On the rise
NBA Players whose stock is at an all-time high
One of my favorite things about starting a new NBA season is seeing which players take that next step in their performance. For some it’s a new team, for others a new role, and for others more, they’re just straight up better. I wanted to take a look at some of the biggest breakout players so far this season and give them the flowers that they deserve.
Ryan Rollins
After the Bucks waived all-star point guard Damian Lillard in the offseason, questions began to rise about who would run the point for Milwaukee. Ideas of a “point-Giannis” and hopes that young guard, Andre Jackson Jr. might finally take that next step for the Bucks, swirled around the city of Milwaukee for most of the offseason.
While the offense still runs through Giannis on many possessions, it looks like Milwaukee found their point guard of the future in Ryan Rollins. Rollins was a second-round pick back in 2022 for the Golden State Warriors. He spent his time with the Warriors at the end of the bench, barely touching the court. Then, he was traded to the Wizards in the deal that swapped Jordan Poole and Chris Paul. After just 10 games with Washington, he was waived. In February of 2024 he was signed to a two-way contract. Rollins continued to struggle to find minutes until Damian Lillard was sidelined with a calf injury and then a blood clot late in the season. Rollins stepped into the starting role, averaging 11 points and 4 assists per game to finish the season.
This season, Rollins has stepped up for the Bucks. In the first 87 games of his career, Rollins scored over 20 points just once. Now, 16 games into the NBA season, he’s done it five times.
Rollins scored a then-career-high 25 points in Milwaukee’s come-from-behind win against the Knicks. Then, one game later, with Giannis out, Rollins set a new career high, scoring 32 points and 8 assists as he led the Bucks to a win over his former team, the Warriors. Rollins capped off the game with a deep three late in the game to drive a dagger into the heart of every Warriors fan watching.
Last night, Rollins stepped up with Giannis out once again. He scored 32 points and dished out a career high 14 assists. Unfortunately, this great performance wasn’t enough for Milwaukee to get the win, and they fell to the Sixers in overtime.
The Bucks are struggling right now without Antetokounmpo, they need someone to take charge and right the ship and it’s looking like Rollins is that guy. His offensive confidence and improved playmaking along with his defensive tenacity, ranking second in steals and first in deflections, set the tone for the entire Bucks team.
It looks like the Bucks have found their point guard for the future.
Jalen Duren
Last year, the Detroit Pistons finally made it back to the NBA playoffs after quite a few rough years. This year, they’ve started the year 13-2 and hold the number one spot in the east and the second-best record in the league.
Jalen Duren has quickly cemented himself as an all-star caliber player in the eastern conference and it’s starting to look like he could make a push for All-NBA. Duren, who just turned 22 a few days ago, is looking like he’s going to be a problem in the paint for years to come.
Duren is a monster on the glass; he ranks third in the league in rebound rate, behind Andre Drummond and Steven Adams. Duren is big, strong, and not afraid to bump around in the paint. Any player in the league is going to have trouble keeping him away from rebounds. Duren also anchors Detroit’s #2 ranked defense. An intimidating presence in the pain, Duren is ready to turn away any opposing shot attempt.
If that was the extent of his game, a strong defender and an unstoppable rebounder, he would be a great player for Detroit, but he’s even better than that. On the offensive side of the ball, Duren has stepped up to be the Pistons number two guy. He’s more skilled than it may seem at first. While nowhere near a lead playmaker for the team, he knows how, where and when to make the right pass and always manages to rack up a few assists on top of an abundance of rebounds. Additionally, Duren is an excellent scorer, he’s a dangerous lob threat with his athleticism and the passing ability of Cade Cunningham. But he can also create his own buckets, taking opposing bigs off the dribble and working the post to his advantage.
The duo of Duren and Cunningham looks scary, and this is only the beginning.
Duren will become a restricted free agent this summer and if he doesn’t choose to resign with Detroit, however unlikely that may be, he would have his pick of teams and a large pay day waiting for him.
Jalen Johnson
Jalen Johnson just keeps getting better. Since being drafted by the Hawks in 2021, Johnson has increased his PPG and APG every single year. He’s been one of the few bright spots in the confusing mess that has been the Atlanta Hawks these last few years.
He opened up this season playing the best ball of his career, and after Trae Young went down with a knee injury against the Nets, he’s taken over and is leading the way for Atlanta.
With Young out, Johnson has led Atlanta to an 8-3 record. Johnson is doing it all for the Hawks. A 6-foot-9 point-forward who knows how to handle, pass and use his size to his advantage. Through the Hawks’ 8-3 stretch without Young, Johnson is averaging 7.6 assists per game, going a majority of Atlanta’s playmaking in Young’s absence. On top of playmaking, Johnson’s scoring has taken a leap too. He is converting over 80% of his shots within 3 feet of the basket and he’s improved his 3-point percentage, which had been his biggest weakness, to 38.1%.
With season averages of 22 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals now put him amongst the best power forwards in the east, next to guys like Pascal Siakam and Paolo Banchero. An eastern conference all-star selection seems like an inevitability for Johnson.
Atlanta is now faced with a decision. The team has played better, record-wise, since the Young injury and Johnson is developing into a franchise leading player. So, the question now is, do they still need Trae Young? Additionally, how will Johnson and Young coexist once Young returns to action.
But those are questions for a later day. For now, we can just watch and admire the stellar play of one of the league’s premier young players.
Derik Queen
There haven’t been many bright spots for the New Orleans Pelicans this year. The team is 2-15 through their first 17 games of the season and sits at the bottom of the western conference. One of those few bright spots has been Derik Queen.
Queen who New Orleans traded up to draft this past summer is coming into his own as an NBA player. In his first 14 games of the season, Queen averaged 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, solid numbers. But his 2.3 turnovers per game and 47% shooting were areas of concern.
Since the firing of Pelicans head coach Willie Green, Queen’s production has exploded. Interim head coach, James Borrego has moved Queen into the starting lineup and so far it’s paying off.
A few nights ago, Queen put up his best game yet against the Denver Nuggets. Queen scored 30 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. This game caught the eye of Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who had high praise for Queen after the game.
“He’s good. He has some moves, he’s definitely pretty crafty. He’s unorthodox, great touch around the rim, great feel for the game. It’s good to see somebody different.”
Queen is no stranger to comparisons to Jokic, being nicknamed “Baby Jokic” because of his similar playstyle during his time at Maryland. Jokic added onto those comparisons, saying:
“You can see some similarities. I don’t want people to see him and tell me he’s something like me. I think he’s a good enough player that he’ll have his own story.”
While it’s still too early to be sure, it seems like New Orleans has found a promising young player who could one day become a star. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.