Fantasy Basketball 2025 Breakout Stars Ready to Be Among the NBA's Best
With the 2025-26 NBA season nearing its opening tip, fantasy managers should be sifting through the player pool in search of potential value picks.
Because as history has told us time and again, this campaign is about to witness the rise of real-life and fantasy-relevant contributors.
Just last season, the hoops world watched Dyson Daniels morph into a steals machine, Cade Cunningham score and dish his way into the elite tier and Ivica Zubac battle for the rebounding title while significantly upping his points and assists output, too.
So, which hoopers can plot a similar path up the pecking order this season? Well, it's funny you should ask, since that's the exact topic we're tackling here.
Kevin Porter Jr., G, Milwaukee Bucks
1 of 3
While Giannis Antetokounmpo is clearly perched atop Milwaukee's offensive pecking order, things get incredibly murky behind him. Damian Lillard is gone, newcomer Myles Turner has a career 14.1 points-per-game scoring average and Kyle Kuzma has only posted big scoring numbers for bottom-feeders.
Opportunity is clearly knocking, both for a bucket-getter and a table-setter. Porter, who should slot in as the starting point guard, has a chance to handle both roles.
When he was a full-time starter for the Houston Rockets from 2020-21 through 2022-23, he averaged 17.2 points, 6.0 assists and 2.4 three-pointers. During his five final outings for the Bucks last season, he landed at 20.8, 6.2 and 1.6, respectively.
His shooting efficiency is a bit of a question, and he probably won't add much on the defensive end, but he could produce enough points, assists and three-balls where none of that matters.
Amen Thompson, G, Houston Rockets
2 of 3
While the Rockets may eventually feel compelled to hit the trade market in search of a replacement for injured lead guard Fred VanVleet, it seems like they'll trot out their internal options first.
And if that means a bigger offensive role is coming for Thompson, who was already a dynamic defender and game-breaker in transition, he could make a surprise push for All-Star consideration.
While his jumper clearly needs work, his size (6'7") and athleticism could make him a top-shelf passer, particularly with Kevin Durant now on the receiving end of some of those looks. Plus, Thompson doesn't try to force the issue with a jump shot that isn't there, so he manages to be a positive contributor in field-goal percentage in spite of that limitation (career 54.9 percent).
Between VanVleet, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks—the latter two included in the package to acquire Durant—the Rockets are missing nearly 50 points and almost 11 assists from last season. Durant will obviously replace some of that production, but Thompson should help pick up the slack, too.
Brandon Miller, F, Charlotte Hornets
3 of 3
After impressing as an All-Rookie first-teamer in 2023-24, Miller followed up with a sophomore season to forget.
Or did he? While his shooting rates plummeted, and injuries limited him to just 27 appearances, he did see increases in virtually all of his counting stats. The absences may have pushed the production into out-of-sight, out-of-mind territory for a lot of fantasy managers, but savvy ones will still remember his 21 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 three-pointers, 3.6 assists and 1.8 combined steals and blocks.
With Miller now back from the wrist surgery that cut his second campaign short, he should be able to pick up where he left off in terms of volume but potentially greatly increase his efficiency, too. The Hornets still need him to handle a featured role, but they have more capable offensive players to demand defensive attention, like newcomer Collin Sexton and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel.
While development doesn't always happen on our preferred schedule, it sure seems like the stars might be aligned for Miller to continue his rise toward fantasy (and real-world) stardom.
