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Every season, sports talking heads prescribe a series of platitudinal milestones and classifications that certain players need to live up to in order to be worthwhile. “So and So isn’t a good basketball player until they defeat The Monstars.” “LeBron James couldn’t have survived back in Vietnam.” “They had too many shooters.” Whatever. You get the idea.
All of that is a testament to the power of narratives. For one reason or another, every player has something to prove. But hyperbolic bullshit aside, why wouldn’t they?
As extreme and unfounded as they can be, not all narratives are BS, and it really is time for some folks to step up. After a while, not being able to show up in big moments does matter. Sometimes, sports clichés are sports clichés because they are kind of true. Rather than relying on vapid catchphrases, you just have to do the analysis to get to the truth of it and see what player’s done what and what they still need to do.
Today, we take a look at the narratives to assess the 11 NBA Players with the most to prove in the 2024-2025 NBA season.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s a nepo baby.
How he can overcome it: Prove he’s an actual NBA player who brings something to the table.
On April 5, Bronny James announced that he was entering the NBA draft. That was the moment folks started being honest about his game. For years, Bronny was shielded by a phalanx of sentimental overcorrections for those outsize expectations Bronny Sr. placed upon his son. Basically, a lot of people were cappin’ even in the face of hard numbers.
As traumatic as his heart issues were, and as difficult as recovery must have been, Bronny was averaging 5 points per game on less than 37% shooting at USC. It was consistent with a player who had never averaged more than 15 points per game in either high school or AAU. That lack of scoring continued through his first NBA preseason, where he averaged about 4 points per game on 29% shooting from the field.
Bronny has no doubt heard the criticism. He got his first NBA game out of the way this week. But he’s going to keep hearing criticism. He’s LeBron’s son. By choosing to enter the NBA draft as an unproven college player who would have never gotten drafted otherwise, Bronny accepted his father’s nepotistic gift. Does he have the talent to be a real contributor on an NBA team?
(Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s a massive bust.
How he can overcome it: Make a sorry Portland team watchable.
It’s hard to make the Charlotte Hornets look wise, but Scoot Henderson did exactly that. After a summer that saw plenty of fans and scouts bashed the Hornets for choosing Brandon Miller over the chiseled point guard, Scoot proceeded to have one of the most disappointing rookie seasons in recent NBA history.
Despite a powerful frame, explosive speed, and dunk contest bounce, Henderson only managed to finish 50% at the rim last season. Just as troublingly, he shot just 32% from three, while generating only 3.3 free throw attempts per game. These deficiencies resulted in averages of just 15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on a putrid 48.9 TS%.
Now, rookie stats can be funky, and at only 21 years old, Scoot has plenty of time to review the nuances of finishing and drawing contact at the rim. By all accounts, he’s a hard worker with a strong resolve. But, with his current skills, he’s going to have a very difficult time being an efficient offensive player, which severely caps his ceiling as a franchise point guard.
Folks have already significantly lowered their once-big expectations for the young guard. This season, Henderson has the chance to prove they should still have them.
(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s inconsistent during the regular season and unavailable in the playoffs.
How he can overcome it: Make an All-Star team and stay healthy for the entire playoffs.
When the Nuggets won the whole thing in 2023, Jamal Murray was incredible. At his best, Murray is an unpredictable flurry of imagination, instinct, and technical craft—a slithery ball-handler with a contortionist’s body control and Kobe Bryant’s flair for making difficult shots.
The only problem is that sometimes that florid scouting report has more closely resembled one big injury report. His 2021 ACL injury and subsequent recovery robbed him of two postseason runs. Last year, a calf injury notably hampered his impact in the postseason and the Olympics. His regular season play has always been streaky (hence the lack of All-Star selections).
He also just signed a $208 million maximum contract extension, which makes sense considering his incredible chemistry with Nikola Jokic—who happens to be the best player in the NBA right now. Joker is signed through 2027. He seems content, but you never know. The Nuggets’ hopes for championship contention rest heavily on Murray’s balky legs, and their championship window might close sooner than you think.
(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
The narrative: A great scorer who waited too long for a trade.
How he can overcome it: Post elite numbers on his way to the NBA Finals.
Only five PGs in NBA history have gotten more buckets than Dame. Of that group, only Stephen Curry eclipsed his efficiency. So, why then, does Dame Time feel like an afterthought? Playing at the same time as Steph doesn’t help, but more directly, it’s because legends—or should I say, narratives—are made in the playoffs.
Dame has some of the most iconic playoff shots in recent memory, but he hasn’t really had a ton of postseason success. He should get credit for making the playoffs in nine of his 11 healthy NBA seasons, especially considering his supporting cast in Portland, but he’s only advanced past the second round twice. His last three trips—which unfolded during his statistical peak—ended in the first round.
This is his second season on the Bucks. A role as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s No. 2 should give him a chance to add more victorious chapters to his hero’s story. If not, he runs the risk of being, in the eyes of fans, yet another electrifying scorer in a league full of them. At age 34, Dame Time may be running out.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s an empty stats guy.
How he can overcome it: Advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Is Brandon Ingram good, or not? It’s a query that’s shifted in and out of focus since he was a Lakers rookie eight years ago. On one hand, he’s been an above-average volume scorer since the Lakers traded him five years ago.
In the playoffs, he’s been a mixed bag. Ingram held his own against the Suns in a first-round loss back in 2022. But he was miserable against the Oklahoma City Thunder this past spring.
Heading into the final year of his contract alongside a healthy Zion, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum, Ingram has the chance to answer questions about his basketball impact, and in doing so, help the Pels answer their own important question: Should they pay him or trade him?
Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s an all-time playoff dropper.
How he can overcome it: Play well in the playoffs.
Depending on how you look at it, Julius Randle’s is either a feel-good redemption story or a tale of misplaced hope and fraudulence. While Randle played a big role in making the Knicks relevant again, his playoff flameouts have been staggering. In 2021, his averages dropped from 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6 assists during the regular season to 18 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 29.8% shooting during a gentleman’s sweep from the Hawks.
He was too injured to make the playoffs the next season, and while battling an injury, he once again underperformed in the 2023 postseason. Injuries took him out of the 2024 playoffs altogether—yet the Knicks became even more endearing without him.
After being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl Anthony-Towns, he now gets a legitimate chance to thrive on a deep roster with one of the game’s most talented scorers in Anthony Edwards. He’s also playing with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Rudy Gobert) and a potential Rookie of the Year candidate (Rob Dillingham). He might not get an individual award, but Julius Randle, NBA Champion has a nice ring to it.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s never healthy.
How he can overcome it: Play in a playoff game for the first time.
Has anyone ever embodied “the best ability is availability” like Zion Williamson? His career field goal percentage (59.2%) is 22.4 slots higher than his games played per season (36.8). His talent is like a NBA junkie’s fantasy science experiment: What would happen if you gave a 300-pounder Michael Jordan’s athleticism?
Since he’s entered the league, we’ve only seen bits and pieces of the answer to that question. His conditioning issues have led to weight gain, and when combined with his GOAT-level quick-twitch athleticism, his lower body’s been put under too much stress for his play style to be sustainable.
After getting into the best shape of his career, Zion had one of his most successful seasons as he led the Pelicans to a spot in the play-in. Then, amid a 40-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist masterpiece, Zion suffered a left leg injury in the closing minutes of the play-in contest against the Lakers, leaving him on the bench, injured yet again.
If Zion can stay in shape and stay healthy, maybe Pels fans can finally get their answer. If not, they’ll see what happens when you’re paying max money for a player who never plays.
(Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s washed.
How he can overcome it: Be a steady third-option next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
When Klay Thompson taunted Devin Booker with his four championship rings a couple years ago, anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence could see the quip was just an act of desperation in an ongoing war with nature.
In his prime, Klay Thompson was regarded as an All-NBA two guard with elite defensive chops and one of the prettiest and most effective jump shots ever. But time is cruel, and ACL and Achilles injuries are even crueler. Klay has never been quite the same since injuring himself in consecutive seasons years ago.
He had a semi-resurgence in the Warriors’ 2022 championship season, but after going 0-10 in a play-in game against the Sacramento Kings and being offered a lower-than-he-wanted contract by the Warriors, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks for less than GSW could have offered. In Dallas, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will hope Klay can do for the Mavericks what an older Ray Allen did for the Heat.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s soft when it matters.
How he can overcome it: Go an entire playoff run without a meltdown.
Before his play more or less doomed the Minnesota Timberwolves in their conference finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Karl Anthony-Towns had pretty much proven his detractors wrong. They said he wasn’t a winning player, but the Timberwolves finished as the No. 1 seed last season. They said he was soft, but he defended Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference Semifinals. He was balling out.
Then, of course, he floundered. The Timberwolves decided that he wasn’t a suitable No. 2 option for the ascendent Anthony Edwards, especially for the contract he was sure to command. So they traded KAT for Julius Randle.
Paired with Jalen Brunson, though, KAT gets more room to operate than ever, and with a team full of solid tertiary role players, the Knicks can go very far. If they don’t, it will probably be because of a key KAT deficiency and rowdy New York fans will never let him hear the end of it.
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s a playoff-dropping crybaby.
How he can overcome it: Dominate the postseason.
At their best, MVPs like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and others had a sense of inevitability to them. You can’t stop them. You know they’ll be there at the end. When it comes to Joel Embiid, you know he won’t.
Statistically speaking, Embiid approaches those guys in terms of sheer production. For the last four seasons, he’s averaged 31.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks on about 64 TS% while having a 9.3 bpm. He was a worthy MVP in 2023.
But, whether due to nagging (or random) injuries, his play has always dropped off during the playoffs. In the postseason for the same four-year stretch above, his points-per-game dropped by nearly five points, and his true shooting efficiency fell by about four. He’s never even been to a conference finals.
As a 30-year-old 7-foot-something with a troublesome injury history, he’s running out of chances to rewrite his story. This year could be his best chance. Paul George remains a top 25ish player, and Tyrese Maxey should also compete for an All-Star slot. They’ve got the coach. This should be the year. If it’s not, it never will be.
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s a baller who wants to be an Instagram gangster.
How he can overcome it: Put the guns away and be on the court at the end of the season.
Ja has the most to prove because even if he plays great, it won’t mean much if he’s constantly caught up in off-the-court controversies.
Ja quickly went from being one of the most celebrated players in the league to making headlines for a series of blicky-related controversies that eventually led him to be suspended for 25 games during the 2023-2024 season. While he returned that December, a shoulder injury ended his season just nine games later.
Between bad behavior and injury concerns, he’s only played more than 65 games once in his career. Talented as they are, the Memphis Grizzlies’ fate sits on two questions: Can Ja chill the fuck out? Or will he become another young talent who succumbed to pressure and threw it all away?
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Every season, sports talking heads prescribe a series of platitudinal milestones and classifications that certain players need to live up to in order to be worthwhile. “So and So isn’t a good basketball player until they defeat The Monstars.” “LeBron James couldn’t have survived back in Vietnam.” “They had too many shooters.” Whatever. You get the idea.
All of that is a testament to the power of narratives. For one reason or another, every player has something to prove. But hyperbolic bullshit aside, why wouldn’t they?
As extreme and unfounded as they can be, not all narratives are BS, and it really is time for some folks to step up. After a while, not being able to show up in big moments does matter. Sometimes, sports clichés are sports clichés because they are kind of true. Rather than relying on vapid catchphrases, you just have to do the analysis to get to the truth of it and see what player’s done what and what they still need to do.
Today, we take a look at the narratives to assess the 11 NBA Players with the most to prove in the 2024-2025 NBA season.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s a nepo baby.
How he can overcome it: Prove he’s an actual NBA player who brings something to the table.
On April 5, Bronny James announced that he was entering the NBA draft. That was the moment folks started being honest about his game. For years, Bronny was shielded by a phalanx of sentimental overcorrections for those outsize expectations Bronny Sr. placed upon his son. Basically, a lot of people were cappin’ even in the face of hard numbers.
As traumatic as his heart issues were, and as difficult as recovery must have been, Bronny was averaging 5 points per game on less than 37% shooting at USC. It was consistent with a player who had never averaged more than 15 points per game in either high school or AAU. That lack of scoring continued through his first NBA preseason, where he averaged about 4 points per game on 29% shooting from the field.
Bronny has no doubt heard the criticism. He got his first NBA game out of the way this week. But he’s going to keep hearing criticism. He’s LeBron’s son. By choosing to enter the NBA draft as an unproven college player who would have never gotten drafted otherwise, Bronny accepted his father’s nepotistic gift. Does he have the talent to be a real contributor on an NBA team?
(Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s a massive bust.
How he can overcome it: Make a sorry Portland team watchable.
It’s hard to make the Charlotte Hornets look wise, but Scoot Henderson did exactly that. After a summer that saw plenty of fans and scouts bashed the Hornets for choosing Brandon Miller over the chiseled point guard, Scoot proceeded to have one of the most disappointing rookie seasons in recent NBA history.
Despite a powerful frame, explosive speed, and dunk contest bounce, Henderson only managed to finish 50% at the rim last season. Just as troublingly, he shot just 32% from three, while generating only 3.3 free throw attempts per game. These deficiencies resulted in averages of just 15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on a putrid 48.9 TS%.
Now, rookie stats can be funky, and at only 21 years old, Scoot has plenty of time to review the nuances of finishing and drawing contact at the rim. By all accounts, he’s a hard worker with a strong resolve. But, with his current skills, he’s going to have a very difficult time being an efficient offensive player, which severely caps his ceiling as a franchise point guard.
Folks have already significantly lowered their once-big expectations for the young guard. This season, Henderson has the chance to prove they should still have them.
(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s inconsistent during the regular season and unavailable in the playoffs.
How he can overcome it: Make an All-Star team and stay healthy for the entire playoffs.
When the Nuggets won the whole thing in 2023, Jamal Murray was incredible. At his best, Murray is an unpredictable flurry of imagination, instinct, and technical craft—a slithery ball-handler with a contortionist’s body control and Kobe Bryant’s flair for making difficult shots.
The only problem is that sometimes that florid scouting report has more closely resembled one big injury report. His 2021 ACL injury and subsequent recovery robbed him of two postseason runs. Last year, a calf injury notably hampered his impact in the postseason and the Olympics. His regular season play has always been streaky (hence the lack of All-Star selections).
He also just signed a $208 million maximum contract extension, which makes sense considering his incredible chemistry with Nikola Jokic—who happens to be the best player in the NBA right now. Joker is signed through 2027. He seems content, but you never know. The Nuggets’ hopes for championship contention rest heavily on Murray’s balky legs, and their championship window might close sooner than you think.
(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
The narrative: A great scorer who waited too long for a trade.
How he can overcome it: Post elite numbers on his way to the NBA Finals.
Only five PGs in NBA history have gotten more buckets than Dame. Of that group, only Stephen Curry eclipsed his efficiency. So, why then, does Dame Time feel like an afterthought? Playing at the same time as Steph doesn’t help, but more directly, it’s because legends—or should I say, narratives—are made in the playoffs.
Dame has some of the most iconic playoff shots in recent memory, but he hasn’t really had a ton of postseason success. He should get credit for making the playoffs in nine of his 11 healthy NBA seasons, especially considering his supporting cast in Portland, but he’s only advanced past the second round twice. His last three trips—which unfolded during his statistical peak—ended in the first round.
This is his second season on the Bucks. A role as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s No. 2 should give him a chance to add more victorious chapters to his hero’s story. If not, he runs the risk of being, in the eyes of fans, yet another electrifying scorer in a league full of them. At age 34, Dame Time may be running out.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s an empty stats guy.
How he can overcome it: Advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Is Brandon Ingram good, or not? It’s a query that’s shifted in and out of focus since he was a Lakers rookie eight years ago. On one hand, he’s been an above-average volume scorer since the Lakers traded him five years ago.
In the playoffs, he’s been a mixed bag. Ingram held his own against the Suns in a first-round loss back in 2022. But he was miserable against the Oklahoma City Thunder this past spring.
Heading into the final year of his contract alongside a healthy Zion, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum, Ingram has the chance to answer questions about his basketball impact, and in doing so, help the Pels answer their own important question: Should they pay him or trade him?
Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s an all-time playoff dropper.
How he can overcome it: Play well in the playoffs.
Depending on how you look at it, Julius Randle’s is either a feel-good redemption story or a tale of misplaced hope and fraudulence. While Randle played a big role in making the Knicks relevant again, his playoff flameouts have been staggering. In 2021, his averages dropped from 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6 assists during the regular season to 18 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 29.8% shooting during a gentleman’s sweep from the Hawks.
He was too injured to make the playoffs the next season, and while battling an injury, he once again underperformed in the 2023 postseason. Injuries took him out of the 2024 playoffs altogether—yet the Knicks became even more endearing without him.
After being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl Anthony-Towns, he now gets a legitimate chance to thrive on a deep roster with one of the game’s most talented scorers in Anthony Edwards. He’s also playing with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Rudy Gobert) and a potential Rookie of the Year candidate (Rob Dillingham). He might not get an individual award, but Julius Randle, NBA Champion has a nice ring to it.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s never healthy.
How he can overcome it: Play in a playoff game for the first time.
Has anyone ever embodied “the best ability is availability” like Zion Williamson? His career field goal percentage (59.2%) is 22.4 slots higher than his games played per season (36.8). His talent is like a NBA junkie’s fantasy science experiment: What would happen if you gave a 300-pounder Michael Jordan’s athleticism?
Since he’s entered the league, we’ve only seen bits and pieces of the answer to that question. His conditioning issues have led to weight gain, and when combined with his GOAT-level quick-twitch athleticism, his lower body’s been put under too much stress for his play style to be sustainable.
After getting into the best shape of his career, Zion had one of his most successful seasons as he led the Pelicans to a spot in the play-in. Then, amid a 40-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist masterpiece, Zion suffered a left leg injury in the closing minutes of the play-in contest against the Lakers, leaving him on the bench, injured yet again.
If Zion can stay in shape and stay healthy, maybe Pels fans can finally get their answer. If not, they’ll see what happens when you’re paying max money for a player who never plays.
(Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images)
The narrative: He’s washed.
How he can overcome it: Be a steady third-option next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
When Klay Thompson taunted Devin Booker with his four championship rings a couple years ago, anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence could see the quip was just an act of desperation in an ongoing war with nature.
In his prime, Klay Thompson was regarded as an All-NBA two guard with elite defensive chops and one of the prettiest and most effective jump shots ever. But time is cruel, and ACL and Achilles injuries are even crueler. Klay has never been quite the same since injuring himself in consecutive seasons years ago.
He had a semi-resurgence in the Warriors’ 2022 championship season, but after going 0-10 in a play-in game against the Sacramento Kings and being offered a lower-than-he-wanted contract by the Warriors, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks for less than GSW could have offered. In Dallas, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will hope Klay can do for the Mavericks what an older Ray Allen did for the Heat.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s soft when it matters.
How he can overcome it: Go an entire playoff run without a meltdown.
Before his play more or less doomed the Minnesota Timberwolves in their conference finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Karl Anthony-Towns had pretty much proven his detractors wrong. They said he wasn’t a winning player, but the Timberwolves finished as the No. 1 seed last season. They said he was soft, but he defended Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference Semifinals. He was balling out.
Then, of course, he floundered. The Timberwolves decided that he wasn’t a suitable No. 2 option for the ascendent Anthony Edwards, especially for the contract he was sure to command. So they traded KAT for Julius Randle.
Paired with Jalen Brunson, though, KAT gets more room to operate than ever, and with a team full of solid tertiary role players, the Knicks can go very far. If they don’t, it will probably be because of a key KAT deficiency and rowdy New York fans will never let him hear the end of it.
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s a playoff-dropping crybaby.
How he can overcome it: Dominate the postseason.
At their best, MVPs like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and others had a sense of inevitability to them. You can’t stop them. You know they’ll be there at the end. When it comes to Joel Embiid, you know he won’t.
Statistically speaking, Embiid approaches those guys in terms of sheer production. For the last four seasons, he’s averaged 31.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks on about 64 TS% while having a 9.3 bpm. He was a worthy MVP in 2023.
But, whether due to nagging (or random) injuries, his play has always dropped off during the playoffs. In the postseason for the same four-year stretch above, his points-per-game dropped by nearly five points, and his true shooting efficiency fell by about four. He’s never even been to a conference finals.
As a 30-year-old 7-foot-something with a troublesome injury history, he’s running out of chances to rewrite his story. This year could be his best chance. Paul George remains a top 25ish player, and Tyrese Maxey should also compete for an All-Star slot. They’ve got the coach. This should be the year. If it’s not, it never will be.
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
The narrative: He’s a baller who wants to be an Instagram gangster.
How he can overcome it: Put the guns away and be on the court at the end of the season.
Ja has the most to prove because even if he plays great, it won’t mean much if he’s constantly caught up in off-the-court controversies.
Ja quickly went from being one of the most celebrated players in the league to making headlines for a series of blicky-related controversies that eventually led him to be suspended for 25 games during the 2023-2024 season. While he returned that December, a shoulder injury ended his season just nine games later.
Between bad behavior and injury concerns, he’s only played more than 65 games once in his career. Talented as they are, the Memphis Grizzlies’ fate sits on two questions: Can Ja chill the fuck out? Or will he become another young talent who succumbed to pressure and threw it all away?
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