ESPN selects the most worth looking forward to in the next season s 10 sophomore players

ESPN selected the most anticipated sophomore players in the Rockets Shepard, Spurs Castle, Hawks Rissach, Bulls Buzzers, Klingen Klingen, Wizards Saar, Heat Wells, Grizzlies Wells, 76ers McCann, and Topike Topike, the Portland Trail Blazers, the highest-level rookie season: Klingen led the rookie per game (1.6) and was selected into the second team of the All-Rookie, averaging 19.8 minutes per game to score 6.5 points and 7.9 rebounds, and a shooting percentage of 53%. His production per minute and defensive influence are obvious, heralding a bright future as the main force in the Blazers’ defense.

Why he ranks here: The Trail Blazers seem to clear the way for Klingen and rookie Yeon to share center time next season – Robert Williams III is still on the court, but it might make sense as the final trade candidate in his upcoming contract. It will be interesting to see how these minutes end up dividing by performance. Klingen deserves the majority of his share, but also needs to improve his fitness to deal with a lot of playing time. The fact that he started in the last 27 games of the season may be a fair indicator!

By the way, whether the Trail Blazers will try Klingen and Young together in the double-large roster will be something to watch out for. On paper, this fit is clumsy, but given Portland’s obvious long-term investment in both players, there are at least some reason to figure out what it looks like. With all factors in mind, Klingen should expand his role and possibly cement himself as one of the better inside defenders in the NBA in a short time.

4. Matas Buzzellis, Chicago Buzzellis, made a breakthrough in the mid-season with the Bulls, looking like a strong value draft pick, starting in the final 31 games of the season with a shooting percentage of 47%. That game earned him a spot in the All-Rookie Second Team and positioned him as a key part of Chicago's future.

Why he ranks here: Boozelis was once regarded as a No. 1 contender. The 2024 pick in the 1-year draft class shows that he has great potential as a tall, skilled outside scorer. As he keeps increasing his strength and honing his shots, Boozelis has a huge runway from both development and character perspectives. As the Bulls are on the brink of the playoffs year-round, their best path forward may involve a future Boozelis star turn.

While this may not happen in a summer, the Bulls' commitment to a fast-paced game should be in favor of Boozelis. He should see more balls in his hands working in the space and have the opportunity to expand his shooting creation skills for himself and his teammates. Chicago is still at a contract deadlock with Josh Giddey, but his organizational ability may return to the roster should further help Boozelis feel comfortable. At just 20, what kind of second-year leap he can achieve is arguably the most important big storyline for the Bulls to enter the season.

3. Zaccharie Rissache, Atlanta Hawks

Rookie season: Rissache verifies Atlanta’s belief in picking the first pick in the draft class, while NBA decision makers lack real consensus. While he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year, he is one of the few rookies to make a significant contribution to the postseason-level team, shooting 45.8% from the field and starting 73 games in 75 games. He entered the league at 19 and immediately added value, the question is how much he would add to his game as his career unfolded.

Why he ranks here: The Hawks have strengthened their position this offseason, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Nickel Alexander-Walker – they also earned a potentially high-value 13-year draft pick from New Orleans by trading the 2026th pick. With Trae Young and Dyson Daniels about to renew their contracts, there is now a motivation to win, and the overall assessment process for Atlanta management in the future. Part of what makes Lisah so valuable is that his shooting, perimeter defense and small forward position size fits almost exactly any lineup frame.

With this in mind, Risacher's continued development as a scorer should be the most important for the Hawks. Atlanta has enough organizing skills in its roster, and Lisah's off-ball ability should be stable enough that they don't need to accelerate his growth as a ball-holding scorer, but it may be in their best interest to guide some of the diets that he creates representatives in his way. How comfortable he can be when dribbling, pull-ups and playing for his teammates is worth knowing. Some degree of development in these areas could be the difference between becoming a great role player or leveraging higher-end results to grow.

Atlanta's push to Rissache in this regard is worth noting to start next season: He doesn't necessarily end up being a typical No. 1 pick without significant growth, but he has the potential to far outpace relatively modest expectations by No. 1 pick standard. He will be in European basketball with the French national team in August, which may provide a window for his offseason growth.