Suspense of the new season: Six people changing the team’s X-factor?

According to fans, the NBA has always been a star-driven business league. Those superstars are always the most dazzling existence on the championship stage.

But don't forget that basketball is always a team sport. Even the greatest star is, he needs help to pave the way to the peak.

The championship Thunder this season is the best example. Without the outbreak of Alexander and Jewish, they would not be qualified to talk about the championship; and outside of them, they would also have a hard time ascending to the final championship without a character puzzle like Caruso.

So, looking at the 2025-26 season, which non-star players may become the turning point in the fate of other teams? In the following list, we have selected six players, six of whom missed the All-Star in the past three years, but are very likely to affect the direction of the league in the playoffs.

Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)

mentions the X factor, and the Timberwolves' McDaniels is definitely on the list.

Since becoming the Timberwolves' starter in 2022, McDan has been regarded as a typical 3D forward. But over the past two seasons, he has begun to show more hidden skills, especially in mid-range shooting, which makes people see some of the new era Bathir smell.

But the problem is that the Timberwolves' lineup is not enough to support the team's progress. The Wolves neither got a big name in the free market during the offseason, nor lost Alexander Walker in vain. To avoid regression, the Wolves in the new season must rely on the growth of their young core.

People such as Terence Shannon, Dillingham, Jaylen Clark, etc., all have potential, but among them, McDaniels is the closest person to helping the team change qualitatively. If he can grow from a stable starter to a star level, the Timberwolves will have a chance to touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals again.

Reed Shepard (Rockets)

For the Rockets in the new season, the lineup looks luxurious enough on paper, but in terms of details, it is always almost interesting in offense.

The regular season record was excellent last season, but they played a mess in the playoff half-court offense, and their offensive efficiency was at the mid-range level of the playoff team. It is obvious that before moving to the final stage, the Rockets lack a person who can independently create offensive opportunities at critical moments.

And Shepard's role is to solve this problem the best opportunity.

As the 2024 Tanhua Show, Shepard's jump shot efficiency in Kentucky is quite excellent. But unfortunately, his rookie performance was poor in the season. He only played for 654 minutes throughout the season, and averaged only 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. His offensive efficiency was bleak, and he lost the trust of the coach early on.

If the Rockets really want to upgrade from a playoff team to a championship team, Shepard must complete the transformation in his offensive role. From the edge of the bench to the rotation of the main force, it even grew into a No. 2 offensive point that could share the pressure of Durant and Shin Kyung. This is also the key to the Rockets' increase in the upper limit in the new season.

Cameron Johnson (Nuggets)

The Nuggets last season used all their strength, but eventually got out of the Thunder. The reason for the failure is simple: outside the core lineup, there are really few people who can stand up.

Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Braun, these four points are still stable. Porter Jr. is also theoretically among them, but he was basically completely lost in the playoffs, averaging 18.2 points per game in the regular season, and only 9.1 points remain in the playoffs.

Cameron Johnson, this is the puzzle the Nuggets found to solve this problem. As a tall shooter similar to Porter Jr., he has a stable shot, but his defense is average, and his attributes are not much different from Porter Jr.

It's just that for the Nuggets, he doesn't need too many fancy skills. As long as he can hit a few outside points at critical moments and copy a healthy version of Porter, it's enough for the Nuggets.

Micard Bridges (Knicks)

For the Knicks, their X-factor can be Bridges or Miro. But considering Miro has been suffering from injuries all year round, the final choice was given to Bridges.

In the core offensive system of Brunson and Towns, the Knicks' biggest question fell on the defensive end without any surprise. Both the core inside and outside are not strong points in defense, and the remaining answer lies in the three core wings around them: Bridges, Hart, and Anunobi.

Hart and Anunobi have proved their worth, but for Bridges, he neither was able to become a top defender during the Suns, and seemed to be a little lacking in offensive space points. But even so, the Knicks still gave him a big contract, naturally hoping that he can realize the potential of top 3D.

If Bridges can regain the shooting speed and play well in offense and defense, then it will be the real window for the Knicks to win. Otherwise, this luxurious lineup will probably end up being a game of flowers on paper.

Lonzo Ball (Cavs)

After the trade came to Mitchell, the Cavaliers formed a four-core lineup. The combination of Mitchell + Garland + Allen + Mobley seems to be worth looking forward to, but it has been criticized a lot over the years. The repetition of the inside attributes, the overlapping of the backcourt characters, and the vacant defense of the outside are all old problems that have always troubled them.

And to solve these problems, Lonzo Ball, is probably the answer they need much. As a second-tier pick in 2017, he has excellent outside defense and can also launch fast breaks and connect the team with precise passes. Although the offensive three-point shooting is not stable, the progress after entering the league is enough for the opponent to dare not ignore him.

From paper, Ball's attributes are a perfect puzzle, and the only flaw is his health. In the past three years, Ball has only played 35 regular games. For the Cavaliers, the regular season may not be important. The key is how to ensure that Ball can play stably in the playoffs.

If the Cavaliers can do a good job of Ball's load management and keep him healthy from April to June, the Cavaliers have a full chance to become an Eastern disruptor. Otherwise, they would probably have to roll back and forth in the first round.

Podjmsky (Warriors)

For the Warriors last season, their regular season record was actually completely beyond expectations, but from the playoffs, they need to understand one thing: if the team wants to move forward, they can no longer rely on Curry alone.

As the 11th scoring player in the league last season, Curry's offensive level is still top-notch, but after all, he is 37 years old and can no longer fight hard in the regular season and playoffs. Butler and Green around him are also veterans, and they cannot fully expect them to maintain offensive output throughout the whole process.

It is obvious that the Warriors are in urgent need of a third reliable scoring point. Considering Kumingga's offseason and the team's embarrassing situation, the only person who is likely to fill the gap in the new season is Podjemsky.

For this first round pick in 2023, he struggled in the first half of last season and even received criticism from fans for a time. But starting from January, the guard's form began to recover. In the last 33 games of the regular season, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting percentage of 46.6% and three-point shooting percentage as high as 41%.

And if he can continue this state into the new season, the Warriors will have the third viable offensive choice after Curry and Butler, and have the chance to go further than last season; as long as this is done, the Warriors will be successful enough, after all, they basically gain nothing in the offseason signing.