Top five players you can't miss on NBA League Pass

League Pass Season officially begins on the first Wednesday of the season, allowing fans to indulge in watching any team or player they desire. It's a time for the die-hard fans who can't get enough basketball action.

There are two good games on ESPN, with the Bucks in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Suns visiting the Clippers (10 p.m. ET). But there are also eight games on League Pass including a big Eastern Conference matchup (Magic-Heat) in Miami and the NBA debuts of eight of the top 11 picks in the 2024 Draft.

To celebrate, we’re highlighting five players to watch as you fire up League Pass over the next six months. Yes, every player — including LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama — will have more than half of their games on League Pass.

But this list is reserved for players on the 12 teams that have 12 or fewer national TV appearances (including those on NBA TV). Those teams are Atlanta, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, Portland, Sacramento, Toronto, Utah and Washington.

We’re going to skip over the five guys featured in this space a year ago and the two fourth-year players — Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green — featured in a Film Study last month.

1. The ceiling raiser: Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Johnson is the kind of forward — 6-foot-8, long, athletic and multi-skilled — every team would love to have. Now, it’s just a question of how much of his potential he fulfills.

In his third season, Johnson saw big jumps in both minutes per game and usage rate. And he did well with more responsibility, seeing a jump in efficiency with much-improved shooting from outside the paint.

The 22-year-old is at his best in transition, where his athleticism and body control are on full display…

With Dejounte Murray gone and Dyson Daniels replacing him in the starting lineup, the Hawks could ask Johnson to handle the ball more. That was the case in the preseason, when he registered a 5/12 assist/turnover ratio, coughing the ball up both when he tried to put it on the floor and when he tried to thread the needle. He’s also unused to shooting off the dribble, having attempted only 108 pull-up jumpers in more than 3,000 career minutes.

Trae Young will still handle the ball as much as anybody in the league, but the secondary playmaker is a critical role. Johnson’s development with the ball could determine if Murray’s departure was an addition-by-subtraction situation.

The Hawks begin the season with two very winnable games, hosting the Nets (Wednesday) and Hornets (Friday). Both games are at 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass.

2. The veteran bucket-getter: DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings

DeRozan has been in the NBA for 15 seasons, and we’ve all watched him get countless buckets for the first three franchises that employed him. But his fit in Sacramento is something new, and watching him at his craft remains thoroughly enjoyable.

According to Second Spectrum tracking, Sacramento was one of two teams (Indiana was the other) that ranked in the top five in both ball movement (second) and player movement (third) last season. DeRozan averaged almost as many isolations per 100 possessions as the Kings did as a team, but his Bulls actually ranked seventh in ball movement, so he shouldn’t have a huge adjustment.

The Kings’ offense often runs through Domantas Sabonis at the high post. DeRozan gives them another guy to take handoffs, and an open mid-range jumper is often just one dribble away…

The Kings open the season on Thursday, hosting the Timberwolves in a game (10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) in which DeRozan’s mid-range skills could be a big factor. They’ll then visit the Lakers on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV).

3. Defensive menace: Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic

There’s not a player in the league who plays with more consistent energy on defense than Suggs, 23,  who’s entering his fourth season.

If the opponent has a guard who can get buckets, Suggs has the assignment. He’s among the best in the league at just staying in front of his man but also has the combination of great anticipation and intrusive hands …

Of course, Suggs has been representative of the Magic as a whole over the last few seasons: much better on defense than on offense. Last season, he shot just 27-for-80 (33.8%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the fourth-worst mark among 127 players with at least 75 attempts.

But he’s come a long way as a 3-point shooter, draining 39.7% of his attempts last season (up from 32.7% in 2022-23 and just 21.4% as a rookie). Suggs is the nominal starting point guard, but he won’t handle the ball as much as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Instead, he’ll mostly need to knock down shots off the catch.

The Magic begin the season with a good test, visiting the Heat on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).

4. Sophomore breakout?: Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

If nothing else, the Charlotte Hornets have the biggest starting backcourt in the league, two extremely talented 6-foot-7 top-three picks who are 23 and 21 years old. LaMelo Ball is already one of the league’s best passers, while Brandon Miller, at 21, is one of its best young shooters.

Miller, who finished third in Kia Rookie of the Year voting last season, was just the fourth rookie in the 45 seasons of the 3-point line to shoot 37% or better on at least 400 3-point attempts.

He’s got a stroke that looks smooth and easy, even if he’s shooting from well beyond the arc.

Miller’s next step is developing his off-the-dribble game and using his size to get to the basket more often. He shot a solid 47.1% (a tick better than DeRozan) on pull-up 2-pointers last season and looks comfortable shooting pull-up 3-pointers.

But he shot just 50.2% in the paint, with those paint shots accounting for just 37% of his total field-goal attempts. Those numbers were both much lower in the preseason, though he showed a glimpse of his finishing potential with a nasty dunk on Myles Turner.

Miller certainly has the size to be a multi-level scorer and get to the free-throw line more often. That he’s such a great shooter at 21 is an indication that he’s willing to put in the work, and the fruits of that work should be a big part of the Hornets’ offense going forward.

Miller and the Hornets start the season on the road, visiting the Rockets on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET) and the Hawks on Friday (7:30 p.m.), with both games on League Pass.

5. Rookie with intrigue: Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have a glut of playable centers. Deandre Ayton is their starter, Robert Williams may soon be available after playing just six games last season and Duop Reath was surprisingly serviceable in Williams’ absence. But it may not be long before the Blazers clear the way for No. 7 pick Donovan Clingan.

Clingan is huge: 7-foot-2 and 280 pounds. He used that size (along with a clear desire to dominate the glass) to block 3.5 shots per 36 minutes and rank second in rebounding percentage (24%) among 322 players who averaged at least 15 minutes in two games or more in the preseason.

But, while Clingan totaled just six assists in his 82 preseason minutes, those assists weren’t simple handoffs or obvious passes. He’s got vision …

The Blazers won’t be running their offense through Clingan anytime soon, but he is a player who dominates the glass, protects the rim, shoots a little from the perimeter and is a willing (and able) passer. That’s an intriguing project.

The Blazers’ first eight games are all against teams with winning records last season. The first is against the Warriors on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).

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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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