As the NBA season wears along, the stars (i.e. Luka and Joker) are doing what they are supposed to do and the best teams are starting to position themselves for a healthy playoff run. Everybody knows about the all-stars and the highly-touted draft picks and the faces of each franchise.
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
However, there are three up-and-coming players everyone should get to know that will be household names in the future. With NCAA and high school basketball getting back in full swing, we take a look at three somewhat unheralded standouts you should get to know and will be hearing about in the near future (listed alphabetically).
3 NBA Players to Know
Why You May Not Know Him Well:
He was reared in Australia and was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans as the No. 8 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to the Atlanta Hawks as part of the DeJounte Murray trade.
Why You Should Know Dyson Daniels
Daniels is only 21 years old and may already be the NBA’s best perimeter defender. He’s a great complement to offensive-minded Trae Young in the backcourt and if the Atlanta Hawks (currently 7-11) make a playoff push, he could be in line for
NBA’s Most Improved Player and/or NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Daniels is putting up historic numbers as it pertains to steals per game (3.2) and deflections (6.6), the latter which is nearly double the second player in the league (Alexi Caruso of the Thunder and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets). Daniels gives supreme effort and is praised for his stamina and instincts while averaging 14.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.1 apg.
Why You May Not Know Him Well:
He was overshadowed in high school at Federal Way (Wash.) by Jayden McDaniels and wasn’t a big star at two colleges during COVID-19.
Why You Should Know Tari Eason
Eason is a key part of the Rockets’ playoff push as a player who wreaks havoc defensively at multiple positions and gives this 12-6 team a shot in the arm off the bench.
He could be in line for NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors and currently ranks No. 7 overall in +/- efficiency at 7.3, tied with teammate Alperen Şengün. Simply put, the Rockets (only two games behind in the loss column in the
Western Conference
standings) are a better team with Eason on the floor.
Why You May Not Know Him Well:
He wasn’t a household name in high school and after two good college seasons, he’s been stuck on some bad teams for the Pistons.
Why You Should Know Jaden Ivey
Ivey is putting up good numbers and don’t look now, but the Pistons are 8-11 in the weak Eastern Conference and could make the post-season. On Monday evening, he hit a game-winning jumper in a 102-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The No. 5 pick of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Purdue is currently averaging 18.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 4.2 apg as he looks to pick up his game while Cade Cunningham nurses a hip injury.
3 NCAA Basketball Players to Know
Why You May Not Know Him Much:
He didn’t play high school ball in America and with Russia banned by FIBA, this talented guard missed out on plenty of exposure to American fans.
Why You Should Know Egor Demin
In the past elite international young players such as Demin wouldn’t come to America to develop in the NCAA system, but with NIL deals acting as de facto contracts, he is getting plenty of exposure in the Big 12. Demin is a natural lead guard with terrific instincts, good passing and scoring ability around the basket or from 3-point range.
As he gets more comfortable with the physicality of the college game, expect Demin to lead BYU to some big wins and position himself well for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Why You May Not Know Him Much:
He played one year at Montverde Academy (Fla.), where
Newell
helped the team to an undefeated record and the 2023-24 FAB 50 National title, but Newell was not the star of the team.
Not only was he overshadowed by Cooper Flagg (Duke) and Derrick Queen (Maryland), he wasn’t chosen for the McDonald’s All-American Game and played for a small travel ball club.
Why You Should Know Așa Newell
The left-hander is quite talented, as he runs the floor well, has good instincts and could develop into a pick-and-pop threat on the next level. He could be a first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but if he does decide he needs one more season of college to improve his draft positioning, he’ll definitely be a household name.
Why You May Not Know Him Much:
He was a bit undervalued and underrated in high school at Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas), but he was a terrific talent and one of the best players in the country during the 2022-23 season. He was a recruiting steal for New Mexico.
Why You Should Know J.T. Toppin
This smooth lefty has a chance to develop into an NBA player. We joked with his high school coach before he got to college that
Toppin
would be in line to make some serious NIL money after we ranked him No. 67 in the country in the final 2023 class rankings.
Sure enough, he moved on to the Big 12 after one season at New Mexico. Most national recruiting services didn’t have him in the Top 100 and we should have had him maybe 10-20 spots higher.
3 High School Players to Know
Why You May Not Know Him:
He spent last season at Newman (New Orleans, La.) and didn’t have a particularly overwhelming junior season.
Why You Should Know Chris Cenac
He’s now on a team that opened No. 2 in the preseason FAB 50 rankings and he will be on a big stage plenty of times.
Cenac
was the MVP of the 2024 NBPA Top 100 Camp and has continued his stellar play since.
The country is going to see that he’s a top five player in the national 2025 class. He looks like a future NBA frontline player and with a big season could be a serious Mr. Basketball USA candidate (national high school player of the year).
Why You May Not Know Him:
He was a role player on a talented St. Bernard (Playa del Rey, Calif.) club in 2023-24 and played a majority of the travel ball season on the 16U EYBL circuit for Team Why Not?
Why You Should Know Christian Collins
The talented junior forward is oozing with potential and he’ll play on a bigger stage this season at St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which opened up at No. 13 in the preseason FAB 50. Collins is light on his feet, can handle the ball, cover ground and keeps expanding his shooting range every few months. It won’t surprise us if he ends up being one of the better players at the next levels from the crop that currently plays high school basketball.
Why You May Not Know Him:
He played for a Huntington Prep (W.Va.) team that didn’t get too much attention outside its region, but he’s now at a school that will get more national attention this season.
Why You Should Know Darryn Peterson
He’s the best guard in the country and looks like a future NBA starter with his smooth scoring skills and patient attack.
Peterson
is off to a great start to his senior campaign and will get plenty of attention the rest of the way after helping Prolific Prep knock off Cameron Boozer and preseason No. 1 Columbus (Miami, Fla.).
The everyday hoop fan knows about Boozer and A.J. Dybansta, but it won’t be too long before the country makes Peterson a household name by the time he arrives at Kansas.
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Ballislife Bets
section for NBA picks and odds for upcoming matchups.
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