Embrace Debate: A Look At Who Has The Most Pressure Heading Into The New NBA Season

I know I know, it's "football season" blah blah blah. Well, last time I checked some NBA camps officially open in 22 days which means my brain is already starting to get locked into the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season. As fun as it's been to relive the Celts 2024 title over the past 70+ days, eventually the time will come to close the book on that season and begin the journey back up the mountain.

Part of the fun and excitement of each NBA season is of course the expectations and the pressure that presents itself once we start a new season. After all the movement we saw this summer there are a handful of teams out there that have championship aspirations, and with that comes pressure. Now it's important to remember that pressure in the NBA is not created equal. For example, last year the Nuggets entered the season mostly with house money coming off their championship, which is no longer the case. Even after the Celts just won their title, there is still a heavy dose of pressure on them heading into this season. It's a different type of pressure, but pressure nonetheless. 

Given how fast time moves nowadays training camp will be here before you know it, so I figured what better time to talk about things look entering what should be another wildly competitive NBA season in terms of pressure.

Let's start with the highest level..

It's time to win the NBA title

Tier group: Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard

In my opinion, these are the two players who enter the 2024-25 NBA season with the most pressure. Joel Embiid enters yet another year of his NBA prime still looking for the first ECF appearance of his career, and now he has his own superteam to get it done. At this point, there are no more excuses. The talent is supposedly there, the coaching is supposedly there, the narrative is the Sixers depth is the best it's ever been in the Embiid era, so this is it. Let's see it. An MVP talent now entering Year 9, Embiid has watched Giannis, Jokic, and Tatum all win titles. He's seen Luka and Booker make a Finals. The Sixers loaded up and gave Embiid the most complete team he's ever had, and with that comes the pressure to deliver.

With Damian Lillard, this is more of a timeline thing. He's not getting any younger and the Bucks made this trade with one focus in mind. Win the NBA title. After injuries killed their dreams last season in what was another first round loss, all we've heard this summer is what great shape Dame is in, how he's coming back better than ever etc. Much like the Sixers, we were told how good the Bucks offseason was and now they have a much improved second unit. Given the uncertainty around the health of both Dame and Giannis, that's why I think there's so much pressure on them to get it done this season. Teams around them in the East are getting better every year and the Bucks core is only getting older, so throwing away another season without a title when the whole point of the Dame trade was to win a title immediately would be a bit of a disaster.

Prove Your Team Is For Real

Tier Group: SGA, Jalen Brunson, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant

This is a group where if they ended up winning the NBA title, that's great. But to me, that's not what the pressure truly is for anyone in this group given where their teams are in their rebuild/developments.

Instead, I consider this the "prove you're for real" group. This is a group that gets A LOT of hype, and hasn't really had the expectations around them to deliver on the court success. Teams that were a bit of a surprise last season who are talked about as potential contenders, and with those talks come a rise in expectations. 

For guys like SGA/Ant/Brunson, they're being talked about as the best young players in the league and future MVPs. Well, it's time to see the team's success start to follow. You basically get one season as a "surprise" team and then from there, you have to show you're actually as good as your hype. There's no reason to believe they won't, but I also don't think it would be considered a "failure" if their teams didn't win the title. The pressure there is to just show us last year wasn't a fluke. At some point you have to deliver on your "hype", and for those three guys who are all on "stacked" teams, it's time to prove the hype is warranted.

For Luka, it's a little different. Nobody is questioning his talent, the dude is a monster. But you also could make the case that some fluky outside shooting in the earlier rounds was more of a reason the Mavs made the Finals than them being actual contenders. Now coming off a brutal Finals loss where he was mostly dogshit, the pressure is now on Luka to show the world he's learned from that experience and that the Mavs are for real. We saw Tatum do it after his disastrous 2022 Finals, and now Luka has that same challenge. All the individual stats and MVP votes are cool and all, but at some point, a player of his level has to reach the top of the mountain. 

For Paolo, as the best player on a rising Magic team, they're the popular vote for the team to "look out" for next season. They made their initial leap last season as a 5 seed, and now there's pressure to show just how real your development is. You can't go out talking about how you're one of the best teams in the East

and then not even win a round in the playoffs. 

The same is true of Haliburton and the Pacers. A surprise season, the best offense in the NBA last year, was that a flash in the pan or a preview of what's to come? Are they legit or are they like the 2021 Hawks who made the ECF only to never be heard from again? 

With Ja, the pressure is on the Grizzlies to remind the basketball world just how good they were before their season from hell. Prior to last year, this was a legit 50+ win team that was deemed the "next up" in the West. Now healthy (outside of GG Jackson who just broke his foot), there's a decent amount of expectations that they return to the top of the West.

Win another ring

Tier group: Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant

While both of these teams are still riding the benefits of winning their titles, that doesn't mean they don't enter this season with a good amount of pressure. I'd say Jokic and the Nuggets more than Tatum/Brown, but the point remains the same. You are largely considered the two best teams in the NBA, you've reached the top of the mountain, well can you do it again?

For the Nuggets, coming off a GM7 where you choked a 20 point lead at home could have very well cost you another ring. After the recent roster moves we've seen since their title, their window to win doesn't exactly look wide open. You only get so many NBA prime Nikola Jokic seasons, and I'd say given how last season ended there's a decent amount of pressure for them to get back on top.

For the Celts and Tatum/Brown specifically, they do enter the season with a bit of "house money". They did it. They delivered the ring that MANY said they'd never achieve. So why do they have pressure this season? Easy. They are the best team on the planet and barring health, there is nothing that should their way from repeating. With that comes pressure. Now they're the hunted and very upset fanbases cannot wait to try and invalidate their title should they not win another one. 

With Durant, the pressure is mostly around the fact that he's not getting any younger and the Suns enter Year 2 of their superteam. Year 1 was a disaster, you can never bank on them being healthy moving forward, so the pressure is on Durant to replicate what he did in the Olympics and get the Suns their first-ever championship. 

You're A Franchise Caliber Player

Tier group: Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga

It may seem dramatic to say, but you could make the argument that the entire future of the Golden State Warriors depends on Brandin Podziemski not just being good, but All Star caliber good. I won't say he has to make an All Star team because that shit is mostly a popularity contest, but Podz does have to play at an All Star level this season.

The Warriors made the choice to let Klay Thompson walk because they had Podz ready to take his role. They turned down trading for needle-moving players all because the owner believes Podz is going to be a star. Well, you can't have all that happen and then not take a leap. It feels a little unfair as a Year 2 player, but that's the reality of the Warriors right now.

Same shit with Kuminga. The Warriors are banking on his development and his potential, and while he showed it in flashes last year, they've basically made Kuminga untradeable. He made the all important Year 3 leap, but now it's time to back that up and show he can be the franchise player that the Warriors were hoping for when they drafted him. If these guys can't make those leaps, the Warriors are cooked.

Shit Or Get Off The Pot

Tier group: All Kings players, All Pelicans players, All Heat Players

To keep it easy, I'm just including these three teams. At this point, it's time to either do something or shut the hell up and fully rebuild. 

Every year we talk about how teams like the Kings or Pelicans could make waves and be contenders given the talent on their roster, and each year it's either another season in the Play In or an early playoff exit. I love the Beam, I believe in the Beam, and I think the addition of DeRozan is going to help the Kings, but they didn't exactly build off their surprise season a few years ago. 

For the Pelicans, it's the same thing. Tons of talent, not a ton of playoff wins. Who knows what happens with the future of Brandon Ingram, you can never really bank on Zion being healthy, so for all we know this is their last shot as constructed to make a run. They have the talent and the profile of a team that could absolutely be a contender if they're able to stay healthy, but at some point, you either have to do it or trade Ingram and smash the rebuild button.

With the Heat, nobody has refused to rebuild longer than MIA. Jimmy Butler isn't getting any younger and they have a decision to make when it comes to his extension. All the teams around them in the East are getting better, and you can only do the "we'd be contenders if healthy" routine so many times. At some point, you have to break through. If you don't, you need to find a way to improve your talent, just like everyone around them has done. If the Heat has another Play In caliber season with another second round exit, who knows what their future looks like. 

There are a couple of guys/teams (Wemby, Rockets etc) that I feel are still a season away from entering this "pressure" conversation given how young they are. Perhaps one of them become the "surprise" team this season, and then from there it'll be time to show they're for real.