30 CRITICAL Questions For 30 NBA Young Cores | Atlantic Division
Our own Nathan Grubel begins his 2025-26 NBA season preview series by evaluating critical questions surrounding each team's young core, starting with the Atlantic Division.
The 2025-26 NBA season is ALMOST HERE!
It’s felt like an eternity to get to this point, but NBA fans are almost back in front of their screens with live basketball to consume and enjoy.
With preseason games getting underway in short order, it’s a great time to evaluate each NBA team’s young core by asking and answering some critical questions that will impact both this season and beyond for each franchise.
I’ll be going through each division one by one to ask and answer a question involving one or multiple young players in the league, as there’s a reason to watch any team on any given night.
Let’s get started with the Atlantic Division!
Boston Celtics
Question: Is Jordan Walsh Ready To Impact The Celtics’ Rotation?
There was little doubt that the Boston Celtics would undergo significant changes heading into this season based on where the financial payroll was projected.
Then the injury to Jayson Tatum occurred last year in the postseason, and it was all but assured that the roster was headed towards a potential “gap year” in 2025-26.
This isn’t to say the Celtics aren’t a potential playoff squad, as Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard are still key pieces in the organization. Anfernee Simons brings backcourt depth, and shrewd signings like Luke Garza and Chris Boucher provide some needed muscle and shooting versatility up front, respectively.
What Boston is missing without Tatum in the lineup, however, is some defensive versatility alongside Brown on the wing.
Jrue Holiday was valuable in that regard because he helped the Celtics switch everything on the perimeter. His length and competitiveness helped him guard bigger wings and forwards depending on the matchup.
Without Holiday, the Celtics’ lineups are even smaller outside of playing Boucher alongside another big.
Jordan Walsh may very well be an answer to solving this problem to a certain extent, as long as his offense is ready to contribute in a meaningful way.
Walsh stands at 6’6” but possesses incredible length that allows him to guard up and down the lineup in any way a team needs him to. The reason he spent most of his rookie season in Maine with the G League squad was to refine his offensive game.
In that time with Maine, Walsh shot over 35% from three-point range on nearly SIX attempts per game, a drastic step up in terms of volume and production from where he was as a freshman at Arkansas heading into the 2023 NBA Draft.
He’s played under 500 NBA minutes, but took another positive step forward in this past Las Vegas Summer League, stuffing the stat sheet and shooting effectively from deep.
If Walsh can knock down enough spot-up threes and make the extra pass when needed offensively, his ability to cover multiple positions could help solidify the team’s second unit and provide depth in case other starters need to miss time. Walsh’s development has been a question of mine the last few seasons, and this is his opportunity in a third year to prove he’s ready to take on more of a role in the big leagues.
Brooklyn Nets
Question: Which of the Nets' Draft Selections/Offseason Acquisitions Wins The Starting Point Guard Job?
Scouts, executives, and fans alike were all perplexed by the draft-day decisions of the Brooklyn Nets this past June, as the team elected to keep all of its FIVE first-round selections and use the vast majority of them on backcourt personnel.
Most notably, Egor Demin and Nolan Traore are expected to vie for the team’s starting point guard position.
What’s key in this equation is that Demin suffered a plantar fascia tear in Summer League, limiting his activity ahead of training camp for the Nets. He’s going to be ramping up as the weeks go on. Seeing as though he’s a rookie, the organization might not want to throw him into that much of a fire, despite the notion that wins won’t exactly be at the top of the priority list, given the construction of the roster.
That leaves Traore, a highly touted prospect from France, in line to see some real opportunity at lead guard. Ben Saraf, another notable overseas prospect, was drafted in the mold of a bigger combo guard/wing, but has experience handling the ball from his time with Ratiopharm Ulm. Big man Danny Wolf essentially played point center last year at Michigan, so involving him more in the offense during his minutes wouldn’t be a surprise either.
However, there’s one more candidate for the starting point guard job that just made his way to Brooklyn in recent weeks: Kobe Bufkin.
Bufkin was a roster casualty of the crunch for the Atlanta Hawks, given the team’s financial motivations to extend key pieces such as Dyson Daniels. He’s suffered multiple injuries over his first few seasons, leaving the former Michigan guard with little NBA regular-season experience to hang his hat on.
That being said, Bufkin did have an encouraging Summer League in which he was aggressive as a downhill driver and playmaker. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from deep, but the Nets have several play finishers from different spots on the court in newly acquired Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton. Cam Thomas will also dominate a large usage percentage, so Brooklyn really just needs a capable table setter to come in and make everyone’s life easier.
Demin was drafted for his gift of elite vision and passing touch, but if he’s not ready to take on the brunt of being the team’s starting lead guard right out of the gate, it wouldn’t shock me to see Bufkin get those reps. The Nets could choose to start a little bigger and make Thomas the de facto point guard, given his improvements playing out of pick-and-roll last season, but Bufkin adds an element that Thomas doesn’t bring in spades in terms of rim pressure and spraying the ball out to open shooters.
Bufkin will get his chances for Brooklyn, whether as a starter or key option off the bench.
New York Knicks
Question: Who Is More Likely To Earn A Rotational Spot: Tyler Kolek Or Pacome Dadiet?
We are still waiting to see how the New York Knicks roster settles out, given a few guys who need a spot based on projected training camp deals, such as Malcolm Brogdon.
If the Knicks have to make room for another vet or two, that means one of their most recent draft picks could be headed out in another deal to open up said spot(s). That begs the question: who is more likely to not only keep their spot on the team but potentially even compete for a rotational spot this upcoming season between Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet?
Kolek came into the league as one of the best pick-and-roll college guards in recent memory. His usage rate in the play type, as well as efficiency as a scorer and distributor, propped him firmly on draft radars ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. He’s a crafty operator who knows how to snake ball screens, use driving angles, and has touch from the elbows and in to hit runners and pull-ups with space. New York found some ball-handling juice late in the postseason, but that was a clear weak spot behind Jalen Brunson and Deuce McBride.
Bringing in the aforementioned Brogdon and Jordan Clarkson will help on that front, providing enough depth that can run an offense in a pinch, as well as adding some shooting versatility in the backcourt. Is having those veteran contributors enough to move off Kolek, especially when you consider Dadiet’s potential trajectory as a wing defender and spot-up shooter?
Dadiet had an impactful season overseas two seasons ago, playing for Ratiopharm Ulm and standing out as a shot creator and rangy defender. At 6’8”, Dadiet has great size and length to battle with multiple positions defensively. Dadiet got some run in the G League last sesason, but he wasn’t particularly efficient. Still, he was one of the youngest players in the 2024 NBA Draft, so it was to be expected that some patience would be required.
If Dadiet can showcase some shooting improvements in the preseason for the Knicks, he could earn a deep rotational spot in New York to provide depth behind wings like Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby.
After all, it’s a new day in the Big Apple. Mike Brown steps in to replace Tom Thibodeau as head coach, and the league is more about having a bench filled with young contributors than ever before.
Every team needs depth in the regular season to withstand injuries, and Dadiet has a chance to get his shot at playing time based on his positional archetype.
IF a roster crunch needs to happen, I’d find it difficult to believe that Dadiet would be on the way out of New York. Give him time to develop, and he has the chance to break out this season or next as a rotational contributor for the Knicks.
Philadelphia 76ers
Question: Which Young Wing Can Become A Primary Perimeter Defender?
We all know the season for the Sixers rides on far more than the performance of young talent, BUT there’s still a key opportunity for any of the team’s emerging wings on the defensive end of the floor.
In seasons past, Philadelphia hung its hat on defense behind arguably the best two-way center in basketball in Joel Embiid. He was a one-man rim protector AND deterrent, both contesting shots around the basket from opposing big men in the post as well as limiting backcourt drivers from even getting into the paint to take an efficient shot or dish out to other scorers.
But with Embiid potentially sidelined at the start of the season for an unknown period of time, the 76ers must find a defensive identity that’s not built around the failsafe of Joel.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, given the team’s personnel.
Last season, the team’s defensive rating ranked in the 98th percentile per Cleaning The Glass when Embiid was on the floor. But when he wasn’t on it? Philly ranked in the bottom five of the league in several categories across the board. For multiple seasons, the 76ers haven’t had the type of personnel on the perimeter to routinely contain drivers and limit easy paint touches and kick-out opportunities.
I’m cautiously optimistic that one or two answers exist on the roster outside of the aging Paul George. Quentin Grimes has made a name for himself in the NBA as not only a lethal spot-up shooter but also a capable on-ball defensive option on the wing. Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe is coming into the NBA as one of basketball’s best athletes and chaotic defensive playmakers. Is he ready to handle the physicality of guarding some of the best wings the NBA has to offer? Could Justin Edwards take a meaningful step forward defensively and offer some of the versatility needed at 6’8” with solid length and lateral mobility?
One of these three players is going to have to answer that call in short order if Philadelphia wants to be competitive early on in the year. I mentioned Embiid’s uncertain status, but George also seems to be in that same boat. Guerschon Yabusele is in New York with the Knicks this upcoming season, and Grimes has yet to sign a new contract at the time of writing this piece.
Edgecombe and Edwards will have A LOT on their plates to open up the season alongside a guy who has yet to put together a consistent backcourt defensive campaign in Tyrese Maxey. Yet Maxey preached during the team’s media day that the team needs to bring the same effort night in and night out, regardless of who is able to play.
That kind of energy is crucial to forming the backbone of a contender in the Eastern Conference. Right now, the organization is hoping that the team’s youngest talent can follow that lead and bring some toughness defensively to limit penetration and keep the team’s back-up bigs out of foul trouble in Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, and Johni Broome.
Toronto Raptors
Question: Where Does Collin Murray-Boyles Fit Into Toronto’s Rotation?
In more ways than one, Collin Murray-Boyles fits the identity of what Masai Ujiri was building from a roster perspective in Toronto.
After the Raptors won an NBA championship, the organization continued to buy into drafting and developing big wings and forwards with size, length, and ball-handling utility. This was highlighted most by Scottie Barnes, a 6’9” do-it-all point forward who has continued to round out the rest of his offensive game. He hasn’t quite been the superstar player that many wanted him to be on draft night, but he’s still a crucial piece to what Toronto wants to do moving forward.
And if the Raptors were to be successful in surrounding him with more players that can physically dictate matchups on both ends of the floor, that’s a pain-in-the-neck squad to have to play night in and night out.
But at some point, shooting HAS to be a priority. So, in two recent drafts, the Raptors have attempted to address that issue with Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter. Not to mention the acquisitions of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram.
A number of those players aren’t traditional catch-and-shoot threats, but they are capable on-ball scorers put around Barnes who can move the ball and get him easier looks than he’s had in previous years.
Murray-Boyles can do that very thing, just in a different way.
Shooting is his largest question mark, and potentially his only massive weak spot. Everything else about his game, from his driving to his finishing to his defensive utility, is built to withstand the physicality of the NBA. Murray-Boyles has a unique combination of length, foot speed, and bulk as a 6’7” forward. He has the appearance of a plodder, but he’s far from it. His ability to switch onto the perimeter and cover wings and guards in a pinch was one of his most celebrated characteristics coming into last year’s draft.
Does he space the floor for Barnes like some of the other recent acquisitions the team has made? No, but he can play off Barnes in different ways. Murray-Boyles can operate out of the post, both high and low, and cut along the baseline. He’s a mismatch nightmare, able to bully smaller wings and forwards, but quick enough with his handle to take bigger players off the bounce and beat them in a foot race to the basket. Murray-Boyles has great vision as a secondary creator, meaning he can find Barnes as he’s moving off the ball if defenses choose to send help to contain Murray-Boyles as a driver or post-up scorer.
In terms of his playmaking, it’s a skill that can help liven up second and third units as well. Guys like Walter and Jamal Shead are capable ball movers off the bench, but neither can command the attention of opposing defenders like Murray-Boyles can.
On draft night, Murray-Boyles seemed like an interesting selection given the team’s prior investments in non-shooting frontcourt players. But none of them are *quite* like Murray-Boyles. His strengths still complement the others on the roster in more ways than one, and his upward trajectory as a secondary hub and mismatch scorer should still allow him to earn plenty of rotational minutes, especially if his defense is as good as advertised at the NBA level.
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