Any season can be a do-or-die one for an NBA player – an opportunity to elevate to the next level or a time when the bottom finally falls out. It’s just a question of whether or not one can anticipate it.
We’ve already taken a look at the teams that are facing do-or-die years in 2023-24, desperately in need of showing some progress towards their goals. Now it’s time to get more granular and glance at individuals who are facing the same critical juncture.
Which NBA players are facing a do-or-die season in 2023-24, needing to prove something to their teams or to themselves?
The focus of the NBA world in recent weeks has been on Summer League play in Las Vegas. While that was a great opportunity to check out some of the young players trying to make inroads in the league, none of those players can really be considered on the verge of a do-or-die season, though many are always a fragile thread from making the league or missing out on it.
Instead, we’re taking a look at the veterans who have been around the block and need to have a big season for one reason or another. There’s no shortage of candidates hitting a pivotal point in their playerhood. It’s time for these players to either put up or shut up, to put it aggressively.
Think we missed anyone essential to this list? Feel free to drop it in the comments! In no particular order, here are five players facing a do-or-die year in the NBA.
NBA: G Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
There are a few people facing do-or-die moments with the Dallas Mavericks. Last season was a huge disappointment, one that the franchise seemed to double down on during the offseason. Luka Doncic holds the keys in Dallas and his fate could come into focus this season.
When last season came to a close, the postseason-less Doncic did his best to reassure the Dallas fans, saying he was happy in the city. He then said something more foreboding, however, saying something needed to change after the Mavs went from the Western Conference Finals to being sidelined for the postseason.
Who decides what that change is? The front office, which didn’t seem to see the need for major changes. Yes, they traded for Grant Williams and drafted Dereck Lively II, but they also brought back Kyrie Irving and will once again base their attack around the tandem guards.
That feels like an indictment of Doncic, and not in a negative way. Dallas still believes fully that the Slovenian can lead them to the promised land for the first time since another European was running the court.
But if the Mavs sputter again, Doncic may seek greener pastures, while fans may also wonder if a Doncic-led team can really carry Dallas as far as they once thought.
Doncic is a superstar. He averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. He seems like a perfectly deserving candidate for the five-year, $215 million extension he received not long ago.
Patience doesn’t tend to last long in this league, though. Much like the Utah Jazz dismantled their core last offseason after years of being great, but not great enough, Dallas could be headed that way depending on how Doncic does this year.
NBA: G Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors
Chris Paul is a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. How could he possibly be facing a do-or-die season at this point of his career, especially as a member of the Golden State Warriors?
Fair or not, many legends are judged by how many rings they have on their finger. Paul has none, only making it to the NBA Finals one time in his career, doing so two years ago with his previous team, the Phoenix Suns.
When the Warriors swung the deal for Paul, it was an acknowledgment that both sides could benefit from the pairing, as long as they were willing to sacrifice. Paul will likely need to come off the bench. In exchange, he can help prolong the Warriors’ dynasty for another year and secure his first ring in the process.
Paul is undoubtedly one of the best point guards to ever do it – a “Point God” among men. He’ll be playing with another one of the best point guards of all-time, one who changed the way the game is played in Steph Curry. It should be fun seeing those two on the same bench.
But Paul’s legacy is on the line this season, deservingly or not. If he can find himself in a new role and help the Warriors make another championship run, that makes all of the movement across the Western Conference in recent years worth it. If he falls short of a title again, he may become one of the greatest players without a title in the game’s history.
NBA: C Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
Now that John Collins has finally been traded, Deandre Ayton is the next big man constantly subject to trade rumors who seems destined to be moved one day. Unless, of course, he proves why the Phoenix Suns have held on to him in the first place.
Last year was another decent one for the former first-overall pick. He averaged a double-double – the fifth time he’s done so in five seasons – with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. He wasn’t far off from the best scoring average of his career.
Yet he feels less intrinsic to the Suns’ identity than ever before. The 24-year-old has seen his franchise acquire both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in recent months, shaking up the league. The big man no longer ranks as a top-three option on offense, if he ever did in the first place.
Ayton is nowhere near the level of a bust, but he’s also not living up to the hype as a first-overall pick. A change of scenery may be good for someone who also played his college ball – replete with controversy – in Arizona.
Once upon a time (a year ago), Ayton was nearly a member of the Indiana Pacers. The burden of expectations on a championship contender is different than an up-and-comer like the Pacers. This year is Ayton’s best chance yet to shed any preconceived notions and become a dominant big man and true force.
Speaking of the Pacers…
NBA: F Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers
Did Obi Toppin fail to live up to being a lottery pick with the New York Knicks because of his play, or because of a lack of belief from head coach Tom Thibodeau? The world may never know, but inquiring minds tend to think the latter. That might be why Toppin was traded for peanuts this summer.
Earlier this month, Toppin was dealt to the Indiana Pacers for a mere pair of second-round draft picks. He joins a roster filled to the brim with 2020 draft picks, including budding star Tyrese Haliburton.
The first three seasons of Toppin’s career don’t have any amazing numbers. He started only 15 games and averaged seven points and three rebounds over that time, hitting 32.5 percent of his threes. Then again, he never received much of a chance, averaging less than 15 minutes a contest.
As mentioned, however, the Pacers are at a different point in their process than the Knicks. New York made the playoffs in two of Toppin’s three seasons and fashion themselves as somewhat of a contender, at least for the postseason. Indiana is still building for the long term and is happy to take chances on young, energetic players like Toppin.
Toppin may not be long for Indiana, as he is eligible for a rookie contract extension until the beginning of the season. It’s hard to imagine the Pacers would ink him to such a deal before he ever plays a game for the franchise.
But the Dayton alum is finally out of the shadow of his first head coach. That automatically makes this a do-or-die year for the spring forward.
NBA: G Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets
There may be no player in the entire associate facing a more critical season than Ben Simmons. He has seen his stock fall from superstar to burnout at a rapid pace. There may not be much time left to salvage his reputation.
At this point, much of the chronicle that is Simmons’ career has spilled out on the pages, but let’s do it again. He was a first-overall pick who missed his first entire season due to a foot injury, only to come back to win Rookie of the Year the following year. He quickly developed into a star with the game of a floor general and the body of a big man.
But his shooting woes came into sharper focus during the 2020-21 season, especially his free throw concerns during the playoffs. Some of his teammates and his coach started to turn on him, leading him to hold out and never play another game for the franchise.
He was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in the middle of the 2021-22 season, but has struggled with injuries and has played just 42 games in his Nets tenure. During that time, he’s averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, hitting a laughable 43.9 percent of his free throws.
At this point, the Nets would likely be happy with anything Simmons can give them for the coming season as they look to rebuild post-KD and Kyrie. Whether the 27-year-old has anything left to give is to be determined.
Simmons skipped the Basketball World Cup and rumors have floated that he hasn’t been cleared to play yet. His frequent injury absences are reminiscent of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Roy.
For once, there aren’t too many eyes on Ben Simmons to open this season. That makes this his best opportunity to get his career going in forward motion again.