Jeremy Woo
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Jeremy Woo
ESPN
Chris Herring
Mar 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
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As the 2024-25 NBA season enters its final weeks, it's a good time to look back at how the breakout players we forecasted in October have fared this season -- both the predictably good and the surprisingly underwhelming.
In the preseason, we projected outcomes for 11 breakout players, including how Evan Mobley could emerge as the centerpiece of the Cleveland Cavaliers' offense, but didn't anticipate Golden State's Brandin Podziemski taking a step back in efficiency.
Let's look back at some of the hits and misses on how those players fared, and with insights from ESPN's Chris Herring, paint a Way-Too-Early look at the players who could take leaps ahead in 2025-26.
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[https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/\_/id/44404755/nba-breakout-players-hits-misses-5-picks-2025-26#hits">Breakout hits](
Breakout misses](
Way-Too-Early picks for 2025-26
Looking back at the hits
Cleveland Cavaliers
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