2026 Sophomores: Expectations ahead of Year 2 in the NBA

Take a look back at the best moments from Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year season.

The players of the

2025 NBA Draft class

made an impact in their rookie season – not only in the regular season but in the playoffs and NBA Finals, too.

From the No. 1 overall pick (Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg) through the second round (Sacramento Kings’ Maxime Raynaud), the 2025-26 rookie class produced and showed potential for multiple All-NBA, All-Star and MVP candidates.

The five players on the All-Rookie first team were lottery picks, including selections 1-4: Flagg, Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe, San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper and Memphis Grizzlies’ Cedric Coward.

And Flagg edged Knueppel, his former college teammate at Duke, for

Kia Rookie of the Year

in one of the slimmest margins in ROY voting history, 412 points to 386.

The All-Rookie second team included Raynaud, New Orleans Pelicans’ Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, Utah Jazz’s Ace Bailey and Toronto Raptors’ Collin Murray-Boyles.

How will this class continue to make its mark? Year two will reveal answers.

2025-26 All-Rookie First Team

Cooper Flagg, Mavericks

Flagg led all rookies in points (21.0 per game), was No. 2 in assists (4.5 per game), tied for No. 2 in steals (1.2 per game) and No. 4 in rebounding (6.7 per game). Flagg, who turns 20 on Dec. 21, is the centerpiece of Dallas’ push to become a playoff contender under team president Masai Ujiri, general manager Mike Schmitz and first-year coach Dusty May. It should be fun to watch the versatile 6-foot-9 forward develop in May’s system.

Kon Knueppel, Hornets

Knueppel, the No. 4 pick, put on a shooting display and set a record for most 3-pointers in a season by a rookie with 273 – zipping past the previous mark of 206 set by Keegan Murray in 2022-23. As a rookie, he averaged 18.5 points and posted percentages that suggest he can be a 50-40-90 shooter: 47.5% from the field, 42.5% on 3s and 86.3% on free throws. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, showing that he can also be a 20-5-5 player. With the offseason moves the Hornets made, Knueppel and Brandon Miller are the primary offensive options.

VJ Edgecombe, 76ers

Edgecombe, the No. 3 selection, had a standout season offensively and defensively, averaging 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and a rookie-best 1.4 steals. With the addition of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a roster with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 2026-27 rookie Labaron Philon, Edgecombe, who also received valuable playoff experience, will have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on both sides of the court in coach Nick Nurse’s system.

Dylan Harper, Spurs

Harper generated a fantastic rookie season that culminated in a Western Conference championship and trip to the NBA Finals. His per-36-minute averages made him a vital part of the Spurs’ rotation: 18.8 points, 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds in a reserve role. His growth was evident throughout the season, and you could see it in real time during the playoffs, where his confidence and elite shotmaking, especially at the rim, soared. It’s going to be difficult to keep Harper, selected second, out of the starting lineup in 2026-27. Regardless, his role and minutes should increase.

Cedric Coward, Grizzlies

As Memphis altered course with trades, Coward emerged as a central player in the franchise’s present and future. The No. 11 pick in the draft, Coward averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists and shot 47.1% from the field. The Grizzlies have assembled a young core mixed with veterans, and Coward’s development as a shooter and defender with his size and strength is important for the Grizzlies this season.

All-Rookie 2025-26 second team

Ace Bailey, Jazz

The No. 5 selection, Bailey was fifth among rookies in scoring last season, posting 13.8 points per game while also collecting 4.2 rebounds per game. His development as a two-way player – improvement defensively and increased versatility offensively with more efficiency – is crucial to Utah’s progress. With Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., Bailey doesn’t always have to be the No. 1 option, and 2026 No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson will need to contribute, too.

Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans

Fears is one of two Pelicans rookies from last season who made the All-Rookie second team after averaging 14.3 points (fourth among rookies), 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals. He was one of two rookies to play in all 82 games. In a good sign for Fears, the No. 7 pick, and the Pelicans, he didn’t smash into the rookie wall, posting better scoring, assists and shooting stats after the All-Star break.

Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors

Two components stand out when evaluating Murray-Boyles: his per-36-minute stats and his production in the playoffs. Per 36 minutes during the regular season, Murray-Boyles, chosen ninth, averaged 14 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals. In the first round of the 2026 playoffs, Murray-Boyles’ minutes increased, and he averaged 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in seven games against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Maxime Raynaud, Kings

Raynaud, a 7-foot-1 center, was the lone second-round pick to earn All-Rookie honors, and he did it with his scoring (12.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.5 per game). He shot 57.1% from the field, including 62.1% on shot attempts less than 10 feet. He led all rookies in double-doubles with 18, including a 21-point, 19-rebound performance against New Orleans. Adding muscle and becoming more of a rim protector are central to Raynaud’s growth.

Derik Queen, Pelicans

The other Pelican on the All-Rookie second team, Queen showed double-double potential playing 25 minutes per game in 81 games: 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while adding 3.7 assists per game and shooting 47.3% from the field. Selected 13

th

, Queen registered 14 double-doubles and had 30 points and 22 rebounds against Minnesota in the final game of the regular season. A major function of new Pelicans head coach Jamahl Mosley’s job is helping Queen and Fears take the next step.

Other second-year players to watch in 2026-27:

Tre Johnson, Wizards

Will Riley, Wizards

Egor Dëmin, Nets

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Hornets

Kasparas Jakučionis, Bucks

Carter Bryant, Spurs

Nique Clifford, Kings

Khaman Maluach, Suns

Joan Beringer, Timberwolves

Walter Clayton Jr., Grizzlies

Rasheer Fleming, Suns

Ryan Nembhard, Hawks

Javon Small, Grizzlies

Hugo González, Celtics

Asa Newell, Hawks

Thomas Sorber, Thunder

Noah Penda, Magic

Jase Richardson, Magic

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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find

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