This is part two of a series highlighting two-way contract breakout candidates for the 2026-27 NBA season. The new season is well underway, but unfortunately for us basketball sickos, most two-way players rarely get any significant run until wintertime, if not the spring. However, this series exists to put you ahead of the curve and make you aware of the guys who are next up in what’s become an increasingly utilized and impactful talent development pipeline in the league.
Earlier this month, we covered three 2026 second round picks who could outplay their two-way contracts as rookies. This time around, we’re talking about three sophomores primed for Year Two leaps. Let’s get after it!
Javon Small (Memphis Grizzlies)
Small was the 48th pick in the 2025 draft and signed a two-way to start his career. The West Virginia product was thrown right into the fire as a freshman, playing 20.2 minutes per game across 41 contests (12 starts) for a Grizzlies team that was ravaged by injuries. In that extended time, he proved himself as one of the most talented two-way players in the association.
Small averaged 9.7 points and 3.7 assists in 2025-26 as a whole. After the All-Star break, he posted 13.1 points and 4.1 assists per night on 50.8/45.7/84.2 shooting splits. A gifted offensive guard, Small can fill up the scoring column while also elevating his teammates as a drive-and-kick playmaker.
He’s not blindingly quick compared to other guys of his archetype, but Small can still torch defenders going downhill with his shifty handle. He has the ball on a string, even when he’s at full speed, and his bag of combos and counters is deep with high pickup moves, double crossovers, Eurosteps, decels, and more. When he attacks off the bounce, he’s intentional about getting all the way to the cup. He very rarely settles for middies.
Small is also a threat from deep, especially off the dribble. He’s a fearless pull-up shooter who drained 41.2% on his 2.4 OTD three-point attempts per game last season, according to Synergy. He hunts long balls coming off ball screens and uses slick step-backs to create space and get them off in isolation.
The concern with Small’s shooting is that his jumper is too slow. He takes too long to load up, which will make it hard for him to get shots off against tighter contests as defenders start to respect him beyond the arc. That’s something he must work on, as is his ability to finish in traffic. He pressures the paint but struggles to convert once he’s inside. Last year, he put up 1.10 points per shot on layups, a 35th percentile rate.
If Small can make those improvements, it will be tough for Memphis to keep him off the floor, even though their backcourt is crowded. His current talent and long-term potential are too high for them not to invest in him.
Chaney Johnson (Brooklyn Nets)
After playing a key bench role for the 2025 Final Four Auburn squad, Chaney Johnson got a training camp invite from the Cleveland Cavaliers as an undrafted free agent. He was cut from his Exhibit 10 deal and sent to the G League (which happens to plenty of guys around the league each fall), and in the G League, he performed well enough to catch the eyes of the Brooklyn Nets and earned a two-way contract with them in December 2025.
With the Nets last year, Johnson saw some major opportunity down the stretch in the spring. The 6’7” power forward finished his rookie campaign with 17 appearances under his belt, and in those games, he averaged 20.5 minutes, 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 steals.
As you can tell from that stat line, versatility headlines Johnson’s value proposition. He’s a multi-talented finisher who makes timely cuts, attacks closeouts comfortably with straight-line drives, and crashes the glass to convert putbacks. He scored 1.37 PPS at the rim last season, which ranked in the 86th percentile. He can space the floor and make sharp connective passes too. Defensively, he’s an active disruptor, evidenced by the 3.93 deflections per 75 possessions he generated in 2025-26, a total that graded out in the 87th percentile according to BBall Index.
Early in 2026-27, Johnson has already been a part of Brooklyn’s rotation. He checked in during the first quarter on their opening night, and on October 24th against the Cavaliers, he chipped in 10 points and five boards in 27 minutes. Jordi Fernandez clearly trusts him, and at this point, the serious breakout feels inevitable for the 24-year-old.
John Tonje (Portland Trail Blazers)
An All-American 2024-25 season at Wisconsin put John Tonje’s name on the map on a national level, and the buzz was enough to get the sixth-year senior drafted in the second round that spring. As a rookie, he split time between the Jazz and the Celtics, although he never actually saw the court for Utah and only logged 42 minutes across six outings with Boston.
Despite being hailed as an NBA-ready prospect, Tonje wasn’t given a chance to shine in year one. That should change in his sophomore campaign with the Trail Blazers.
Tonje’s elevator pitch is simple but convincing: he’s a smart off-ball shooter who doesn’t short-circuit when he has to put the ball on the deck. So far as a pro, he’s mostly been used as a three-point specialist. He attempted 70 threes compared to just 47 shots at the rim in the G League with the Maine Celtics last season, drilling 41.9% of his spot-up tries from outside.
At Wisconsin, though, we saw much more from the “Madison Hammer,” as some students around campus call him. He put up 1.06 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler (93rd percentile), 1.22 PPP in transition (76th percentile), 1.49 PPP as a cutter (88th percentile), and 0.97 PPP in isolation (74th percentile). All in all, Tonje is a dynamic offensive wing who can fit into any lineup and complement stars while also being able to ramp up and call his own number if needed.
Portland has no shortage of talent on their roster overall this year, but they are thin on the wing. Sidy Cissoko and Vit Krejci are being leaned on heavily off the bench early, but neither guy is a sure-fire nightly contributor, unless Cissoko makes the jump some people are anticipating. If one of those two slips, or if Deni Avdija or Toumani Camara get injured, Tonje is worthy of getting a crack at some rotation minutes.
Other names to watch: Walter Clayton Jr. (Dallas Mavericks), Kam Jones (Milwaukee Bucks), Amari Williams (Boston Celtics), LJ Cryer (Golden State Warriors)