These 5 NBA Stars Will Bounce Back in 2025-26

Each NBA season, some players do not play up to their regular form. It happens. When it does happen, execs must figure out whether it's a fluke or the start of a downward trend.

A down year can happen for reasons outside a player's control. Some players face tough environments or lack organizational stability, while others are adjusting to new teams. When these challenges are resolved, the players have a chance to succeed.

These are five candidates who are primed for a bounce-back season, because we still believe.

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

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It has been a disastrous few seasons in Phoenix. The organization is on its fourth coach in four years. The "vibes" last season were awful. Nobody looked like they wanted to be there, and it showed on the court.

Devin Booker had one of his worst seasons in several years. Booker is too talented and too young for this to be the beginning of the end for him. This season, he should return to All-Star form.

After playing in just 53 games the previous season, Booker played in 75 games last season but registered some of his worst numbers. His scoring average dropped 1.5 points. He shot 33.2 percent from three, his worst since the 2018-19 season.

Why the bounce-back year for Booker? For starters, Beal and Durant are no longer on the roster. He will not have to worry about getting them opportunities. He will be the focal point of the offense under new head coach Jordan Ott. Let Booker be Booker.

The Suns are not expected to be good this season, but this year needs to be a total vibe shift. Part of that is Booker bouncing back to being the star player that he has been for most of his career.

De'Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs

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Last season was a strange season for De'Aaron Fox. It started with never finding a fit with DeMar DeRozan, who joined Sacramento the previous offseason. This led to the firing of Mike Brown just before the new year, which in turn led to a Fox trade demand that landed him in San Antonio. The upcoming season should not be nearly as strange.

Make no mistake about it, it was a slam dunk trade pairing Fox with Victor Wembanyama makes sense, including the max extension he signed with the Spurs this offseason.

Fox's numbers took a hit after the trade. He went from averaging 25 points a game as a King to just 19.7 as a Spur. All season, his three-point shooting percent regressed to the mean after an outlier of a 23-24 season. Fox shot just 27.4 percent from three after the trade.

There is a lot of reasoning to expect a bounce-back season from Fox. First starters, he only played five games with Wemby last year before a blood clot ended his season. That is hardly enough time to develop any chemistry.

Second, a full offseason in a stable environment, such as San Antonio, should allow Fox to become more comfortable with the system. Third, he got his new deal, clearing any possible distractions out of the way.

Fox will be tasked with being the Spurs' primary creator and second scoring option behind Wemby. Assuming the big man remains healthy, life should be easier this season for Fox playing with a threat like him. If Fox does have the bounce-back year that I'm expecting, San Antonio will be a play-in team.

Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks

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The New York Knicks traded FIVE first-round picks for Mikal Bridges last season with the notion that he would be the missing piece for a Finals run. That did not pan out; he never looked comfortable in Tom Thibodeau's system, especially with his 37 minutes a game.

It was always clear that Bridges' role would change after being the number one option in Brooklyn, so it is not a surprise his numbers dipped. What was unexpected was his three-point percentage taking a dip. He went from shooting 37.2 percent from three during the 23-24 season to shooting 35.4 percent last season.

Thibodeau did not do a good job incorporating Bridges into the offense or featuring him when Jalen Brunson went to the bench, as rare as that was. That should change under new coach Mike Brown, who should be more willing to incorporate Bridges into the offense.

With the starters, Bridges is the third or fourth option, but if the Knicks turn the keys over to him when Brunson goes to the bench, it will be a big Bridges year in New York.

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

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Three seasons ago, Lauri Markkanen was an All-Star and won the Most Improved Player award. Last season was a step back for him after signing a contract extension with the Utah Jazz.

Markkanen's strong play for Finland in EuroBasket suggests he's poised for a big resurgance with the Jazz—assuming the team is focused on winning.

The key for Markkanen is the number of games played. In his three seasons in Utah, he went from playing 66 games to 55 to just 47 last season. Some of that is injuries, and some of that is Utah shutting him down early to improve draft lottery odds.

Markkanen led Finland to the EuroBasket semifinals, averaging 23.6 points and 7.9 rebounds. Notably, his previous EuroBasket appearance in 2022 also came right before his breakout season with the Jazz.

The bad news is that Markkanen is still struggling with his deep ball. Last season, he shot the second-worst three-point percentage of his career. In the tournament, he only connected on 29.1 percent of his threes.

Markkanen will need to get back to shooting in the high 30s, low 40s to have that bounce back season. His showing in the Eurobasket, though, has to have Jazz fans excited to see him dominating games like he did when he first got to Utah.

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

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This season is a critical one for Trae Young in Atlanta. He and the team are at the crossroads with their inability to come to a contract extension; he does have a player option for next season.

Last season, Young struggled from three, shooting just 34 percent from three, a dropoff of 3.3 percent from the previous season. He did look more willing to be an active participant off the ball in the Hawks' offense.

Atlanta has made a lot of moves to get off the mediocrity treadmill, bringing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis as they try to jump a level in the Eastern Conference.

The addition of Porzingis could be just what Young needs to get back to his normal shooting numbers. He has never played with a pick-and-pop big man who can punish switches and will command a double team. This should create more open looks for Young.

If Young wants to maximize his ability to make the most money as possible, he needs to ball out this season to be able to opt out and put pressure on the Hawks.

Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on X, @MoDakhil_NBA.