Being an NBA star means you’re going to be in the spotlight. Like it or not, people are going to try and get to you, either because of their love and admiration or because they’re demanding way more out of you.
Young players often get a free pass of a couple of seasons because is safe to expect an adjustment period coming out of college, but as time goes by, patience starts running up and they’re also asked to do their job.
On the other hand, superstars also draw a lot of heat from angry fans and petty journalists that believe that they’re not earning the cash they make. That’s why today we’ll let you know about the top 10 players that will be under the most pressure next season.
10. Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine has been great so far throughout his short NBA career, but now that he’s finally healthy and has inked his signature on a very lucrative deal, fans are going to need him to step up right away.
The Bulls are in no position to contend and LaVine will have to share touches with other standout prospects but is time for him to prove his worth and that he’s actually going to earn his paycheck. Over the 2017-18 season, he averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3 dimes a game.
9. Hassan Whiteside
Not so long ago, Hassan Whiteside had become one of the league’s biggest sensations, coming from overseas after being left out of the NBA with the Kings en route to becoming one of the league’s best rim protectors.
Nonetheless, he was never able to back up all the talk he did and Coach Spoelstra simply doesn’t trust him in crunch time, so he needs to prove that he can adapt and embrace a lesser role or there will be no suitors interested in his services. He’s coming off averaging a double-double, with 14 points and 11.4 boards to go along with 1.7 blocks per game
8. Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins was arguably the most overhyped player to enter this league after LeBron James and truth to be told, he ’s not been anywhere near half as impressive as everybody thought he’d be.
Wiggins needs to do a lot of work on the defensive end of the floor, as well as boxing out and making the most of his hops and athleticism to be a good rebounder (he roughly averaged 4.4 boards a game last season. Also, he needs to prove he’s got some character in the clutch.
7. DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is getting a lot of negative attention because of his signing with the Golden State Warriors, as most people felt like he betrayed AD and took the easy way to an NBA Championship.
Moreover, he’s never been much of an easy going player, and he’s a ball-dominant guy that needs the rock to get things going, so he needs to prove that he can adapt to the Dubs ball-sharing offense. Prior to his injury, he was having the best season of his career, averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
6. D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell was expected to take the league for assault right out of the gate, and even though he’s had some injuries and has shown glimpses of great talent, he still has a lot of work to do.
Russell is entering a contract year and he’s got to prove that he has what it takes to be a team’s starting point guard and get paid big time, and he’s going to have the green light to run the Net’s offense throughout the whole season. Over the prior season, he was only able to make 48 appearances, averaging just over 15 points a game.
5. Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin’s trade was one of the prior season’s biggest surprises, as he had just pretty much become the Los Angeles Clippers franchise cornerstone following the Chris Paul departure to join the Rockets.
Even so, the Pistons somehow managed to miss the playoffs amid Griffin’s arrival, so now that he’s going to have a full season at Detroit, he needs to prove that the trade was actually worth and that he’s going to make them contenders again. He averaged 21.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 dimes a contest.
4. Paul George
Paul George took a major gamble this year and earned a lot of respect from his peers and fans, deciding to extend his stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of joining LeBron James in the Lakers.
Even so, George was a major no-show in clutch time the prior campaign and was horrible in an elimination game, so he needs to prove that he’s got the mindset to lead this time to Championship contention. Still, his season averages of 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2 steals per game were great.
3. Russell Westbrook
Just like George, Westbrook needs to prove that he’s got the mindset to win at all costs, meaning stop the hero-balling and sharing the rock with his teammates, and stop stat-padding as he’s done the last couple of years.
Westbrook has unlimited talent and he could probably beat all players in the league one on one, but he’s yet to prove that he can play next to other superstars and take this franchise to a whole new level. On a side note, he managed to average a triple-double for the 2nd straight season, posting 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
2. Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard shocked the world when he stated that he wanted out of the San Antonio Spurs, especially because he pretty much decided to sit out the whole season instead of coming back and play for the team that made him a superstar.
Leonard is getting a lot of well-deserved hate right now, so he needs to prove that he hasn’t lost it despite sitting out for most of a season and only being able to play 9 games and that he can still be the league’s best two-way player.
Read More
Top 10 Most Disappointing Comebacks In NBA History
Kevin Durant And CJ McCollum Get Into Beef On Twitter
LeBron James Regrets Naming His Kid After Him
1. Carmelo Anthony
And finally, Carmelo Anthony has to be the guy with more pressure on his shoulders for sure, as the former All-Star is now viewed as a liability and a scrub, and will need to do a lot of good things in order to prove his doubters wrong.
As a matter of fact, Houston’s Championship odds actually declined when they decided to sign Melo, mostly because he refuses to embrace a lesser role even though he’s lost most of his punch after he shot 40.9% and 35.7% from three en route to 16.2 points a night, his lower scoring average ever since he entered the league.
