The NBA season tips off on October 20, and the league looks different. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami. LeBron is in Philadelphia. Jaylen Brown is no longer a Celtic. That’s a lot of moving parts and a lot of pressure. Here are seven players who have the most to prove.
1. Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Jalen Duren got his money. Now he has to earn it.
Duren accepted Detroit’s five-year, $200 million offer shortly before a midnight deadline on a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. The offseason-long standof was ugly. Talks stalled when the front office sought monthly weight and conditioning provisions, which Duren’s camp rejected, and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reportedly described the negotiations as “nasty.” He even missed the start of training camp.
The numbers justify the price. He averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65% shooting and made All-NBA Third Team, but he averaged just 10.2 points in the NBA playoffs as top-seeded Detroit failed to get out of the second round. That’s the question. Is he a regular-season star or a postseason one? The Pistons just bet $200 million on the answer. Duren has to do his part.
2. Jaylen Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
Boston chose Jayson Tatum over Jaylen Brown. That’s a statement, and Brown has every reason to answer it.
The Celtics traded him to Philadelphia for Paul George and four picks, even though he was coming off a career year in which he made All-NBA Second Team. Boston reportedly set a high price in earlier trade talks with Minnesota, but the Celtics ultimately cashed out. They were wary of the second apron and the headache of his extension demands.
Now he joins LeBron James in Philadelphia. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP gets a fresh start, a big stage, and a very motivated chip on his shoulder.
3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Boston is Tatum’s team now. All of it.
Boston won 56 games and finished second in the East even though Tatum missed almost the entire year with a ruptured Achilles. That’s what makes his return so fascinating. He didn’t seem like his old self after coming back, and ESPN has the Celtics among the teams likely to disappoint.
Before the injury, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. If he’s close to that again, Boston is fine. If he isn’t, there is no Brown to lean on.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat
A superstar in the NBA needs to prove he’s still a superstar. That sounds absurd. But look at last year.
Giannis played a career-low 36 games, hyperextended his left knee on March 15, and Milwaukee missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. He’s 31. Miami landed him and Bobby Portis for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and a haul of picks. And he’ll be eligible for a four-year, $275 million maximum extension beginning January 6. That’s a lot of leverage for a player coming off a lost season.
ESPN calls the Heat an experiment in surrounding a great player with mostly marginal ones, which is exactly what Milwaukee tried last year. Giannis has to be better than that experiment.
5. Walker Kessler, Los Angeles Lakers
Walker Kessler is about to find out what $130 million in the NBA feels like.
The Lakers acquired him from Utah in a sign-and-trade, and he’ll be under contract for four seasons at about $130 million. The ask is simple, but it’s not small. He played just five games last year after shoulder surgery, although he was averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks on 70% shooting before getting hurt.
The Lakers felt he fit best around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as a lob threat and rim protector. That fit only matters if he’s healthy. If he is, L.A. just got its center of the future. If not, it just overpaid.
6. Austin Reaves, Lakers
The training wheels are off.
Reaves re-signed on a four-year, $185 million deal, the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player. Then LeBron left. Reaves will be relied on more than he ever was in his first five years in Los Angeles to lead the Lakers alongside Doncic. All the players who started alongside him in last year’s playoffs are gone. “Everybody knows it’s a completely different team,” he said.
The early signs are good. He dished eight assists in his preseason debut, leaning into a playmaking role. But a co-star’s job is different from a sidekick’s. We’re about to find out if he’s built for it.
7. Ja Morant, Portland Trail Blazers
Can he get back to NBA All-Star form? Honestly, we don’t know.
Memphis traded him to Portland for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, and he has played only 79 games in three seasons since his last All-Star appearance. Last season he played just 20 games, averaging 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds before a UCL sprain ended his year. He turns 27 before his next NBA game. He’s due $42.2 million this season.
Portland gives him a clean slate. The only thing left is the basketball.
