NBA TWO-WAY TALENTS

Mbeng won three straight Ivy League DPOYs during his career at Yale. The heady guard is a disruptive dynamo on D and a quality floor general on the other end.

After going undrafted in 2022, Etienne entered the G League, where he was one of the best shooters the minors had to offer. The sniper earned his first NBA look with Brooklyn in 2024-25, and he posted 7.9 points a game in seven appearances with the team.

Smith is efficient with the ball in his hands and can make plays for himself and others. A stat-sheet stuffer, he posted 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the G League in 2024-25.

Whitehead, who was a first-round pick in 2023, is still just 21 years old. The young wing has proven he has a burner on him, and he has plenty of time to develop the rest of his game and become a solid role player.

Sanogo, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA tournament, can be a dominant force on the interior. He’s been one of the best per-minute rebounders in the NBA when he’s been on the court.

A sparky, athletic wing, Rhoden has had some nice stretches on both ends of the floor in his three NBA seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 11.4 points for the Raptors.