Predicting every NBA team's breakout player for 2024-25 season

Portland Trail Blazers - Kris Murray

Last season, Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray absolutely played like a rookie second-round draft choice. He averaged 6.1 points while shooting just 39.6 percent from the floor and 26.8 percent from behind the arc. Bumping up his scoring output a few ticks while also increasing his efficiency will be essential for Murray's growth in Portland throughout his second NBA season.

Blazers fans would love it if the sample size was larger, but Murray has been very efficient during the preseason, shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from deep to produce 9.8 points per contest. If Murray can translate this efficiency over to the regular season, he could avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and become a nice piece in this Portland rotation.

Sacramento Kings - Keon Ellis

While they undeniably have a talented offensive team with De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and new forward DeMar DeRozan, the Sacramento Kings have questions defensively. One player who will take on significant responsibility in keeping this team afloat on that end is Keon Ellis, who is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign.

Last year, Ellis averaged 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals per matchup while hitting 41.7 percent of his triples and oftentimes taking on difficult matchups defensively. A do-it-all player like that is something every playoff contender needs, and Ellis is perfect for this Sacramento squad. His role, along with his statistical production, should likely increase mightily this coming season.