New Agent Strength List: Durant becomes the last puzzle of the Rockets Championship. How effective is the Lakers and Nuggets reinforcement?

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The NBA preseason has three weeks left before the start of the game, when the Knicks and the Sixers will face off in Abu Dhabi.

Although maintaining continuity in the roster is a priority for the offseason for defending champion Thunder - they retained every player who played for at least 50 minutes last season's playoff journey - the teams chasing them have made important changes this offseason, including the Knicks' replacement of head coach Tom Thibodeau. The Rockets made the most important signing, recruiting two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant to strengthen his young core lineup. The team ranked second in the Western Conference last season but was eliminated in the first round. The Nuggets have adopted different strategies, using Cameron Johnson and the upgraded substitute to strengthen the lineup with Nicola Jokic as the core.

Meanwhile, a lottery show like 76ers VJ Edgecom could bring changes to teams who accidentally draw mid-to-high picks in May. ESPN reporters Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton highlighted a bunch of new faces worth watching before the start of the 2025-26 season and ranked according to their potential influence. Coach Mike Brown and 13 players made the list. In addition, the article also looks forward to their importance in next spring and the future.

1, Kevin Durant, the Rockets, who will turn 37 later this month, is the most famous player on the list and the only MVP. The Rockets hope that he can become the last piece of puzzle to strive for the third NBA championship in team history. His role in the Rockets couldn't be more clear. The team he joined ranks at the bottom of the league in effective shooting percentage (43.8%) at critical moments in the regular season, so the team expects Durant to play the role of the terminator and offensive end when the game is in trouble.

2, Desmond Bain, Magic

In order to get the 27-year-old swinger, Magic paid the price of four first-round picks, Kentavios Caldwell Pope and Cole Anthony, one of the most shocking deals in the summer, and highlighted the Magic's determination to enter the championship immediately. For a team that ranked last in the league in three-point shooting and three-point shooting percentage last season, it is completely reasonable to introduce Bain, who has a career three-point shooting percentage of up to 41% and has enough shots. He will help immediately in this regard, and will also relieve some offensive pressure on Paul Bankairo and Franz Wagner.

3, Cameron Johnson, Nuggets

Given that Johnson's data at the Nets is surprisingly similar to the players he replaced (Michael Porter Jr.), one of the most eye-catching questions this season is whether Johnson will perform better now that he can partner with three-time MVP Nicola Jokic. Kentavios Caldwell Pope's poor performance in the Magic confirms the statement that the "Jokic effect" can especially improve the three-point shooting. But larger samples show mixed results.

Among the new players who made at least 100 three-pointers since the 2018-19 season, their shooting percentage (37.2%) in the Nuggets (36.2%) are about one percentage point higher than the previous three seasons (36.2%). Meanwhile, Caldwell Pope is an exception among players leaving the Nuggets, who previously shot 36.7% in the Nuggets and 36.2% in new teams.

4, Mike Brown, Knicks

This season, perhaps no coach in the league will face such great pressure of "failing if you don't win the championship" like Brown. One sign is: when announcing the firing of Brown's predecessor Tom Thibodeau, Knicks president Leon Ross said: "Our team's only goal is to win a championship for fans." The Knicks had just experienced the best season in 25 years, and the two were finally selected for the NBA All-Squad, and the team also reached the division finals. Brown's responsibility is to find ways to stimulate the greater potential of the starting lineup and improve the team's defense.

5, DeAndre Ayton, Lakers

This is certainly not the last chance for Ayton to realize his potential. It was this potential that once won him a maximum salary contract, although that contract was eventually bought out by the Trail Blazers on the eve of the free market. But this may be his best chance. According to GeniusIQ's tracking data, players who screened Luka Doncic's NBA career have hit a 63% effective shooting percentage when receiving the ball and completing the shot. Of all the ball holders who initiated at least 500 such cooperation, Doncic created the most scoring efficiency for the coverer. Ayton must seize these opportunities and play better than current center Jaxson Hayes on the defensive end.

6, Myers Turner, the Bucks

It can be said that there is no operation this offseason that it is more shocking than that of Turner becoming a member of the Bucks. (To get Turner, the Bucks’ operation itself is also eye-opening: They chose to cut off nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard and use extension clauses to pay for his remaining contract. Lillard is expected to miss the upcoming season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.) Turner was a perennial candidate for the year’s defense and as a rim guard, he still has a good reputation on the defensive end, while also having the ability to open up space. All his skills are crucial to helping Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks break through the first round, something they haven't been able to do since 2022.

7, Christapus Porzingis, Hawks, last season was a difficult year for Porzingis, who missed his first month of playoff recovery due to offseason surgery and then contracted a mysterious upper respiratory virus, which left him inadequate in energy throughout the season and sometimes—including during the playoffs—difficult to play at his best. But because of this, and it coincides with the need for a Celtic salary cut to avoid triggering the second luxury tax line, the Hawks were able to step in and get him, thus bringing a top rim guard and a player who can open up space for Trae Young. Porzingis just needs to stay healthy.

8, Cooper Flag, the Mavericks, as the No. 1 pick, the recognized number one rookie in the 2025 draft is in a somewhat unusual situation. The Mavericks also reached the NBA Finals 15 months ago, and despite trading away Luca Doncic in the mid-season and suffering from injury waves in the second half of the season, they still fought for the playoff spot. Flag is not Doncic, he needs time to grow, but his comprehensiveness should allow him to immediately contribute to the team's playoffs as he grows into the next Mavericks superstar.

9, Norman Powell, Heat

After the Jimmy Butler trade, the Heat performed poorly last season, with a record of only 14 wins and 21 losses, and suffered a 10-game losing streak in March before turning the situation around and winning a playoff spot through the playoffs. Most importantly, the team's offense urgently needs improvement in the offseason. This is where Powell works. He is in his early thirties and is at the best of his career. He is not the top playmaker, but he can score both inside and outside, whether he has or does not. His career three-point shooting percentage is close to 40%. He is expected to provide great help to Taylor Heero and Bam Adebayo on the offensive end.

10, Jaylen Green, Suns

After Durant's trade, the former second-place pick got a new start in the Suns - and a new position. According to Arizona Sports reporter John Gambadoro, the Suns expect Green to be the starting point guard partner Devin Booker. Green only showed very average organizational ability in four seasons with the Rockets, with a maximum assists per game of 3.7. And Green is not an efficient pick-and-roll holder. According to GeniusIQ, he has only scored 0.95 points per game in the pick-and-roll offense that sets screens for him over the past two seasons, ranking 33rd out of 40 players who have performed at least 2,500 pick-and-rolls.

11, Ty Jerome, the Grizzlies

The 28-year-old defender played a breakthrough season in the Cavaliers and ranked third in the Sixth Man of the Year vote. But because the Cavaliers faced a luxury tax penalty of up to $250 million if they retained the lineup in full, they gave up their contract renewal with Jerome, who was able to sign a three-year, $28 million contract to go to the Grizzlies to serve as Ja Morant’s substitute. It is worth remembering that one of the biggest advantages of the Grizzlies during their two 50-win seasons led by Morant is the stable performance of Tyame Jones as a backup guard. This pointed the way for Jerome to position himself in the team, especially when Morant had to be out of the game.

12, Bradley Bill, Clippers

The last two seasons, Bill has been accused of being a disappointing player. This is understandable because he was performing the remainder of a maximum salary contract at the time. But now the situation is very different, and he signed a reasonable two-year contract with the Clippers (for this reason, several teams have been interested in signing him with a smaller contract). He should be perfectly competent in the third scorer, and the Clippers' roster depth should benefit greatly from him -- and new players Chris Paul and Brooke Lopez -- playing more minor roles.

13, Dylan Harper, the Spurs' second-team pick this year is a rookie worthy of attention, not so much because of his impact on the Spurs' new season - due to his role as a substitute for the newly-developed De Aaron Fox, Harper's role in the health of all the teams may be limited - so it is for the future. The sooner Harper showed his ability to take over the starting point guard position, the harder the Spurs could face on the Fox issue. New York Rookie of the Year Stephen Castle can also control the ball, and like Fox and Harper, the outside shooting is unstable, which makes the Spurs' future backcourt configuration even more confusing.

14, VJ Edgecom, 76ers

Edgecomm showed why the 76ers chose him with the Tanhua lottery with just one appearance in the Salt Lake City Summer League. In his debut, Edgecom scored 28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, using his explosive power to storm the inside. Edgecombe joins a 76ers of veterans who are disappointed with the unexpected fall into the lottery last season, and Edgecombe may not have many chances of holding the ball early in his rookie season. But if the 76ers are troubled by injuries again, Edgecomb will carry the hope of Philadelphia opening a new era.