10 NBA Players Who Have It All to Prove This Season
Basketball fans around the world rejoiced on Tuesday as the NBA made its long-awaited return.
Some players had just one thing on their mind when they stepped onto the court for the opening game: an NBA championship.
Think Steph Curry, or LeBron James.
For others, it’s not quite so simple. Certain players enter the new season with question marks hanging over their heads and without a place to hide.
These 10 players need to show the rest of the league they have what it takes to succeed in 2015-16.
LaMarcus Aldridge
1 of 10
LaMarcus Aldridge joined the San Antonio Spurs from the Portland Trail Blazers after 10 largely successful seasons (from an individual perspective, at least) in Portland.
The question raised is how will Aldridge fit in head coach Gregg Popovich’s scheme, which is designed to spread the ball around.
Aldridge was the focal point of the Trail Blazers offense last season. The game plan was to give Aldridge as many opportunities as possible.
He led the team in points per game (23.4) and was a 35.2 percent three-point shooter.
The power forward’s arrival in San Antonio has seen Tony Parker adopt a reduced role offensively, leaving Aldridge to spearhead the offense with Kawhi Leonard.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Aldridge fits in a team-oriented squad that also features veteran Tim Duncan.
Kevin Love
2 of 10
Kevin Love’s move from the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t work as planned last season.
His year was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury sustained in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round playoff series against Boston.
And his relationship with LeBron James got off to an awkward start, with James telling Love to “stop trying to find a way to fit out and just fit in” in an indirect tweet.
James has since changed his rhetoric, predicting Love will have a “hell of a season,” per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Perhaps that’s a sign the Love-James relationship is now at ease, the importance of which cannot be understated.
With Kyrie Irving’s return date from a fractured kneecap sustained in Game 1 of the NBA Finals unclear, someone needs to step up and support James in Irving’s absence.
That someone is Love.
The 27-year-old signed a five-year, $110 million contract to stay with the Cavaliers in July, and if the Cavs are to win the championship, which they have the ability to do, Love must help the two-man show emerge into a three-headed monster.
Paul George
3 of 10
The Indiana Pacers enter the season with a new-look roster that is without David West and Roy Hibbert.
Head coach Frank Vogel is leaning toward a smaller, nippier team, evidenced by the signing of guard Monta Ellis in free agency.
It means Paul George is returning to a team that bears little resemblance to the one he enjoyed success with from 2010 to 2014.
George, who missed most of last season after suffering a horrific leg injury while on Team USA duty, has the tough task of leading a team in transition while seeing more playing time at power forward.
He’s on the same team, but with new teammates and a new position, it probably doesn’t feel like it.
Kevin Durant
4 of 10
There are several reasons for Kevin Durant to be optimistic as the 2015-16 season gets underway.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have an enviable, roster and in Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, Durant has a fine supporting cast.
There are also reasons why this season might just be Durant’s most challenging.
For a start, he’s returning from a foot injury that limited him to just 27 games last season.
He must also deal with new head coach Billy Donovan, who is without a year’s experience in the NBA.
There’s also the awkward situation of Durant’s looming free agency in the offseason.
In what might be one of the last seasons the Thunder are championship contenders for some time, their franchise player faces some serious obstacles.
Carmelo Anthony
5 of 10
Carmelo Anthony has his critics—those who believe he’s overrated and undeserving of the $124 million contract he signed in 2014.
But 2015-16 presents Anthony with the opportunity to respond to those who don't believe he’s elite.
The Knicks improved their roster with the additions of Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams, Kyle O’Quinn and Arron Afflalo in free agency, and Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick of the draft.
Anthony has taken Porzingis under his wing, serving as the 20-year-old’s “big brother," per George Willis of the New York Post.
It’s a testament to the way Anthony is viewed by the Knicks coaching staff. While some would want him to focus on his own performance, Anthony is responsible for nurturing the team’s 20-year-old rookie.
Joakim Noah
6 of 10
Stepping onto the court Tuesday for the Chicago Bulls’ opening game of the 2015-16 season must have been a great moment for Joakim Noah.
After last season’s recurring injuries, the Bulls center was back to full health and ready to lead Chicago on a deep playoff run.
Yet with 8:53 remaining in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Noah showed that his biggest hurdle this season remains his health.
A collision with Cavaliers’ Richard Jefferson, in which the two banged knees, left Noah on the floor. He would go on to leave the game and not return.
The decision for Noah not to return was simply a precautionary one, but it was still a significant moment and reminded the league of Noah’s fragility.
2014-15 was the 30-year-old’s worst season, and he hasn’t started either of the Bulls’ games this season. This is a contract year for Noah, and it will be difficult to prove his worth from the bench.
Nobody needs a special year more than Noah.
DeAndre Jordan
7 of 10
RantSports’ Timothy Downs labelled DeAndre Jordan’s decision to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers “cowardice.”
Downs went on to write:
"At some point ... it must have sunk in that a move to Dallas would mean he’d be the top dog. And it appears on the surface as if that ultimately scared Jordan, despite his claims that it was exactly what he wanted all along. This cannot be about winning a ring, as we all know the Clippers are still a long ways away from having a championship-caliber team. Instead, Jordan chose the easy route: One where he’d still receive a lucrative pay day, yet not carry around half the burden of pressure as he would have in Dallas.
"
Jordan was heavily criticized for openly agreeing to sign with the Dallas Mavericks before re-signing with the Clippers, but if he can help the team to its first title in franchise history (not impossible with the additions of Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, Wes Johnson and Lance Stephenson), the decision to stay will be the best decision Jordan has ever made.
Roy Hibbert
8 of 10
Roy Hibbert was a victim of Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel’s switch to a quicker, high-tempo offense in 2014-15.
His on-court production was down and, after becoming a misfit in Indiana’s scheme, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in July
It’s a seemingly great fit for both parties.
A team that conceded the second-most points per possession last year gets a player who just two seasons ago was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Hibbert must prove that his disappointing final season in Indiana was an aberration.
Rajon Rondo
9 of 10
He entered free agency expecting a maximum contract with a competitive team.
What he got was a one-year deal from the Sacramento Kings.
If he plays well, great—Rajon Rondo will be back for 2016-17 and beyond. If he doesn't, then there's no telling where Rondo will be next year.
It's a make-or-break year for the four-time All-Star.
Lance Stephenson
10 of 10
When ranking the best free-agency deals of 2014-15, the Charlotte Hornets’ signing of Lance Stephenson is nowhere to be seen.
The stat line is the best way to illustrate Stephenson’s nightmare in Charlotte.
| Year | Team | GP/GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| 2013-14 | Indiana Pacers | 78/78 | 35.3 | .491 | .352 | .711 | 7.2 | 4.6 | 13.8 |
| 2014-15 | Charlotte Hornets | 61/25 | 25.8 | .376 | .171 | .627 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 8.2 |
The 25-year-old has a fresh start in Los Angeles with the Clippers, where he’s surrounded by a host of quality players.
Stephenson knows it, too, telling Yahoo Sports: “We have a lot more talent that I ever had in Indy.”
Of course, Stephenson is referring to his four-year spell with the Indiana Pacers, where he reached the conference finals in 2013 and 2014.
Now it’s time to put last year’s season behind him and set about going one step further with the Clippers.
