Five young players whose roles grew this summer
Cedric Coward, Collin Murray-Boyles, Khaman Maluach, Matas Buzelis and Donovan Clingan all walk into more minutes this season, and our projections price each of them as more than a late flier.
By James · 3 min read
Matas BuzelisDonovan ClinganCedric CowardPhotos: NBAProA breakout in fantasy basketball is usually not a player who suddenly becomes better. It is a player whose minutes go up, because the efficiency he already showed in a smaller role starts to accumulate at the volume a fantasy roster needs. That is why the most reliable breakout candidates are young players whose path to the floor has just cleared, and why the easiest way to find them is to compare last season's minutes with this season's projected minutes.
- Matas Buzelis CHI49thvs 64th
- Donovan Clingan POR61stvs 57th
- Cedric Coward MEM102ndvs 104th
- Collin Murray-Boyles TOR100thvs 131st
- Khaman Maluach PHX155thvs 153rd
Five second- and third-year players stand out on that measure. Each of them gains between two and fourteen minutes a night in our projection, and each of them is either ranked or drafted later than the projection suggests he should be. The table shows the minutes first, because everything else follows from them.
Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.
