By Albert Juncà
After taking a look at four of the most promising freshmen for this 2025/26 season, now it’s time to talk about four sophomore players who could break through this year and earn consistent minutes on the court.
Christian Anderson, Jr. - 6’3” - PG - Texas Tech Red Riders - Germany
After a breakout performance in the last Sweet Sixteen, where he had a 22-point game in a big matchup against Arkansas, Anderson continued his good momentum during the summer. He joined the German national team, earning a silver medal at the U19 World Cup in Lausanne and making his debut with the senior team in the EuroBasket preparation games. The German guard returns to Texas Tech looking to extend his good summer performances and become one of the main pillars in the Red Raiders rotation.
Texas Tech also gets the return of JT Toppin to its roster, who was in the process of entering the NBA Draft this past summer. Finally, the Red Raiders can count on him for this upcoming season. Anderson Jr. can take great advantage of Toppin’s offensive gravity, since every time he attacks the paint he collapses the defense, generating open spot-up shots for his teammates. That’s where the German guard has a great chance to show his scoring skills, thanks to his smooth shooting release.
With his solid ball-handling and body control to play multiple situations off the dribble, Anderson can also be a good option in pick-and-roll actions, reading the defense and deciding whether to pass or finish by himself.
Dayan Nessah - 6’7” - F - Cleveland State Vikings - Switzerland
The 2006-born forward arrived at the Cleveland State program after entering the transfer portal from George Washington. This past summer, Nessah had a breakout performance at the U19 World Cup, leading his team in efficiency, points, and rebounds, and guiding them to a historic 8th-place finish after beating France in the elimination round. Now, for the first time in a while, he enters a new season fully healthy, leaving behind the injuries that affected his progress over the past couple of years.
This season with the Vikings, he has the chance to show the real potential he has, using his versatility to impact the game in multiple ways. On the offensive end, Nessah can act as a Swiss Army knife, being very useful for Rob Summers’s system, using his ability to handle the ball and his toughness to get into the paint to find open teammates, or using his rebounding instincts to crash the offensive glass for putbacks and second opportunities.
Moreover, on defense, he can guard different perimeter profiles, giving great switchability to the team defense.
Matas Vokietaitis - 7’0” - C - Texas Longhorns - Lithuania
The Lithuanian seven-footer lands in Texas after entering the transfer portal last season, coming from Florida Atlantic University. In the ACC, he was named Player of the Week six times, included in the All-Freshman Team, and also received the ACC Freshman of the Year award.
Now in the SEC, Vokietaitis will have the chance to show what he can do in a completely different context than last year. The Longhorns are a team that likes to play in transition and early-offense situations, trying to stretch advantages as much as possible with constant player movement off the ball. In this system, Vokietaitis can be very helpful for the team, acting as a screener in pick-and-roll situations or using his positional awareness to find the right spots, showing his instincts to finish at the rim.
Amael L’Etang - 7’1” - C - Dayton Flyers - France
This past summer, the French center participated in the U20 European Championship, finishing the tournament in third place. L’Etang will start his second season as a Flyer after being selected for the 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and earning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors three times.
Standing at 7’1”, the French big man has incredible mobility for his size, which gives great flow to Dayton’s offense. The Flyers usually rely on pick-and-roll situations to create advantages in the paint or to draw defenders and find open shots from deep. In this system, L’Etang fits perfectly, acting as a screener who can decide whether to roll hard to the rim or pop out for a jumper, using his soft touch and passing ability to keep the ball moving.
Defensively, he can be a very useful piece for the Flyers because he’s able to guard in different scenarios, especially in pick-and-roll situations, where he can play in drop coverage using his length to contain the ball-handler until the guard recovers, or be aggressive, using his mobility to jump to the ball and force a pass or slow down the offensive action.
After taking a look at four of the most promising freshmen for this 2025/26 season, now it’s time to talk about four sophomore players who could break through this year and earn consistent minutes on the court.
Christian Anderson, Jr. - 6’3” - PG - Texas Tech Red Riders - Germany
After a breakout performance in the last Sweet Sixteen, where he had a 22-point game in a big matchup against Arkansas, Anderson continued his good momentum during the summer. He joined the German national team, earning a silver medal at the U19 World Cup in Lausanne and making his debut with the senior team in the EuroBasket preparation games. The German guard returns to Texas Tech looking to extend his good summer performances and become one of the main pillars in the Red Raiders rotation.
Texas Tech also gets the return of JT Toppin to its roster, who was in the process of entering the NBA Draft this past summer. Finally, the Red Raiders can count on him for this upcoming season. Anderson Jr. can take great advantage of Toppin’s offensive gravity, since every time he attacks the paint he collapses the defense, generating open spot-up shots for his teammates. That’s where the German guard has a great chance to show his scoring skills, thanks to his smooth shooting release.
With his solid ball-handling and body control to play multiple situations off the dribble, Anderson can also be a good option in pick-and-roll actions, reading the defense and deciding whether to pass or finish by himself.
Dayan Nessah - 6’7” - F - Cleveland State Vikings - Switzerland
The 2006-born forward arrived at the Cleveland State program after entering the transfer portal from George Washington. This past summer, Nessah had a breakout performance at the U19 World Cup, leading his team in efficiency, points, and rebounds, and guiding them to a historic 8th-place finish after beating France in the elimination round. Now, for the first time in a while, he enters a new season fully healthy, leaving behind the injuries that affected his progress over the past couple of years.
This season with the Vikings, he has the chance to show the real potential he has, using his versatility to impact the game in multiple ways. On the offensive end, Nessah can act as a Swiss Army knife, being very useful for Rob Summers’s system, using his ability to handle the ball and his toughness to get into the paint to find open teammates, or using his rebounding instincts to crash the offensive glass for putbacks and second opportunities.
Moreover, on defense, he can guard different perimeter profiles, giving great switchability to the team defense.
Matas Vokietaitis - 7’0” - C - Texas Longhorns - Lithuania
The Lithuanian seven-footer lands in Texas after entering the transfer portal last season, coming from Florida Atlantic University. In the ACC, he was named Player of the Week six times, included in the All-Freshman Team, and also received the ACC Freshman of the Year award.
Now in the SEC, Vokietaitis will have the chance to show what he can do in a completely different context than last year. The Longhorns are a team that likes to play in transition and early-offense situations, trying to stretch advantages as much as possible with constant player movement off the ball. In this system, Vokietaitis can be very helpful for the team, acting as a screener in pick-and-roll situations or using his positional awareness to find the right spots, showing his instincts to finish at the rim.
Amael L’Etang - 7’1” - C - Dayton Flyers - France
This past summer, the French center participated in the U20 European Championship, finishing the tournament in third place. L’Etang will start his second season as a Flyer after being selected for the 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and earning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors three times.
Standing at 7’1”, the French big man has incredible mobility for his size, which gives great flow to Dayton’s offense. The Flyers usually rely on pick-and-roll situations to create advantages in the paint or to draw defenders and find open shots from deep. In this system, L’Etang fits perfectly, acting as a screener who can decide whether to roll hard to the rim or pop out for a jumper, using his soft touch and passing ability to keep the ball moving.
Defensively, he can be a very useful piece for the Flyers because he’s able to guard in different scenarios, especially in pick-and-roll situations, where he can play in drop coverage using his length to contain the ball-handler until the guard recovers, or be aggressive, using his mobility to jump to the ball and force a pass or slow down the offensive action.
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