannis Antetokounmpo performing at a heroic level so far, Rollins has been an essential sidekick supplying Milwaukee with scoring off the dribble, spot-up three-point shooting, and some tough point-of-attack defense. Rollins has made 40 percent of his last 140 three-point attempts dating back to last season, and he’s showing good relocation instincts off the ball. It’s an essential ingredient as Giannis draws tons of defensive attention on every possession and looks to kick out to shooters. Rollins also looked really good hounding Jalen Brunson defensively on Tuesday night in an upset win for the Bucks, showing his ability to defend at the point of attack, get around screens, and get into the passing lanes. The scoring juice off the bounce he showed in college is still there, too. Rollins is claiming ownership over the starting point guard spot, and it immediately gives Milwaukee a higher ceiling this season.
Kyshawn George, G/F, Washington Wizards
George grew up in Switzerland, broke out during his freshman season with the Miami Hurricanes, and got selected by the Wizards with the No. 24 pick in the 2024 draft. He seemed more like a 3-and-D wing bet entering the draft at 6’7 barefoot with a 6’10+ wingspan and sweet shooting stroke. Instead, the Wizards have unleashed George as a jumbo ball handler who is running pick-and-roll, finding teammates as a passer, and becoming a more diverse scorer. George’s numbers through four games — 20 points on absurdly good 67 percent true shooting — indicate how great he’s been so far. While he doesn’t exactly have the ball on a string as a handler yet, George uses his big body to probe the opposing defense and find passing angles or his own opportunities to attack. His three-point shooting has been deadly so far, and he’s a particularly big threat in transition for a Wizards team that loves to run. George also just looks a lot physically stronger after a year in an NBA weight room, and it’s helping him play through more bumps in his second season. The Wizards are tanking ethically by giving young players more rope to show off their skill sets, and George is already becoming a success story.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., F, Heat
Jaquez had a great start to his NBA career as a rookie after four years at UCLA, but kind of fell out of favor with Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra last season due to his limitations as a shooter and playmaker. Miami reworked its offense over the summer to push the pace and abandon the pick-and-roll, and now Jaquez is thriving as a downhill scorer who suddenly looks a bit more comfortable finding open teammates as a passer. The 24-year-old is averaging nearly 19 points per game on 71 percent shooting from the floor (!) by striking fear into defenders every time he attacks the basket. Jacquez has a nice blend of power and athleticism that makes him a load to handle as a downhill driver, and the Heat’s new offense has given him more chances to attack early in the shot clock. Jaquez isn’t just putting his head down to get to the basket this year, he’s also improving his vision as a passer to set up teammates. The Heat have the shortest time of possession in the NBA so far, and Jaquez looks like he’s back to being an athletic scorer who can put tons of pressure on the basket and force the defense into rotations.
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