5) Amen Thompson
With an injury to Jabari Smith Jr., the 2023 second overall pick, Amen Thompson has thrived in his place, averaging a stellar 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.9 steals in 37.7 minutes per game. With Thompson showing out, that calls into question Smith Jr.'s future with the Rockets, especially if the Rockets decide to make a big trade over the summer.
Smith Jr. is set to return soon after the All-Star break, and they will have to decide who to start going forward. Thompson has helped shore up the Rockets' defense with him already being an elite defender in just his second season.
Considering that the Rockets are still rolling with Thompson starting in place of Smith Jr., they may continue with Thompson as their starter. That makes Thompson a key player to watch and possibly makes Smith Jr. expendable.
4) Max Christie
It wasn't that long ago that Max Christie was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and looking like a promising young starter for them. Then, they suddenly traded him and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in an out-of-nowhere blockbuster. That has given him a major opportunity.
Through Christie's first six games with the Mavericks, he's averaging 17.3 points while drilling 45.5% of his threes on 5.5 attempts. That hopefully proves that he can be a valuable player for the Mavs, who detonated their franchise by moving Doncic for seemingly trivial reasons.
With Davis out a month and the Mavs short-handed at center with their two other big men injured, they will likely continue to play small. That could mean that Christie will remain playing north of 30 minutes per game and could continue to thrive as a result.
If he can maintain his impressive shooting efficiency and his scoring output, he could become one of the best value contracts in the NBA. After all, he is set to make a combined $28 million over the next three seasons. That might not take pressure off GM Nico Harrison, but it would help him better justify trading a top-3 NBA superstar for a star and a good young starter.