Taking a look at a handful of overlooked players that could have a significant impact on their respective teams this upcoming season.

There’s been a lot of hype for young players making the leap from star to superstar, but here, I want to show some love to the other guys. While these guys may not break out into all-star contention next season, they might just be huge swing pieces for their teams. These are the type of young players any team in the league would kill for, rotational players with a ton of upside. Players that can grow into higher usage roles. Anyways, here are 4 players I am very excited to see progress and grow this upcoming season:

Quentin Grimes (New York Knicks, Age: 22)

Grimes didn’t get much tick last season as a late first-round pick for the Knicks. However, if you’ve been paying attention, you probably heard how dominant Grimes had been during summer league. Leading the Knicks to the championship game, Grimes took advantage of being the lead ball handler for the Knicks summer league team and took significant steps in developing his scoring. Grimes came into the league as a 6’5 solid defending guard out of Houston, but one of the biggest knocks on his game was his offensive prowess. At summer league, it seems that he’s made substancial strides on the offensive end of his game, averaging the 5th most points per game (22.6) and earning NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League First Team honors. His next developmental step would be to further develop his playmaking. He doesn’t have to be a primary ball handler; I believe he can still find great success as a secondary distributor. If Grimes can develop his playmaking and further build on his scoring, then suddenly, you have a valuable 3 and D guard on your team that would fit great with a primary ball handler like Brunson. The Knicks could use a two-way guard to pair with their huge offseason acquisition in Brunson (Quickley is really good offensively but has major struggles on defense). I know this is a lot to glean from summer league, but given how much Thibs loves his defensive guys, I feel like this is a great sign to come for this season.

Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets, Age: 21)

With the Nuggets getting healthier for this next season, there’s no doubt they’ll have championship aspirations. They’ve made moves to bolster their wing depth with additions like KCP, but they still have a major issue at the backup big man position. I have no doubt DeAndre Jordan is first-team all-bench mob, but trusting him as your backup big is a death sentence. I believe Zeke Nnaji is the guy best suited to fill this role. After playing the past couple of seasons sporadically, Zeke has shown great chemistry with Jokic on the offensive end and has even developed a pretty killer 3pt shot. The issues come on the other side of the ball. Defensively Zeke needs to make strides if he’s going to become a more prominent fixture in the Nuggets rotation. Injuries also didn’t help Zeke out last season, missing multiple large stretches of games last season. Suppose Zeke stays healthy and continues on his upward trajectory offensively combined with improved defense. In that case, he could be a big swing piece on the Nuggets and solidify what could be a championship roster. He will get the opportunities next season, and from what we have seen over the past couple of seasons, he has the tools to become an extremely valuable player on this roster.

Dalano Banton (Toronto Raptors, Age: 22)

Last season it took me about 5 seconds of watching Dalano play to fall head over heels for this guy. Coming in as an athletic 6’9 PG to a Raptors team where the height requirement to play is 6’7 + (except for Van Vleet), I can’t help seeing Dalano being a key cog for this Raptors team soon. Due to his rawness, Dalano didn’t get much playing time last season, instead spending most of his time down in the G-league. However, his playmaking chops, combined with his solid defense, makes him an incredibly compelling player. Dalano even got the chance to further grow his game at summer league this year. As the lead ball handler for the Raptors summer league squad, Dalano showed real improvement in his ball-handling and three-point shooting, two vital skills that will help him reach his potential. If Dalano can keep improving his game and develop even a mediocre 3-pt shot, I can see Dalano becoming a ball-handling wing with solid playmaking skills and great defensive ability. Also, considering the Raptors’ developmental success with players like OG and Pascal, I do not think it is that crazy of a possibility that Dalano could live up to his potential. At 6’9, that player would become one of the most sought-after players in the league. He’s every team’s dream player; he can easily fit on any roster for any team. I genuinely believe that even if we don’t see a big jump this season, Dalano will be a fixture in the Raptors rotation and will continue to make strides this season.

Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks, Age: 21)

During the Hawks magical conference finals run in 2021, Onyeka first showed his potential as a defensive monster. This potential only grew larger this previous season, with Capela missing large amounts of time, allowing Onyeka the opportunity to come in and continue to develop his game. Coming into the league, many people made comparisons of Onyeka to Bam Adebayo, and while the offensive game still has a ways to go, defensively, the comparisons hold up quite firmly. While a little skinny for a center at 235 lbs, Onyeka makes up for those shortcomings with his athleticism and length. Both traits allow him to fly around the floor easily, switching 1-5 and making defensive plays. On the defensive side, it is not difficult to see the comparisons to Bam Adebayo. Onyeka has already come into this hawks team and added a whole new dimension to their defense, something they have been desperate to fix since Trae came into the league. While Capela has been a significant help for the team over the past couple of years, he primarily functions as a rim-protecting big. Due to his age and injuries, Capela is not much of a switch guy at this point in his career. With Onyeka, the Hawks can add a more switchy, rim-protecting, and athletic chess piece to the board. I can already imagine a lineup for the Hawks team: Trae, Dejounte, Hunter, Collins, and Onyeka. That’s more defense than any other lineup Trae has ever played with before in his career. I don’t think Onkongwu has to develop much of an offensive game because of how heliocentric and amazing Trae is. Onyeka can focus on further sharpening his skills on defense, and I think that would work out just great for this Hawks team. With Capela starting to look like he’s losing a step, Onyeka will continue to get more playing time this upcoming season. He should be able to continue to grow on the Hawks roster, and he seems more than ready for it.