Superstars. New acquisitions. Old NBA players with a rapidly shrinking title window.
Which players have the most to prove — to themselves, to the league, to their teammates?
Our roundtable panel weighed in:
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SEAN WOODLEY
It seems bizarre to say this about a former MVP, but Derrick Rose has a lot riding on this season. He needs to prove that he can sustain his solid – and sometimes heroic – play from last year’s postseason; he must adjust to the reality that Jimmy Butler is now the Bulls’ best player; and above all, he needs to show he can stay on the court for an extended period of time. If he can’t do those things, it might be tough for him to earn the money he’s after in the summer of 2017.
JARED MINTZ
It’s difficult to resist the urge to pick Chris Paul here, but CP3’s done enough to cement his place in NBA history as the best point guard of his era. It would also be unfair to select Carmelo Anthony. Even though he has a TON to prove, he doesn’t quite have the supporting cast to help him prove it — not yet.
This year, I’m putting the pressure on the Oklahoma City Thunder, particularly Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. There’s no more Scott Brooks to blame; the organization has finally decided (three years too late) that it’s worth paying a fourth guy; and with Durant and Westbrook both healthy, anything less than an NBA Finals appearance will be a letdown.
I know that’s pretty drastic, but this might be the last season we see the duo together. Shoot, this might be the last season EITHER player is in Oklahoma City. To have two top 5-10 players at worst and only get to one Finals would be a disaster for this franchise.
JOE MANGANIELLO
Perhaps the wonkiest moment in NBA offseason history surrounded the free agency of DeAndre Jordan. His initial agreement with the Dallas Mavericks lifted the team’s title window ever-so-slightly; his violent escape from his verbal commitment — and the bizarre, house-arrest vibes during the final hours leading up to his reunion with the Clippers — sunk the Mavericks and prematurely ended the Carlisle-Nowitzki run as perennial Western Conference contenders.
Jordan has been painted as the Prodigal Son in the months following the fiasco, but that’s not the whole truth — there were real reasons, on and off the court, Jordan strongly considered bolting L.A. Even with Jordan back to man the paint and slam home anything near the cylinder, the Clippers are far from a title lock. The West is cantankerous, and if the Clippers fail to advance beyond the second round for a fifth straight season, drastic changes may befall the organization. Jordan is vital to stimulating a currently unqualified championship defense; if L.A. falls apart on that end, the blame will fall squarely on his brawny shoulders when push comes to shove.
BRYAN GIBBERMAN
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is in a precarious spot. He’s coming off the worst season of his career and needs to show it’s not a gradual decline due to his body breaking down. He averaged under 10 points per 36 minutes for this first time ever, partially due to his struggles to make shots around the rim. When watching Noah last season he wasn’t himself — the impact as an offensive creator for others and high-level defender was missing. Noah is entering the final year of his contract during his soon-to-be-age-31 season. Noah is playing for money. Noah is playing for a minutes. Noah could be playing for a rotation spot.
The Bulls also have Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and rookie Bobby Portis in the frontcourt. Noah has no attachment to Chicago’s first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg. The Florida product has to show he belongs at a level not needed since he entered the NBA out of college.
MATT ZEMEK
A good way to answer this question is to eliminate other possible answers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA team with the most to prove. However, with LeBron James helping everyone, which player on that roster has a lot to prove? It’s hard to come up with an answer.
Who on the Golden State Warriors — as a freshly-minted NBA champion — can claim to have more to prove than any other player in the Association? Who on the San Antonio Spurs can make that same claim?
Miami needs its bench to help out. Cross Goran Dragic off the list.
On the Chicago roster, Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler are both valid answers. However, Rose isn’t at the physical height of his capabilities, and Butler needs help from the Bulls’ frontcourt.
On the Hawks, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder both need to find reliable jump shots, which would make them next-level NBA players in light of their quickness off the bounce. Yet, the Hawks value balance in their offense to the extent that the primacy of any one individual is hard to assert (too much).
Washington’s John Wall and Bradley Beal haven’t received the help they’ve needed from a mercurial frontcourt, so as much as they might want to take the Wizards to the East Finals, they have to depend on teammates.
In the West, Memphis’s best players need some jump shooting to help them along. In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant need their frontcourt to be good enough to make the Thunder a threat.
Ultimately, when you remove all other candidates, the two players with the most to prove are Chris Paul and James Harden.
CP3 doesn’t have to win a title or even a Western Conference crown. He just has to park himself in a West Finals series. Harden, if he wants to make a bigger name for himself, will take Houston to the NBA Finals, pushing a deep roster over the top.
Which player has more to prove of the two? Let’s see if Harden plays the fourth quarter of Game 6 in the playoffs this time… and if Paul can beat him.