With the bulk of the 2026 NBA offseason now concluded, and with the calendar now flipped to September, it's time to start looking ahead to what's coming next in the NBA, both this season and afterward.
In that spirit, and in the interest of killing some time in the dying days of summer, let's take a look at the five* most interesting players — to me! — who are entering their sophomore seasons.
(We've previously considered my five most interesting potential free agents in the class of 2027 and my five most interesting comeback players for next season.)
One note: I decided not to include the top three finishers in 2025-26 Rookie of the Year voting: winner Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, runner-up Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets and third-place finisher VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers.
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
#five #next
In that spirit, and in the interest of killing some time in the dying days of summer, let's take a look at the five* most interesting players — to me! — who are entering their sophomore seasons.
(We've previously considered my five most interesting potential free agents in the class of 2027 and my five most interesting comeback players for next season.)
One note: I decided not to include the top three finishers in 2025-26 Rookie of the Year voting: winner Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, runner-up Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets and third-place finisher VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers.
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
#five #next
6 days ago
