Five Unheralded Players Who Will Be Essential For Their Teams This Season

Plus, NBA basketball is back, and Tyler Herro gets a bag

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Potential X-Factors: A look at five under the radar players who could swing the pendulum for their teams this season. Basketball Is Back! Kind of! Preseason NBA action kicked off this weekend. Tyler Herro Gets Paid, Big Time: And he wasn't the only player to get an extension this weekend.

Poll Question

Who Will Be An X-Factor?

Let’s start by describing “X-Factor.” What does it mean? Well, Google describes an X-Factor as a “former American reality TV series created by Simon Cowell and…” wait, that’s The X-Factor. Okay, we’ll make up our own definition for X-factor in NBA terms then.

The NBA is outrageously deep right now, and that deluge of talent is probably more evenly distributed throughout the league at this moment than any other in the past decade. Because of this parity, teams’ margin for error each night is hair-thin. Two teams can realistically possess identical point differentials while having records that are drastically different in the standings. So how do teams end up on the positive side of this quandary?

By having X-factors. Pendulum swingers. Players who aren’t your typical stars– the stars, of course, will lead a team to its cruising altitude of success, but the “margins” guys, the players who make their impacts in the cracks and crevices of an NBA game, slithering in to change a loss to a win before anyone even notices, those are the guys who lift a team to the stratosphere. So here are five of those guys, who won't be All-Stars or scoring champs, but will nonetheless have massive influence on their team's success.

Kevin Huerter, Kings

Don’t look now, but the Kings roster is pretty solid. Seriously, don’t look. You might make them nervous. Stop!

The Kings have pulled off some splashy moves recently. They traded for Domantas Sabonis last trade deadline, picked Keegan Murray #4 overall in the Draft, then signed former Laker Malik Monk to what will likely end up as a valuable two-year deal. All of these moves overshadowed the trade Sacramento made on the first day of free agency, bringing Kevin Huerter from A-town to Sac-town, making him perhaps the first person to ever make that move. (Sacramento is actually a cool city, for the record.)

Red Velvet’s role in Sacramento will presumably be that of a bench player who still plays near-starter minutes. His on-court duties should look relatively similar to those he tended to in Atlanta, perhaps with a little more on-ball creation, assuming Huerter’s minutes match up with those of second-year guard Davion Mitchell often. Huerter brings size and depth to a Kings club that previously had a very small backcourt and a detrimental lack of depth. His 3PT shooting and ability to catch fire will give Sacramento’s second unit a dimension they haven't had in a while. Huerter has the opportunity to be a pretty important piece in what could be… No, seriously… A fun year in Sacramento.

Bruce Brown, Nuggets

Bruce Brown, Nuggets? Bruce Brown, Nuggets! Does anyone remember this signing taking place? Show of hands? Liars!

The Nuggets have legitimate NBA title hopes this season. Granted, a lot of things have to fall into place for those hopes to be realistic-- namely their 6'10 shooting cyborg staying healthy-- but Denver has top-end talent to compete with anybody, and the addition of Brown is theoretically a perfect way to add some elite depth, as well.

He will likely play some small-ball 4 in Denver, and could very well be part of the Nuggets closing lineup, providing some important on-ball defense that Jamal Murray and MPJ don't specialize in. It's only a half-joke to say that Bruce Brown was the Nets most consistent player last season, and him bringing that fight every night could be the final push Denver needs to really make some noise.

Alec Burks, Pistons

The Pistons team shooting numbers from last season should come with a NSFW warning. They’re hard to look at! Detroit was 27th in made three-pointers, 28th in offensive rating, 29th in FG%, 29th in TS%, and 30th in EFG%. To remedy all of that, the Pistons acquired shooters. A good plan, it seems!

Bojan Bogdanović is the flashiest acquisition (outside of draft pick Jaden Ivey) that Troy Weaver and Co. made this summer, thus the one that will get the most coverage; understandably so, considering Bogdanović has been a pretty high-level bucket-getter on a good Utah team for the past three seasons.

But the Pistons also picked up Alec Burks (and Nerlens Noel) in a trade the Knicks had to make in order to sign Jalen Brunson. Detroit obviously shouldn’t care why they got Burks and Noel, they should simply be happy they did. If Burks can play pretty much exactly the same role he did in New York -- that is, be an elite floor-spacer every night -- the life of Cade Cunningham becomes monumentally easier, and the prospects for the Pistons season as a whole become considerably rosier. The 38% career three-point shooter was a key component of the Knicks fun 2020-21 campaign, and if he hits shots at the same rate in 22-23, Detroit might be primed for a similarly surprising season.

Cody Martin, Hornets

Martin will play a huge part in the Hornets story this season, thanks both to the addition of a coach, and the subtraction of a player. Steve Clifford is back at the helm in Charlotte, and Cody Martin is an ideal fit in "Cliff's" defensive-minded system. 

He also kind of has to step up with the departure of Miles Bridges from the Hornets locker room. With Kelly Oubre inevitably being thrust into the starting lineup, the second unit will pretty much go as Martin goes.

Last season, Martin put up career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3PT%, and minutes. After signing a 3-year, $31 million deal to stay in Charlotte this summer, he'll need to improve on those numbers once again in order for the Hornets to stay even somewhat competitive in the East. His role will oscillate from backup point guard, to wing stopper, to (hopeful) catch-and-shoot weapon. Have fun, Cody!

Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves

J-Mac isn’t a household name in the NBA by any metric, but your obsessive NBA friend might already be penciling him in for Most Improved Player, so the term “unheralded” is relative here.

McDaniels' defensive versatility played a large part in Minnesota putting together what was probably their best season in the last decade in 21-22. With the departure of fellow long-armed disruptor Jarred Vanderbilt to the Utah Jazz (for now), McDaniels will need to step up his production even more--particularly the 31.7% three-point clip he posted last season-- if the Wolves want to live up to their newly lofty expectations. He could be the definition of a role player All-Star this season.

Latest Basketball News

Herro, Adams, Nance All Get Extensions: Steven Adams and Larry Nance, Jr. both received two-year extensions this weekend. Adams' deal is for $25.2 million, while Nance's agreement is for $21.6 million. Both of these are extremely solid deals for good, dependable players.

Tyler Herro also got paid, to the tune of $130 million over four years. The reigning 6MOY is clearly in the Heat's future plans, and is now locked in through 2026-27. When you have a 22 year-old averaging 20-plus points a game, it seems smart to give him some money.

NBA Basketball Is Back: We made it! Here are some quick recaps of the first few preseason games.

Saturday, October 1st

Grizzlies 107, Bucks 102: Neither team played their stars in this game, but David Roddy (18 points) and Jake LaRavia (15 points) are definitely going to be the next young Grizzlies players that are really good for no reason, aren't they?

Sunday, October 2nd

Celtics 134, Hornets 93: The Celtics certainly didn't lose their shooting touch with the loss of their head coach, going 22/47 from deep in this one. Malcolm Brogdon posted 11/5/9, and gives Boston even more depth to play around with.  

Raptors 114, Jazz 82: Seeing Collin Sexton back on the floor was very cool! Unfortunately, he's going to have to prepare for a lot of results like this over the next few months. For Toronto, drafting Christian Koloko is hilariously on brand with their attempt to build a team that is 95% arms.

Rockets 134, Spurs 96: Rockets fans are on cloud nine tonight after watching their two top rookies put on a show in their first NBA action. Jabari Smith and Tari Eason combined for 42 points and 18 rebounds, and maybe a plan in Houston is starting to come together!

Warriors 104, Wizards 95: The Warriors drafting Patrick Baldwin, Jr. was the ultimate swing pick. Whether that works out for the reigning NBA champions won't really be known for at least a few years, but the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee prospect looked extremely comfortable in Japan over the weekend.

Adelaide 36ers 134, Suns 124: Craig Randall II (35 points, 9 3PM) will give your favorite player a bucket! Apparently!

Good Reads

The pleasure of fantasy - Katie Heindl (Basketball Feelings)

Isaiah Jackson being a bigger factor isn't just about being bigger - Caitlin Cooper (Indy Cornrows) 

Harden knows he's no longer the man in Philadelphia- Dan Gelston (Associated Press)

Signing Off

Can you smell it, folks? There's basketball in the air. We're here. Strap in, because this year has all the makings of a wild ride. As always, thank you for reading. You're beautiful and your team is definitely winning 50-plus games this season. See you soon.

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: The player who's never missed an NBA game in four years (344 total games?) That would be Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns! A potential new NBA Iron Man?

Trivia Question: This weekend, the Wizards and Warriors played two games in Japan. Can you name the three current NBA players who were born in Japan?