10 Players with the Most to Prove During 2025-26 NBA Season
NBA fans are a hard group to satisfy.
When a team wins a title, the discussion quickly turns to whether it can back up the achievement with another. Players who hit new levels don't earn a break either. Instead, they just get a new, historically greater class of peers to be measured against.
Keep those unfair standards in mind as we lay out the 10 players with the most to prove ahead of 2025-26.
Almost everyone here has enjoyed some amount of career success; several have earned MVP votes in the recent past. And yet, because of new situations, injuries and expectations they didn't set for themselves, all of them head into the upcoming campaign with questions to answer.
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
1 of 10
After the trade that sent Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, Nico Harrison's judgment may forever be in question. But the Mavs' GM made shrewd enough decisions in the past that helped get Dallas to the NBA Finals and, more importantly, he was in a position to know more about Dončić's conditioning and commitment than almost anyone else.
Dončić's visibly iffy fitness and (for him) poor performance with the Lakers gave Harrison's infamous trade the faintest hint of justification.
Dončić must use the upcoming season to ensure everyone agrees Harrison and the Mavs made one of the biggest mistakes in league history.
Based on Dončić's first handful of seasons, which included five consecutive All-NBA first-team nods, it's pretty easy to bet on a resurgence. Add the PR blitz about his offseason work habits and the Lakers' clear reorientation around him, and a career year isn't all that hard to imagine.
Dončić needs to prove he's the surefire perennial MVP candidate he appeared to be before last year's falloff.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
2 of 10
Jonathan Kuminga had four years to prove himself to the Golden State Warriors and, fair or not, he failed. Defenders of the physically gifted forward will counter that Golden State and head coach Steve Kerr never gave Kuminga a fair shot, but that take has always felt a little arrogant.
Really, you've got a better sense of what Kuminga can and cannot do for a veteran-led team that's trying to win than the coaching staff that has been with him every day of his professional career? That seems to be the stance of Kuminga and his camp, but let's acknowledge the presence of some serious bias.
If Kuminga and the Warriors continue to be far apart in contract negotiations, the restricted free agent could accept the one-year qualifying offer ahead of 2026 free agency. In that scenario, Kuminga will have to prove himself to a league full of teams that might pursue him next July. And if the Dubs come to an agreement with their frustrated forward, he'll have to prove to them that he's more than deadline trade bait.
Wherever he ends up and however much he signs for, Kuminga will have to show the league he's more than an imperfect, enticing prospect.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
3 of 10
Ja Morant has played 59 games across the last two years because of injuries and suspensions, which makes availability the first thing he needs to demonstrate in 2025-26.
Beyond that, the electrifying guard who finished seventh and 12th in MVP voting and made All-Star teams in 2021-22 and 2022-23 must prove he can return to those levels after a pair of underwhelming seasons.
Morant's greatest gift is his athleticism, which might already be waning ahead of his age-26 season. Just 2.2 percent of his field-goal attempts were dunks last year, a career low by a significant margin. Is the elite bounce still in there? And if Morant's less aggressive aerial game is instead a choice, can he be as effective without trying to tear the rim down as often?
The Memphis Grizzlies still operate as if their star point guard is their centerpiece, but Morant hasn't been worthy of that status—on the floor or as a leader—in either of the last two years. Fail to reestablish himself as a no-questions-asked cornerstone in 2025-26, and Morant could see his value sink further, perhaps to the point of becoming a trade candidate.
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Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
4 of 10
Scoot Henderson took a lot of the steps you'd want to see from a second-year point guard last season. He improved his scoring efficiency from both two- and three-point range, cut his turnover rate and got to the foul line more often.
Those were all great signs, but Henderson set the bar so low as a rookie by posting a 48.9 true shooting percentage and leading the league in turnovers per 100 possessions that improvement was basically inevitable. And it also didn't mean that Henderson was actually a helpful player. He posted a minus-2.2 Box Plus/Minus in 2024-25—way better than the minus-5.8 he managed the year prior but a long way from "objectively good."
That needs to change this season, as the Portland Trail Blazers set their sights on a postseason trip after closing last year with a 23-18 record.
The Blazers' defense and collective talent will be the main determinants of how high they can climb, but it's Henderson who could put them over the top. If he takes an even bigger step forward and looks more like the cornerstone star many pre-draft evaluators saw, it'll have a massive impact on Portland's future.
Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
5 of 10
The Houston Rockets will probably be just fine if Reed Sheppard gives them as little as a sophomore as he did as a rookie. But another year of G League stat-stuffing and the odd hot stretch in between weeks of limited playing time at the NBA level would still count as a massive disappointment.
Sheppard came billed as an ace shooter, underrated facilitator and disruptive defender who could handle the ball as a lead guard or terrify defenses by hunting shots away from it. All we got were flashes of that potential last season, with a final line of 4.4 points and 1.4 assists on a 35.1/33.8/81.3 shooting split failing to impress.
Houston was deep enough to not need Sheppard a year ago, and the offseason additions of Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith offset the losses of Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. To some extent, Sheppard faces similarly long odds to carve out a role.
Green's departure would seem to open up some opportunities. Another season of sub-40.0-percent shooting won't allow Sheppard to capitalize, though. Novel concept: He'll need to play much better if he wants to play more.
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors
6 of 10
Immanuel Quickley needs to use this season to become known for something other than his contract.
Nobody wants to be the "that guy" other agents are referencing in the context of saying "if that guy signed for X, my client needs to get at least that much."
It's a clear sign the league believes the Toronto Raptors overpaid for the combo guard when they handed him a five-year, $162.5 million extension.
That deal is no fault of Quickley's, but one assumes he'd like to change the narrative about his value while also proving to himself and the Raptors that he's capable of running the point for a good offense. Toronto hasn't surrounded him with ideal spacing, which will make that task tougher, but Quickley has the improving ball-handling and reliable outside shot to get the job done.
And if he doesn't, agents can still take the heat off him by using teammate Jakob Poeltl's three-year, $84.5 million offseason extension as an alternative measuring stick.
The Raptors might want to think about changing their payment practices.
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
7 of 10
LaMelo Ball appeared in 47 games last season, a low total for most players but an unfortunately high one for the Charlotte Hornets guard. He'd only played in 22 contests in 2023-24 after logging 36 the season before that.
Here's hoping the right wrist and ankle surgeries Ball underwent in April will allow him to stay on the floor for something closer to the career-high 75 games he played in his 2021-22 All-Star season.
In addition to proving he can remain healthy for a full season, Ball must evolve as a leader and consistent driver of team success. No, the Hornets aren't poised to contend at any point in the near future. But Ball is entering his sixth campaign and needs to become something more than an entertainer in a low-stakes environment.
Strong signs emerged last year that Ball could drive winning. Though he's always improved his team's offense when on the floor, the 11.4 points per 100 possessions he added to Charlotte's attack in 2024-25 was a 99th-percentile figure. Some of that on-off split owes to just how bad the Hornets were without Ball in the game, but there's no denying his positive impact.
Surrounded by better shooting and secondary playmaking than he's had in a while, Ball is positioned to reestablish himself as a building block in Charlotte's long-term plans.
De'Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs
8 of 10
Sidekicks face more pressure than you'd think, and De'Aaron Fox is now locked into a role as the key support piece for one of the most exciting and attention-grabbing superstars in the league.
Victor Wembanyama should make some aspects of Fox's job easier. There's something to be said for the pressure release a game-changing back-line defender provides for a guard. But Fox, whom the San Antonio Spurs signed to a four-year, $229 million extension this past offseason, still has to perform at a level that justifies his team's investment.
Nobody would have had an issue if San Antonio had played hardball in negotiations with Fox, or if it had simply passed on the opportunity to acquire him from the Sacramento Kings in the first place. The Spurs effectively chose him as Wemby's first star teammate, a position that comes with outsized responsibilities.
Fox has been an All-Star and an All-NBA team member in the past, but that was way back in 2022-23. His shooting has been inconsistent throughout his career, and he has also never been part of a sustainable winner.
The Spurs expect to become one of those sooner than later. We'll see if Fox is up for the tall task ahead.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
9 of 10
Nobody can be sure what Zion Williamson will do for the New Orleans Pelicans this season. If you're scoring at home, we're entering the seventh consecutive year in which uncertainty is Zion's defining characteristic.
Williamson has played 30 or fewer games in four of those six career campaigns, including a completely lost 2021-22. His 30 appearances last year came with many of the same tantalizing flashes that have punctuated his other abbreviated or interrupted seasons. Williamson finished with averages of 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and a career-best 5.3 assists in 2024-25, once again demonstrating that he's among the game's most productive offensive forces when healthy.
The rest of the Pelicans didn't hold up last year either, with Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray and others missing significant time. The rest of the squad's fitness is important, but Williamson's rises to the level of make-or-break.
Toss in the offseason trade with Atlanta that sent out New Orleans' unprotected 2026 first-rounder (best of either NOP or MIL), and the stakes only rise. If Zion can't be available and productive this season, the Pels might wind up surrendering the top pick in the draft.
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
10 of 10
If October and November were the only months that counted, Franz Wagner wouldn't have anything to prove. His scorching start last season, much of which came during Paolo Banchero's time on the shelf, had Wagner firmly in the discussion for All-NBA first team. He averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds on a 47.4/35.4/85.3 shooting split through Nov. 29.
An oblique injury knocked Wagner out for all of December and most of January, and he returned a diminished player—particularly in terms of scoring efficiency.
Wagner finished the season shooting 29.5 percent from long distance on a career-high 5.9 attempts per game. It was his second straight season hitting fewer than 30.0 percent of his treys.
The Magic are looking to take a leap with the acquisition of Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones to help the offense, but it's going to be difficult for them to truly frighten top-end opponents if they have a high-volume offensive weapon missing seven out of every 10 triples he tries.
Wagner is a terrific all-around player, but he has a glaring flaw. Considering Orlando's ambitions and the fact that it maxed him out last summer, Wagner needs to step it up. Otherwise, the Magic might need to look for a more efficient second option behind Banchero.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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