With only 59 days remaining until the start of the 2024-25 regular season, a number of players are entering make or break. For some, this could be their chance to become NBA stars. For others still, it may be their last hope at remaining relevant.
3 NBA Players Heading Into Make Or Break Season
Ben Simmons
To put it bluntly, 2024-25 could be Ben Simmons’s last season in the NBA.
The former No. 1 pick is now entering the final season of his five-year, $177 million contract extension. However, it couldn’t come at a worst time. Currently rehabbing from a nagging back injury, it’s anyone’s guess as to how many games he’ll play next season. After he played in 57 games over the past two seasons, confidence isn’t high.
Nonetheless, despite media criticisms portraying him as a player who only is interested in making money, his dedication to grinding through the rehab process says otherwise. Indeed, his repeated comeback attempts speaks to a genuine love of the game. The same can be said about his basketball IQ, as it’s not just instincts that make him a two-way playmaker but study.
The 28-year-old doesn’t have to return to All-Star form in 2024-25, he just has to get through the season healthy. If he can do that, his talent might do the rest should he look to continue his NBA career.
Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is entering the most important season of his career. Players don’t usually get a second chance at stardom, but the former top-10 pick is. In just his second season, Sexton averaged 20.8 points per game. The next season, he averaged a career-high 24.8 points per game. Yet, he was strangely more criticized than heralded for his performance.
Whether fair or foul, a reputation as a low IQ player has followed him from his rookie season on. Last season, Sexton flipped those questions on their head, making reads that he had not made consistently up to that point. By the end of the year, he was averaging career-highs of 18.7 points and 4.9 assists per game. As a starter, he averaged 21.1 points and 5.6 assists per game.
If Sexton can keep up his performance —or, better yet, improve —his ascendance to star status will continue. If not, he might be pigeonholed into a sixth man role.
Jalen Green
Though entering just his fourth season, the Houston Rockets’ expectations of Jalen Green are high enough for him to be on the hot seat. Averaging 19.8 points per game, the second-highest in his draft class, isn’t enough. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka wants Green to be a better defender, rebounder, and playmaker. As a scorer, he wants him to be more efficient, savvy, and physical.
Frankly, nobody should complain about Udoka wanting Green to become a complete player. Too often have players become one-dimensional, relying on their natural talent rather than honing their skills. Yet, the pressure that Green faces goes beyond that. The Rockets aren’t just trying to push him towards greatness, they’re willing to push him out if he isn’t more consistent.
If Green can replicate his post-All-Star Break performance from last season though, he should be in the green. In fact, he may finally enter conversations about the future faces of the league.
