New faces, new places: Ranking the top 14 newcomers for the 2025-26 NBA season

Even though the NFL play conscionable kicked off, hoops is coming. Thursday marks 3 weeks until the NBA preseason opens with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers squaring disconnected successful Abu Dhabi.

Although continuity is the sanction of the crippled for the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who bring backmost each subordinate who saw astatine slightest 50 minutes of enactment during past season's playoff run, the teams chasing them person made important changes this offseason, including the Knicks replacing Tom Thibodeau connected the sideline.

The Houston Rockets made the biggest splash, adding two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant to a young halfway that finished 2nd successful the West past play earlier losing successful the opening round. The Denver Nuggets took a antithetic approach, supplementing their Nikola Jokic-led halfway with Cameron Johnson and upgrades to their bench.

Meanwhile, lottery picks specified arsenic the Philadelphia 76ers' VJ Edgecombe could beryllium difference-makers for the improbable teams that jumped up successful May. ESPN's Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton spotlight newcomers to ticker heading into the 2025-26 play -- with manager Mike Brown joining 13 players connected the database -- ranked by who volition beryllium the astir impactful and springiness a look astatine their value adjacent outpouring and beyond.

1. Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

Durant, who turns 37 aboriginal this month, is the best-known subordinate and lone MVP connected this list. The Rockets are hoping helium tin beryllium the finishing portion for a franchise striving for a 3rd NBA championship. His relation successful Houston couldn't beryllium clearer. In joining the nine that finished dormant past successful the league successful effectual tract extremity complaint successful the clutch (43.8%) during the regular season, Durant volition beryllium expected to service arsenic a person and No. 1 enactment connected discourtesy erstwhile the going gets tough. -- Herring

2. Desmond Bane, Orlando Magic

The 27-year-old swingman's determination to the Eastern Conference for 4 first-round picks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony was 1 of the astir seismic moves each summer, and highlighted the...