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If the 2024-25 NBA season was a player, they would be in the gym's parking lot making sure everything is in the gear bag before a very important run. The NBA broadcasting battle is already at full bore after all and squeaking sneakers are starting to mark the official start of NBA training camps. The positive first-day-of-school vibes during Media Day will not last long though. Whether it’s due to contract situations, past performances, or team expectations, every player is under immense pressure to perform.
Situations differ but the burdens to build a successful narrative to start the season are relatively similar. Some max-level mid-20s All-NBA talents have never won a postseason game. There are the All-Stars which hit a first-round ceiling while a few injury-riddled Hall of Famers are trying to make one last run at the NBA Finals. Here are the top 25 under-pressure players ranked from frying pan to thawing out the freezer status.
NBA's under fire Hall of Famers
The elder statesmen of the Association are starting to lose the Fear Factor. The NBA's new generation has no time for the ceremonial shenanigans of future Hall of Famers. Paul Pierce did not get a retirement tour and neither will these five All-World wonders. Well, not yet. There is too much to play for including that legacy capping NBA Finals ring.
1. Kawhi Leonard is already under fire before the Clippers could even have the first training camp community meal. Clippers fans are coming after Kawhi Leonard following the newest injury update, which was kept a secret for most of the summer. That's not a good start to the new season for the 33-year-old. Leonard is akin to a sports car that has to spend too much time in the garage. Eventually, the maintenance becomes too much of a burden.
2. LeBron James got his inexperienced podcast partner (J.J. Redick) hired as head coach. LeBron is already trash-talking Lakers' rookie Bronny James. The NBA's all-time scoring champ also got a $44.5 million extension after another All-NBA season. Los Angeles expects one more NBA Finals run before James calls it quits. The pressure is always high in Hollywood.
"This job was about the Lakers… and it was about LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two of the greatest players ever… I've gotten to do some amazing stuff in my life… this might be the best."
JJ Redick on taking the Lakers job 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4WdfDoLmt0
— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2024
3. Rudy Gobert has gotten all the smoke this summer including while at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It would be hard to find someone outside of Minnesota who has not been critical of the French big man. Getting pulled off the floor late in games after winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards is a bad look, especially at $41 million a year.
4. Paul George got a max-level four-year, $212 million max contract from the Philadelphia 76ers. Will he shed the second-wheel who still needs help reputation alongside Embiid? The City of Brotherly Love is full of boo-birds still waiting for The Process to pay off in the postseason.
5. Kevin Durant has a star-studded supporting cast but not much depth. Still, Durant needs to lead the Suns to an NBA Finals to justify new owner Matt Ishbia's huge investment. The most talented journeyman ever just does not have the political goodwill with the Phoenix metro area. Devin Booker has spent too much time building that relationship to be the first focus of any scorn.
All-Stars waiting for NBA Playoffs
6. Joel Embiid just signed an extension with the Philadelphia 76ers. It looks like The Process will finish his career having only known one NBA home. However, the reigning MVP needs to overcome playoff struggles and lead the 76ers deep into the postseason sooner rather than later.
7. Zion Williamson has given the New Orleans Pelicans enough of a sample size to show franchise player potential. The 25-year-old has yet to make it through a full season without some patience-testing injuries. Both the front office and the fans are still waiting to see Williamson's first NBA Playoffs warm-up line dunk routine.
8. Anthony Davis could wind up on the wrong side of some nerves with another injury-shortened season. Millions in Los Angeles and LeBron's legion of fans will look to find a scapegoat should the Lakers again suffer through an NBA Play-In Tournament type of campaign. Davis has to peak in the postseason or risk getting run out of town.
9. Dame Lillard made it to the Western Conference Finals once with the Portland Trail Blazers. Time is running out on a Hall of Fame career. Can he finally prove to be the missing piece of a championship team, or will the Bucks regret letting Jrue Holiday find a way to Boston?
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo can still claim a championship hangover leading the small market Milwaukee Bucks. However, after a disappointing playoff exit, Giannis is under pressure to at least get back to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. It is telling that Antetokounmpo trade rumors have picked up steam over the last 12 months.
All-NBA names not mentioned lately
11. Ja Morant spent the first 25 games of last season suspended. He went supernova for a few weeks during the holidays then hit the injury report for the remainder of the schedule. Morant's shoulder will have to, well, shoulder a hefty load in his return. Memphis has top-4 talent if Morant is firing on all cylinders again.
12. Jimmy Butler turns into Playoff Jimmy every June…if the Miami Heat make it that far.
13. Ben Simmons went from being viewed as a young All-NBA stud with the 76ers to soured, spoiled milk since passing up that layup opportunity in the playoffs.
14. James Harden used to be the leading headline on ESPN's SportsCenter. Harden was stealing the show on a nightly basis with the Houston Rockets. Now? Well, Harden has to carry a team that just lost Paul George and might be without Kawhi Leonard to start the season.
15. Bradley Beal has been on a bunch of lottery teams, yet still got one of the NBA's rare no-trade clauses in the contract. A no-show postseason next to Kevin Durant would be another data point suggesting Beal racked up empty stats while in Washington D.C. Playing winning basketball is more important than another All-NBA stat line.
Alright show me something sensations
16. Donovan Mitchell must lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a deeper playoff run and prove he can be a consistent leader after signing a contract extension. The front office is running out of time before this roster gets too expensive to stomach anything less than an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
17. Nikola Jokic can't keep horsing around with a one-ring NBA career, can he?
18. Scoot Henderson was mentioned as a possible first-overall pick by some draft prognosticators. Sure, that was before everyone got a good look at Victor Wembanyama, but the Portland Trail Blazers still expected to get a decent contributor with the second pick.
19. Trae Young has had the ear of ownership since being swapped for Luka Doncic on draft day. Young's surprising Eastern Conference Finals run lifted expectations in Atlanta. Those remain even though Young's All-Star running partner, Dejounte Murray, has been sent packing. It's time for Young to pull off the old trick of carrying a team to the second round, even if they should not be there.
20. Devin Booker is dating Kendall Jenner and feeding with Bad Bunny. Those kinds of sentences have a habit of attracting unwanted attention. How will Booker deal with the Kardashian curse?
Pick your poison pairings
21. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum have been asked to change their games (more three-pointers), contract demands (less money), and statuses as a lead option in the offense since joining the New Orleans Pelicans. McCollum was fine with a different shot profile; Ingram not so much. Now McCollum might start on the bench and Ingram might see far less of the ball. Something has got to give in the Crescent City.
22. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis have been the faces of the Sacramento Kings. DeMar DeRozan will only help so much. Without a path to a top-six seed in the Western Conference, it'll be time to call it curtains on this duo's era.
23. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards have room to grow together but the ownership situation is concerning. Rudy Gobert would be the first big contract to be shed from the cap sheet. Will Towns or Edwards try to get a jump on the next jet?
24. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are starting with a clean slate but there seemed to be some dirty laundry aired this summer. An Olympics snub was perhaps a scratch-at-the-surface issue. What else might rise when things get rough? Ownership is already looking to sell the franchise before the luxury tax burdens since a championship-caliber core.
25. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are just hoping Klay Thompson can make it through a full season. If not, the Dallas Mavericks might drop back to the NBA Play-In Tournament pack again. The organization has had trouble following up on successful seasons before. Doncic has heard plenty about not being in shape and Irving has yet to keep a drama-free relationship going for more than 12-18 months.
