30 CRITICAL Questions For 30 NBA Young Cores | Central and Southeast Divisions
Our own Nathan Grubel continues his 2025-26 NBA season preview series by evaluating critical questions surrounding each team's young core, this time covering the Central and Southeast Divisions.
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 the remaining divisions two at a time 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 finish out the Eastern Conference with the Central and Southeast Divisions!
Central Division
Chicago Bulls
Question: Is Matas Buzelis in line for a MASSIVE sophomore leap?
Matas Buzelis really started to put together a more complete scoring game once the calendar flipped to February last season.
He recorded three straight months averaging 12+ points per game, while stepping out of his comfort zone on a higher volume of three-point attempts than he had earlier in his rookie year. Buzelis also asserted himself as a downhill driver, as he got to the free-throw line at a much higher clip.
Buzelis was a confident scorer in the G League for Ignite despite his inefficiencies as a pull-up scorer and shooter. But Buzelis really put together some significant flashes in those departments by season’s end.
He’s already a mismatch nightmare at 6’10” with his long strides and ball-handling ability. Buzelis can take bigs off the bounce and blow by them, while also being able to shoot over or dunk on opposing wings and guards. If Buzelis has a clear runway to the basket, he’ll put anyone in his way on a poster.
But what if Buzelis takes another leap as a shooter, even on midrange attempts? What if he can develop a two-dribble shot, or a fadeaway on post-ups against smaller wings? His improved physicality should put him on pace to increase his charity stripe attempts even further. Just what can Buzelis do from a scoring perspective in his second season?
The Chicago Bulls have several ball-handlers with plus vision who can put Buzelis in position to succeed from a finishing standpoint. If Buzelis can show more creativity as a secondary option, on top of his noted defensive impact around the basket and as a help defender, then he has a clear path to breaking out as one of the top young forwards in the NBA.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Question: Which of the team’s young players can crack the rotation?
Early on in the preseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers stated that Jaylon Tyson has the early track to step in and claim a rotation spot based on playing time among the youngsters.
Tyson has started in multiple contests alongside the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. As a wing creator, Tyson’s quick passing and spot-up shooting are a breath of fresh air for a team that’s been searching for more options at the small forward position outside of Max Strus and Dean Wade.
Where Tyson showed the most room for growth as a rookie, other than just pure offensive consistency, is on the ball as a defender. Tyson wasn’t great in that department in limited minutes as a rookie, and didn’t have positive metrics in the G League either. Clearly, from early tape in the preseason and from his stint in Summer League, adding to his frame and becoming stronger were clear offseason priorities for Tyson to take a step forward.
If Tyson can’t step up and guard wings, then he doesn’t have a place among the other core players of Cleveland’s rotation. The Cavaliers have several star guards who aren’t plus defenders, and though Wade has size at 6’10”, he isn’t a ball stopper by any means. But if Tyson can continue to stay in front of wing matchups and create plays defensively, he’s a great bet to soak up minutes due to his outside shooting touch.
I’m still a fan of both Craig Porter Jr. and Nae’Qwan Tomlin as well. Porter, in particular, has already stood out as a backup guard for the Cavaliers after a surprise rookie season and solid second year in the league. Tomlin has spent his career essentially in the G League, but really upped his production as last season went on as an athletic stretch forward who’s shown flashes of putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim unassisted.
Cleveland won’t give these guys starter-level minutes during a season where a championship is still the goal. But in terms of finding roles during the regular season, I’d expect Tyson and Porter to get the most looks, with Tomlin being an outside sleeper to contribute and play more minutes this year.
Detroit Pistons
Question: Is Ron Holland a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate?
I’m a sucker for finding outlier and longshot players to wager on in the offseason for specific awards.
As such, I love digging into the tape of the NBA’s youngest players to figure out who would be in for an unexpected leap.
Ron Holland isn’t a sleeper. He was at one point a projected option for the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft before the G League Ignite program took a downturn.
However, he wasn’t a starter in the league last year either. He came off the bench for the Detroit Pistons, and with this team in prime position to build on a successful Eastern Conference campaign last year, it’s difficult to imagine Holland stepping into a starter’s role this year either.
Not starting doesn’t limit a player’s growth, though, so long as they’re getting minutes and reps. Holland should soak up both for the Pistons, as he’s the perfect energizer off the bench as a bulldozer offensively, with a pitbull nature defensively.
Holland just lives to outwork his competition on the floor: hustle plays, ballhawking steals, help-side blocks, and transition buckets. Holland can produce in limited minutes by just putting forth the most effort of anyone on the court.
Offensively, Holland put on a display at Summer League that showcased improved confidence in his jump shot and on-ball creativity. Holland found gaps in the defense and piled up attempts at the basket. He stepped into three-point shots and even knocked down contested looks, showing off a quicker, more fluid motion with a much cleaner transfer of energy from his gather to his follow-through.
Knocking down open corner threes would be a great step in the right direction for Holland, as Cade Cunningham needs as many shooters as possible to spray the ball out to off his drive-and-kicks. Holland can catch and rip with the best of them should a defender close out too hard, but if defenders don’t respect his shot, it’s nice to see any examples of Holland making them pay.
And to be fair, Holland was a willing shooter in his rookie season with the Pistons. He just wasn’t effective in actually getting those shots to fall. Seeing him pour into his shooting mechanics and shot preparation will be music to Detroit’s ears as he looks to build upon his first year in the league.
If Holland can shoot a respectable clip from three, while putting up production in terms of rebounding, steals, blocks, and at-rim scoring? He could wind up in conversations as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, especially if the Pistons keep winning games and position well for the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers
Question: Is this FINALLY the Jarace Walker breakout season?
If someone had asked me to bet on an over/under for Jarace Walker’s career minutes through his first two seasons pre-draft, and set the line at 1,600 minutes, I would’ve happily taken that over based on my evaluations of him as a prospect.
Sadly, that wager would’ve lost, as Walker has yet to reach that mark heading into his third season. Walker did get some more opportunities last year with the Indiana Pacers, but suffered an injury in the playoffs that ended his run as a bench contributor.
Walker has yet to assert himself as a starting-level forward in the NBA, but he hasn’t gotten much of a chance to do so. Indiana is a deep team, and for the last few years went massively underrated before an NBA Finals run silenced a lot of non-believers.
Walker’s strengths as a player are tied to his unique blend of physicality, motor, and ball handling. Walker is a much smoother operator with the rock in his hands than he’s been given credit for, yet his primary NBA role has been as a floor spacer rather than a middle-of-the-floor roller and cutter. Walker can handle and find guys on the move, but hasn’t been given much opportunity to show what he can do going towards the rim. Every time I watch him, it feels like he’s getting up more and more threes.
And shooting for Walker isn’t a bad thing! It’s important for anyone in today’s NBA who touches the ball to have some level of outside shooting comfort. But there’s a difference between having an outside shot in his bag, and relying on it to the degree that it’s dictated his role early in his career.
Walker hasn’t been a lights-out shooter through his first two NBA seasons, and has registered just 17 roll attempts in two regular seasons per Synergy Sports.
Viewing Walker more as a finishing forward who can pop out from beyond the arc rather than a spot-up wing could help him find a role offensively. Walker’s strength advantages shouldn’t be an afterthought in terms of how he’s utilized.
If the Pacers can mix up some of Walker’s offensive diet to leverage more of his ability closer to the basket, then maybe he could show off more of his passing and mismatch scoring. Defensively, there’s room for him to grow as a defender away from the basket, but positioning him more around the basket as a help defender could also play to Indiana’s strengths, as this team needs someone to step up and log some minutes at the center spot—even in a small-ball capacity with the Myles Turner departure.
I’m hoping this is the year Walker breaks out for Indiana. He’s logged more playing time already in the preseason, and he looks to be on his way to a rotational spot. The Pacers have to find out who Jarace is sooner rather than later.
Milwaukee Bucks
Question: Is Andre Jackson the best perimeter defender on the Bucks?
There’s one particularly MASSIVE question about the Milwaukee Bucks heading into this season, but I don’t feel the need to touch on that here.
Instead, I’m focused on who can step up around Giannis Antetokounmpo to make sure the Bucks are as competitive as possible in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis and Myles Turner form a solid one-two punch offensively in the frontcourt, with plenty to work with around the basket defensively. Throw in Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma, and this team has a front-line framework of a winner in the East.
However, there are five positions on the floor in the game of basketball. Guard play and perimeter defense are crucial to limiting penetration and the displacement of defenders. Even the best of schemes paint and in can be blown to bits by the lack of players who can hold their own and create pressure/force turnovers on the outside.
So, who is the best player to actually step up and guard opposing backcourt threats without having to pull another player out who is better suited at covering forwards/helping on the backline?
Andre Jackson Jr. is the best candidate on the current iteration of this roster.
Jackson was a standout defensive playmaker during his college days at UConn, offering versatility as a steals artist, weakside shot blocker, and full-court pressure cooker on opposing ball handlers.
When Jackson has gotten the opportunity to step up and guard quality players in the NBA, he’s done his part. He anticipates where guys want to go, and uses his feet, hip mobility, and quick hands to get the best of those matchups. Jackson is a defensive event waiting to happen.
Now Jackson’s offense is a different story. He’s an excellent weapon in transition both on and off the ball, but he doesn’t have a role in the halfcourt outside of the occasional backdoor cut. In college, he showed some passing chops as a secondary creator, but his lack of an outside shot has limited growth in that department.
There’s no question Jackson has to shoot it in order to help keep his team’s offense afloat when he’s on the floor. But frankly, given Milwaukee’s other options, there might not be enough of a reason to keep him away from a significant rotational role as he heads into his third NBA season.
AJ Green has improved each season as a perimeter defender to his credit, but he’s not the type of all-purpose perimeter defender Jackson is. And neither Ryan Rollins nor Kevin Porter Jr. has proven they’re overly effective at the point of attack the way Jackson can be.
If the Bucks want to win higher-leverage games in the East, then this team has to figure out how to incorporate Jackson offensively so that he can run wild on defense. Otherwise, there’s no resistance to potentially constant slicing and dicing of the team’s other perimeter personnel.
Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks
Question: Is Dyson Daniels Atlanta’s answer at backup point guard?
Ever since the Atlanta Hawks traded Kobe Bufkin to free up some additional financial flexibility, there’s a rather large hole at the backup point guard spot.
After Trae Young, the next “point guard” in the rotation would be Keaton Wallace, brother of Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace. While Keaton is a nice option to have towards the end of the bench, he’s not the type of answer the Hawks are looking for in terms of contending in the Eastern Conference—at least, he hasn’t proven to be that up to this point.
So other than trying to sniff around the trade market, or hope for a buyout candidate to make their way to Atlanta, where can the Hawks go to fill those minutes while Young is off the floor?
Dyson Daniels is the team’s best bet to take on those minutes and fill that role.
Back when Daniels was a prospect with G League Ignite, he was the team’s lead guard. Jaden Hardy played off him as a primary scorer and secondary playmaker. Daniels was the one who consistently brought the ball up the floor, ran pick-and-roll, and created for others with his downhill pressure. As that season went on, Daniels flashed some advanced passing craft in ball-screen actions. Between his playmaking and defense, those were the two things that propped up his lottery stock even though he wasn’t a reliable jump shooter yet.
Giving Daniels the option to run point with the second unit could offer multiple benefits for the Hawks. For starters, it gives the team an answer to that backup role and takes pressure off trying to find someone else—or put someone else in a spot he might not be ready to take on.
Second, Daniels getting those reps could strengthen his floor game to where he can take on more of those reps alongside Trae in the starting lineup. Through Atlanta’s preseason action, we’ve already seen Young being a willing cutter and movement shooter when Jalen Johnson, Daniels, or Zaccharie Risacher have handled the rock. Young is a dynamic weapon away from the basketball as much as he is on it, because he commands the defense’s attention no matter where he is on the floor. He’s always a threat to penetrate, kick, or go to his patented floater. Also, as a roving shooter, Young can stretch and displace defenses, opening up free lanes to the rim for the team’s slashers.
The more Atlanta can get to some of those looks, the better for its free-flowing offensive system. This team has the chance to be a Top 5 offense in the entire NBA, and that hope is magnified if Daniels can grab the reins as a lead ball-handler alongside Young in the short term.
Charlotte Hornets
Question: Is Kon Knueppel ready to start on the wing between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller?
I’ve been very impressed with Kon Kneuppel both in Summer League and the preseason.
He has yet to register a solid percentage from three in the preseason contests so far for the Charlotte Hornets, and he only connected on 34% of his triples in Las Vegas. But overall, given his prior pedigree as a 40-plus percent sniper across college and what data we have from his grassroots days, I’m not concerned about the small sample size illustrated above.
Knueppel has gotten great looks from distance, too. He’s so aware of where he needs to be on the floor to make his life easier, as well as his teammates. And when he’s pulled defenders out to the perimeter, he’s been able to get downhill and use his head and ball fakes playing off two feet to set himself up for buckets at the rim.
The level of poise that Knueppel plays with already as a rookie is spectacular. He’s unfazed by the speed of the game and knows where he wants to get to and how to get there on any given possession. Defensively, he’s held his own using his strong frame to make contact and bump opposing ball handlers off their spots.
Charlotte NEEDS smart ball movers in the lineup that can hit outside shots. To me, the team’s best option moving forward is to start Knueppel alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. A more traditional approach may be to start Collin Sexton and bring Knueppel off the bench, but Kon is ready to contribute to winning now. He needs the experience and has to build chemistry with his other young mainstays. No team wins a large number of games without that core chemistry on both ends of the floor.
No, the Hornets aren’t going to emerge and win a largely unexpected number of games in the East. But this team can take meaningful steps forward in terms of playing competitive basketball on a nightly basis with the contributions from Knueppel, plus the two-way developments of Miller and Ball.
I really thought the Hornets nailed this prior draft by taking smart players who understand their roles and have pathways to contributing right away. Knueppel is a win-now and later type of wing who embodies dribble, pass, and shoot. Liam McNeeley shares a number of those qualities while standing over 6’8” tall. Ryan Kalkbrenner has looked better in preseason action as he’s gotten more used to the pace of play in the NBA. Sion James has experience playing several different positions and handling numerous roles in college basketball.
This franchise can turn things around. It starts with Ball and Miller, but it involves Knueppel in a meaningful way. Let him cook with the starters and give him as many minutes as he can handle in order to build on his strengths, and start addressing any potential weaknesses as a defender and pull-up scorer.
Miami Heat
Question: Is Nikola Jovic a sneaky Most Improved Player candidate?
The player I was most encouraged by in FIBA Eurobasket play this past summer was Nikola Jovic.
He put together a quiet last few years in the NBA, but anyone who’s watched enough Miami Heat basketball has known for a while that Jovic was due for a breakout as a 6’9” shooter who can put the ball on the floor and create.
Perhaps most encouraging about his game is the shooting element, as Serbia utilized Jovic as a legitimate movement shooter, and he thrived in the role. Jovic shot 52.4% from deep during the competition. Yes, it’s a small sample size, BUT he was already trending in the right direction last year as he shot 36% on 209 catch-and-shoot threes per Synergy Sports.
This Miami Heat team has needed more spacing around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro for quite some time. Through trade, the team has acquired Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins, who can both knock down spot-up shots. Duncan Robinson is out the door to the Detroit Pistons, but Jovic is ready to step into more of that movement shooting role.
The more spacing Miami can have around the Bam-Herro pick-and-roll, the better off this offense will be. What’s more enticing is having second and third options who can make plays off the bounce without committing turnovers at a high rate. Jovic offers that, as well as Powell. Second-year wing Pelle Larsson figures to be in the rotation more, and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis will do well setting the table for the second unit off the bench.
Some are down on the Heat in terms of how high the club can finish in the East. Personally, I think this is a deep roster that’s hungry to compete for Erik Spoelstra. Throw in potential breakout center Kel’el Ware, and this team is young, hungry, and willing to do what it takes to win on both ends of the floor.
Give me the “over” for Miami’s win total, and give me Jovic as a longshot to win Most Improved Player.
Orlando Magic
Question: What would an Anthony Black leap mean for the Magic backcourt?
The Orlando Magic are in prime position to make a significant leap up the standings in the Eastern Conference, thanks to continued developments from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, along with the offseason acquisition of Desmond Bane via trade.
The starting lineup for the Magic is one to be reckoned with, between the aforementioned trio plus Jalen Suggs coming back from injury, and Wendell Carter Jr. in the middle.
But what is the bench rotation going to look like for Orlando?
Tyus Jones comes in as one of the team’s first guards off the bench to replace Cole Anthony. Jonathan Isaac is a versatile chess piece defensively who offers excellent value if he can shoot from distance. Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze are solid options at the backup center spot. And the team expects contributions from its young additions in Jase Richardson, Tristan Da Silva, and Jett Howard.
But what if Anthony Black is able to take a leap in his development?
Black has spent most of his minutes flipping between both backcourt positions depending on the construction of the lineup. He’s become a better shooter from the corners as an off-ball threat, and he can fly down the court in transition to put pressure on defenses.
If Black is able to take another step forward as an on-ball defender and on-ball driver offensively, there are some really intriguing possibilities for how Orlando can close games. Black is a 6’7” guard who does a great job at making plays away from the ball defensively. He can play passing lanes, and he has great instincts and timing on doubles and traps to force turnovers and help on rotations.
Having that level of defender next to both Suggs and Bane offers lineup flexibility should one or both have to miss time. This team needs not only spacing, but athletic ability to feed into its defense-first identity.
Black needs to continue tightening his handle as a downhill driver in order to weave in between defenders and get into the teeth of the defense, but Orlando has several great screen setters to give Black separation and a lane to the rim—even if he’s not the best at creating one on an island.
If Black becomes the type of chess piece he was billed to be coming out of the 2023 NBA Draft, then there may not be another team in the East that can match the jumbo lineups the Magic can reliably put on the floor. If he takes a leap, that means the Magic become that much more of a serious contender to not only make it out of the East, but to possibly win an NBA championship.
Washington Wizards
Question: Is Tre Johnson a better Rookie of the Year candidate than advertised?
At this point, it’s a bit edgy to predict anyone other than Cooper Flagg to win NBA Rookie of the Year in 2025-26.
That being said, crazy stuff happens all of the time in sports (just watch one NFL Sunday and you’ll see EXACTLY what I’m talking about).
Should another player find themselves in the thick of the ROTY race, Tre Johnson might very well end up having the best case based on opportunity and volume production.
The Washington Wizards are going to need guys other than CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton who can put the ball in the basket. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George look ready to take sophomore steps forward, but the rest of the young roster remains a rather large question mark.
That’s where Johnson can step in. He was arguably the best scorer AND shooter in the 2025 NBA Draft class, standing at 6’6” with a quick release and offensive versatility in spades. Want to action Johnson as a movement shooter, running him off pin downs and off screens? Great! Want to have Johnson operate in pick-and-roll, or cut to the rim? Those work too! Need him to just lift from the corner and knock down a wing triple? Johnson can do all of those things, and he will get even more efficient over time.
In his first preseason action against the Toronto Raptors, it was evident that Johnson still needs to improve his handle and reads when he has the ball in his hands. He’ll adjust to NBA speed as the year goes on, but this kid already has some touch and craft to him as a scorer, as he showed in his freshman year at Texas and minutes in Las Vegas at Summer League.
The Wizards want to play FAST, and should finish in the upper quadrant of the league in terms of pace and shot attempts. Johnson will be happy to soak up as many of those as he can handle, and as one of the best shooting prospects we’ve seen enter the draft in years—right there with Reed Sheppard. Johnson has the capability to knock in a large number of them and push a scoring average that would put him in contention for potential ROTY honors.
If Flagg plays the entire year and produces the way he already has in the preseason for the Dallas Mavericks, then the award will be his. But Johnson is one of the rookies who could make the race interesting at any given point, and should someone else walk away with the hardware, he’d be my pick as it stands today (although Ace Bailey might have something to say about that).
WEMBY is the new LeBron