Basketball decision-makers, media members and fans alike spend loads of energy projecting breakout stars. It’s an intoxicating part of the sport and inherently linked with the NBA Draft, predicting which players will improve and climb higher up the rungs of the league’s hierarchy.
Not enough time is spent measuring and evaluating breakout role players, despite the collective understanding of their importance. The beginning of a new NBA season brings several new stars to the forefront but it brings even more fledgling impact complementary players carving out a role on their teams.
These aren’t the best, most impactful or most unexpected breakouts but rather a list of four players forging new paths for themselves. I chose to omit second-year players for the sake of this piece but Ajay Mitchell, Cam Spencer, Jaylon Tyson and Reed Sheppard are all worthy breakout role players deserving of praise for their play so far.
Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks
Designating Rollins as a role player is somewhat cheating, given his 91st percentile on-ball rate (32.4 percent) and varied defensive responsibilities, as well as his occasional moonlighting as a primary offensive star. Although, a role player breakout list wouldn’t be complete without Rollins, whose emergence is as responsible for the Milwaukee Bucks’ early success as any factor outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
late in the second quarter, the warriors blitz ryan rollins, milwaukee's primary initiator, after kuminga switched off him. rollins feeds kyle kuzma on the roll and kuz drops it off to myles turner for a dunk
this is the twilight zone pic.twitter.com/DPdKHqcLBx
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 31, 2025
His upgraded offense is helping fuel the Bucks’ elite offense, averaging 16.9 points and 5.4 assists per game on 64 percent true shooting — all career-high marks. While his offensive initiation with Antetokounmpo on the bench is most obvious, he’s a strong fit next to the two-time MVP because of his 3-point shooting and quick ball-moving.
Despite harboring the largest offensive load of his young career, Rollins is still a productive defender, often pressuring opposing ball-handlers beyond half-court. As Milwaukee eventually shifts its focus toward the playoffs in the coming months, Rollins’s two-way versatility will let him fit multiple roles and impact winning against a variety of different matchups.
Mouhamed Gueye, Atlanta Hawks
An emerging Mouhamed Gueye led the 2024-25 Atlanta Hawks in on-off differential (plus-9.4) during 515 total minutes and he’s doing the same in 2025-26 (plus-17.6, 172 minutes). Even a nearly 700-minute sample of on-off data features plenty of noise but most measures will point to Gueye as one of the NBA’s most underrated impact darlings.
The bulk of his value comes on defense, where Gueye weaponizes his size, 7-foot-3 wingspan and incessant motor to block shots, crash the glass and guard the perimeter. His defensive versatility has been enormous for an otherwise shaky defensive center room in Atlanta but his offensive growth this season vaulted Gueye up another tier.
Mo Gueye is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/WjBau9wjsy
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 9, 2025
Gueye wasn’t ever a particularly efficient college or NBA player but he’s averaging a career-best 7.5 points per game on plus-5.6 percent true shooting and making 37 percent of his threes. He’s a brilliant connective passer (4.4 potential assists per minute, 99th percentile) which, paired with his motor and upgraded shooting, makes Gueye one of the most valuable complementary assets in the league.
Svi Mykhailiuk, Utah Jazz
It’s a rare eighth-year leap for Svi Mykhailiuk, who has found himself a steady rotation home with the Utah Jazz. Mykhailiuk joined head coach Will Hardy’s rotation last year; in 2025-26, he’s hitting career-highs in points per game (9.1), minutes per game (27.1) and relative true shooting (plus-4.2 percent).
He isn’t shooting well above his 36.1 percent career average beyond the arc, with his improvements stemming from other areas of his offensive game. The Jazz rely on cuts and off-ball screening more than any other team and that perfectly suits a savvy off-ball mover like Mykhailiuk. He’s converting a career-best 70.6 percent on 2-pointers and while that number will regress, his utility as an off-ball scorer has been clear. Defenders respect his shooting threat, which has opened several cuts to the rim he’s finishing.
svi mykhailiuk is scoring away from the ball at the best rate of his career, posting career-highs in points/g (9.1), 2p% (70.6%) and rTS (+4.2%)
a perfect fit in hardy's off-ball offense not only as a shooter but as an intermediate scorer and ball mover (9 pot ast/100) pic.twitter.com/q9aNw7MRxp
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 10, 2025
Mykhailiuk also averages a career-high in potential assists per 100 possessions (9.0), creating shots for teammates within the flow of Utah’s offense. He’s been a major help for a young, inexperienced Jazz team as one of the league’s better offensive role players but I can’t help but wish to see him on a better team with similar off-ball schematics offensively.
Josh Minott, Boston Celtics
Minott spent the first three seasons of his NBA career buried on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bench and is now receiving his first chance to impact winning with the Boston Celtics. He’s contributing to their slightly overachieving, 15th-ranked defense, which is working to remain afloat after a giant talent exodus this offseason. Minott’s athleticism and energy have been key for the Celtics’ early defensive success.
They’re defending more aggressively than in recent seasons and the 6-foot-9 Minott fits that system, earning a career-high 22.1 minutes per game. He’s placing in the 99th percentile for steals per 100 possessions (3.3), 95th for deflections per 100 (6.5) and 96th for stop rate (four percent), unleashing his explosiveness and length as a digging and rotating defender.
i'm enjoying the josh minott chaos agent emergence for boston's defense this year pic.twitter.com/IL3uURS4QA
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 10, 2025
He’s still finding his way on offense but Minott’s defensive range, motor and finishing are all valuable for an offensively slanted Boston team. As the Celtics play out a transition season, Minott should continue to star on defense and in the open floor while adding some offensive value as a play-finisher and ball mover.
All stats are accurate prior to games played on Nov. 10.
