With the start of the NBA season only a day away, many players will look to grab headlines and boost their stock in the association over the coming months.
From veterans looking for a fitting epilogue to a well-tenured career to players in their twenties wanting to cement themselves as All-NBA caliber talent, here are VAVEL USA's players to watch out for in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Nikola Jokić: Four-time MVP?
Dever Nuggets center and winner of three Most Valuable Player awards, Nikola Jokić, has a real chance this year of adding another to his accolades.
The Serb won a championship ring with the Nuggets in 2023, whereas last season ended somberly as the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame Denver in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Jokić will be desperate to champion his side to the NBA finals again and recapture that winning feeling.
His archetype is also better suited to the MVP mold than other potential candidates, as an elite rebounder and passer with good scoring numbers.
Even if Jokić does not win the NBA's biggest award, a spot on one of the All-NBA teams is almost a guarantee barring any injury.
LeBron (and Bronny) James: A swansong, and a rebirth
Putting two players into one spot might be cheating, but there is a good reason for it.
LeBron James has won everything there is to win: championships, individual awards, monthly awards, and the hearts of fans across generations. However, one thing he has wanted to do that he has not had the opportunity to do heading into this season - play in the NBA with one of his sons.
The upcoming campaign will see LeBron finally get his chance, as his son LeBron James Jr., nicknamed Bronny, was chosen with the 55th overall pick in this year's draft by James Sr's Lakers.
James Jr. played for the University of South California (USC) Trojans in his only year at the collegiate level. He had under five points per game in his limited minutes playing for the team.
The past year was a tumultuous time for the James family, as Bronny experienced a cardiac arrest in the summer of last year, before even touching the court in college.
Previously considered a consensus first-rounder in various mock drafts, this damaged his draft stock and saw him fall to the bottom half of the second round.
Now the outlook seems much more promising. Father and son, united together through the same yellow and purple jersey of Los Angeles.
Victor Wembanyama: Basketball's unicorn
With the first pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs picked French center Victor Wembanyama.
And although he is soft-spoken and unassuming personality-wise, Wembanyama could very quickly become the face of the league. In a way, he already is - who in the sporting world is not paying attention to a 7"3 player who is elite on defense yet has almost unimaginable control over his body combined with prodigious shooting?
There are no limits for a player as abnormal as Wembanyama, who is nicknamed 'Wemby' or, more fittingly, 'The Alien'. All-Defense First Team honors in what was the Frenchman's rookie campaign is an indicator of what is most likely to come - utter domination.
An All-Star selection is imminent, and Spurs aficionados would not be wrong to believe their star player has the talent to single-handedly take them into the playoffs.
Luka Dončić: Slovenian superstar ready to take the Dallas Mavericks to the next level
Staying in the state of Texas, this spot is dedicated to Dallas' star instead of San Antonio's. Luka Dončić is perhaps overlooked when it comes to discussions about who the league's best player is, and that is possibly down to the Slovene never having a good enough team around him.
Now he does. The acquisition last year of Kyrie Irving saw the Mavericks go on a journey to the NBA Finals in May, where the team lost in five games to the Boston Celtics.
An MVP trophy might be a long shot with a talent-heavy league, but Dončic is a 30-point scorer most nights and if he can pull the Mavericks to another deep playoff run along with Irving, why can't he be in that conversation?
Honorable mentions
Zaccharie Risacher
The first pick of the 2024 Draft, Risacher will team up with Trae Young to help the Atlanta Hawks try to get back to the playoffs.
Paul George
The bright lights of Los Angeles have been swapped for the state of Pennsylvania in the case of Paul George, as the Philadelphia 76ers create a formidable force of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and George.
Jalen Suggs
Arguably a misfit in this list on name value alone, Suggs is a defense specialist and has come leaps and bounds in his shooting ability. Along with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Suggs has become a key player at a young Orlando Magic side looking to make another playoff appearance.
