Tyrese Maxey: This season will be Maxey’s time to shine. If he drains 40 percent of his deep balls and develops into the staunch stopper many inside the organization believe he will, the Knicks have a super role player to fit inside an already successful system. But his job is as taxing as it gets: guarding the other team’s best player every night, no matter that guy’s position, and hitting as many 3s as he can. They have Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson for that. No, the Knicks offense won’t rely on him heavily.
Quentin Grimes: This is an important season for Grimes, his third in the NBA and the first he enters as the undisputed starter.
If he does, then the Nets will have a bona fide star on their hands, whether or not he gets the attention for it. Didn’t Bridges already breakout last season after he was traded to the Nets, averaging 26.1 points per game with a 54.3 effective field goal percentage? Yes, but the real test will be to see if Bridges can do it for a full season, not just late February and March, while also maintaining some semblance of his elite perimeter defense. Mikal Bridges: This might seem a little counterintuitive. The 24 biggest questions for the NBA season: Nuggets repeat? Wembanyama not ROY? Brooklyn Nets He should receive the minutes and the touches to prove what he kept saying last season - that he deserves a chance. The organization seems excited about all the work he has put in behind the scenes. He won’t need to score a lot every night, but he has the shot-making ability to erupt on occasion. Pritchard didn’t play much last season, but the Celtics opened up a role for him with their transactions this summer then further proved their belief in him by signing him to a contract extension. Rotation spots beyond that could be up for grabs, and nobody has done more than Payton Pritchard to earn a chance. Payton Pritchard: The Celtics’ top six players won’t take anyone by surprise. The Athletic asked its NBA staff for their predictions: one breakout candidate for each team. Several NBA players get to the start of the regular season thinking, “This is the year.” With opening night around the corner, who are the players best positioned to actually make that statement become a reality?
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