Predicting five breakout NBA players for the 2025-26 season

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The NBA is back -- and so is our annual breakouts column.

The aim here, as always, is to identify which players are set to make a leap, whether that's to full-on stardom or simply to have a major career year. Last year, we successfully predicted the Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Jalen Williams would explode onto the scene. Both made their first All-Star game and significantly elevated their teams, with the latter helping the franchise win its first championship.

This process hinges not only on talent, but more importantly, on opportunity and circumstances. Every player on this list should enter a friendlier on-court situation than last…