Opening Night of the 2024-25 NBA season will be one for the history books. That’s when the league’s career scoring leader, 22-year veteran LeBron James, is expected to share the court with his son, rookie Bronny James, as the Los Angeles Lakers teammates become the first father-son duo in NBA history to play together. That’s also the night when the Boston Celtics will hang their 18th league championship banner, the most of any franchise in history.

After that? Who knows what the rest of the season has in store.

Here are 15 players who could define the campaign ahead, which tips off on Oct. 22:

Jayson Tatum, SF/PF, Boston Celtics

Last season was supposed to be Tatum’s time to get verified as a global superstar and future Celtics legend. He made the All-NBA First Team, challenged for league MVP, placed among the league’s top scorers (26.9 points per game), and was widely viewed as the face of a Boston team that posted the best record in the NBA and ultimately won a championship.

But it was Tatum’s teammate, the formerly-known-as-sidekick Jaylen Brown, who grabbed the biggest individual accolades during the Celtics’ title run: Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP. That allowed Tatum’s critics to further doubt his bona fides and question whether he’s really That Guy who can lead a championship team and take over when the stakes are highest.

Then came the Paris Olympics, where, if you listen to social media exaggerations, Tatum was treated like a scrub. While he did come away with a gold medal, Tatum played the second-fewest minutes on Team USA and didn’t get off the bench in two of their six tournament games. Two of his Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, even got more playing time for the U.S. squad than Tatum.

So how will JT respond? If he goes out there selfishly trying to shove it down the throats of every media member who didn’t vote for him, every fan who made fun of him, and every coach who didn’t give him more spotlight to shine, that could derail the Celtics’ chances at a title repeat. Think of an immature Kobe Bryant obsessed with proving he was better than Shaquille O’Neal, costing the Lakers a title in 2004 and facilitating their breakup that same year. (And think of the fact that Tatum idolizes Kobe.) If Tatum can focus instead on team success over individual accolades, the Celtics should be able to put another banner up in Boston.

Luka Doncic, PG, Dallas Mavericks

After leading the NBA in scoring (33.9 PPG) and nearly averaging a triple-double (9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists per game) during the regular season, Luka was on the cusp of wresting the unofficial “best in the world” crown away from Nikola Jokic in the postseason. But after leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals, he and they got blasted by Boston. While some generational players can earn and maintain top-dog status despite a high-profile playoff loss (e.g., LeBron), Luka isn’t there yet. And so, he still has work to do.

This season, he’ll have another crack at winning his first league MVP and/or winning his first NBA title, either of which could move Luka into that No. 1 spot.

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

That the best-in-the-world crown was even up for grabs last spring had everything to do with how Jokic’s postseason ended — the reigning league MVP’s run at a championship repeat was brutally halted by Minnesota in the second round. Remember when the Nuggets got smacked by 45 points in Game 6 of that series, and that almost-famous photo of Jokic brooding on the sideline was supposed to mean he’d massacre the Wolves in Game 7? Well, that didn’t happen … but what if “The Joker” turns into The Terminator and unleashes a whole season’s worth of revenge on everyone?

Bonus storyline: If Jokic becomes the superstar who helps new Nugget Russell Westbrook finally win a title, that could cement the Serbian 7-footer as the greatest “made his teammates better” guy in NBA history.

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, New York Knicks

After playing an invaluable role helping the Wolves eliminate the Nuggets — which included holding his own against Jokic in some big spots — Towns was traded this offseason to New York, where he could be the missing piece for the Knicks to become legit title contenders.

Don’t take the trade as an indictment of Towns; the Wolves were in a precarious financial situation where they had to move either Towns, superstar guard Anthony Edwards, or defensive anchor Rudy Gobert. And as good as he was for them, Towns made the most sense. Now right next to his native New Jersey, the self-proclaimed best shooting big man of all time could secure a spot in Knicks lore by playing up to his All-NBA potential.

Anthony Edwards, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

It seemed everyone wanted to hand “Ant-Man” the keys to the kingdom last season — until he came up short in the Western Conference Finals. And so the Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant comparisons have thankfully slowed down a bit, but Ant’s confidence hasn’t slipped at all. Now that former No. 1 draft pick and franchise face Karl-Anthony Towns is gone, the Wolves are unquestionably in the hands of former No. 1 draft pick and current franchise face Edwards.

LeBron James, G/F, Los Angeles Lakers

He’s always been the center of attention, and will be until he retires. No longer the best player in the league, but he’s still the face of the league. He really doesn’t have anything left to prove (he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in his age-39 season), but the way sports media and fan culture works today, he still has a lot to prove to a lot of people.

This time, his oldest son is along for the ride for an unprecedented pairing that will, as per usual with LeBron, be one of the biggest stories in sports.

Victor Wembanyama, C, San Antonio Spurs

As a rookie, he proved that he belonged. Year 2 will be the stage for Wemby to start showing just how great he can become. The 7-foot-4 phenom who can seemingly do it all on the court will contend for Defensive Player of the Year and at least an All-NBA spot, depending on how much the Spurs improve from last season’s 22-60 record.

Having added future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, championship-experienced forward Harrison Barnes, and No. 4 draft pick Stephon Castle — and don’t forget, they still have arguably the greatest coach of all time in Gregg Popovich — the Spurs could take a huge leap this season, with Wemby at the forefront.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Milwaukee Bucks

You have to take the Bucks seriously for as long as Giannis is in his prime … and he’s not even 30 years old yet. “Greek Freak” has already proved he can lead a team to a title, and when he did that he didn’t have a No. 2 or a head coach as accomplished, respectively, as Damian Lillard and Doc Rivers. The Bucks made a quiet playoff exit in ’24 after Giannis got injured, but the former league and Finals MVP won’t let them go quietly if he’s on the court in ’25.

Ja Morant, PG, Memphis Grizzlies

It feels like he’s been gone forever. One of the hottest names in the game in 2023 has been hit with injuries (Morant played only nine games last season) and suspensions that took him out of the public conversation and took the Grizzlies out of the Western Conference relevancy picture.

Silver lining, though? Memphis was bad enough to get a top-10 draft pick in 2024, which they used on Zach Edey — the best player in college basketball over the past two seasons who also happens to be 7-foot-4 with translatable NBA skills. With Ja back in action, the Grizzlies suddenly look like a team to be reckoned with again.

Zaccharie Risacher, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks

The underwhelming No. 1 pick from a 2024 draft class that’s universally been characterized as something worse than underwhelming. Popular opinion among the basketball world is that his crop of rookies is weak, and with due respect to most-polarizing Bronny James and most-accomplished Zach Edey, Risacher is the default face of the draft as its top pick.

If the 6-foot-9 French prospect turns out to be good, however, the legacy of the ’24 draft will get a boost in credibility. Initially it’ll come down to how Risacher fits in with a Hawks team that isn’t rebuilding but rather redefining its identity after giving up on the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray era.

James Harden, PG, LA Clippers

The Kawhi Leonard-Paul George combo that was supposed to bring rings to L.A.’s other NBA team is no more, and with Kawhi’s colossally nagging injuries, if the Clippers are going to remain relevant it’ll now be primarily on the back of Harden. Reports out of Clippers camp indicate coach Tyronn Lue is going to employ a heliocentric offense starring Harden, who had some success (albeit not championship success) running that type of system during his prime in Houston. Will it work now that the former MVP and multi-time league scoring and assist leader is 35 and hasn’t been as adept at getting to the free-throw line in recent years?

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

No more excuses. No more leeway. No more forgiveness. The Sixers added Paul George in the offseason to run alongside emerging star Tyrese Maxey and former MVP/scoring champion Embiid. The big man’s only jobs now are to stay healthy and deliver a championship to Philadelphia.

And he doesn’t even need to stay all the way healthy — Embiid was operating at less than 100 percent last spring when he dropped 50 points in a playoff win over the Knicks. He’s capable of getting it done when he’s at less than his best.

Tyus Jones, PG, Phoenix Suns

We know Phoenix’s Big 3 (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal) can score, but they need a true point guard to run the offense. Consider how important a young Rajon Rondo was to the Celtics’ superstar trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in the 2000s-2010s. The Suns are hoping to get a version of that floor generalship from Jones, a traditional playmaker who averaged a career-high 12.0 points and 7.3 assists for the Wizards last season.

For some added insurance, the Suns also brought in Monte Morris as a backup point guard; he split last season between the Pistons and Wolves. Morris is famously efficient, having led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio three times in his four-year college career at Iowa State and twice breaking the single-season national record for assist-to-turnover ratio. In the pros he’s averaged 3.8 assists to 0.8 turnovers per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

He could lead the league in scoring. (He finished third last season.) He could lead the league in steals. (Second last season.) He could lead his team to the best record in the league. (Tied for second-best last season.) He could become a champion. (Lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Mavericks in the second round last season.) He could be league MVP. (Finished second last season.)

It feels like everything is possible for the 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander in his seventh pro season. No ceilings, no limits, nothing but the highest of expectations.

Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors

The basketball story of the summer was Steph, LeBron, and KD doing a Last Dance remake for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. That mini-doc finished with Steph playing the role of superhero in the semifinal and gold-medal games.

One of the stories of this NBA season will be those same three legends adding to their Hall of Fame resumes, and Curry just might be the one standing tall at the end. Personally, I will never write off the Warriors when Steph is playing well, and there’s no reason to believe the 36-year-old (who averaged 26.4 points and shot 40 percent from 3) won’t roll out another All-NBA type of season in Year 16.

But will Golden State put a enough around him? The Warriors have replaced Klay Thompson (who wasn’t aging as well as his Splash brethren) with a potential upgrade in Buddy Hield. Jonathan Kuminga appears to be entering his prime at 22. And Draymond Green at 34 is hanging onto some of what made him great in his prime. Don’t be shocked if the Warriors and “Mr. Throwback” have one more title-contending run in them.