Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, and John Wall are just a few names that come to mind when talking about players who just may have something to prove this upcoming NBA season.
.Durant, Irving, Curry, and Wall are star NBA talents when at their best, but these players faced injury-ridden seasons last year. Although Durant and Wall missed the entire 2019-20 campaign last season, these players, along with Curry and Irving, are looking to bounce back this season and show that they are still a few of the best in the game.
Kevin Durant
Let’s start with Kevin Durant, a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Durant is coming off a torn Achilles in which he suffered a devastating injury during the 2019 NBA Finals playing for the Golden State Warriors. Durant has had an illustrious career, winning two titles while being a two-time finals MVP, a regular-season MVP, and is a ten-time NBA all-star.
The expectations for the Nets this season are to be championship contenders. With the roster that the Nets have, there is no question about that Durant has to have a chip on his shoulder once again as he had to and did with the Warriors to meet expectations.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving poses the same dilemma as Durant, with both of them playing for the Nets. Irving winning a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2016 understands what it takes to win one. Irving is also a six-time NBA all-star, NBA Rookie of the Year, and has averaged around 22 points per game throughout his career to date.
Irving only played 20 games last year for the Nets, coming off arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, will look to ball out for the Nets along with Durant in bringing Brooklyn a championship this season. Irving’s issue for a good chunk of his career has been staying on the court.
If Irving can manage to stay healthy and productive, then the Nets can go as far as the Finals and really have a shot at winning the championship. With two years remaining on both Irving and Durant’s contracts, time is slowly slipping away for them to secure a championship for the Nets unless they, of course, re-sign with them.
Stephen Curry
The superstar point guard for the Golden State Warriors, only played five games for his team last season. Curry is another one with a remarkable career with him being a three-time NBA champion, a two time NBA MVP, a six-time NBA all-star, and arguably the greatest three-point shooter of all time. Curry doesn’t have much left to prove other than a Finals MVP, and if he can carry a team to the championship and win it. This season, Curry may have to take on that load of responsibility with star shooting guard Klay Thompson out of the picture for them.
The Warriors did acquire Kelly Oubre, a replacement for Thompson this off-season. The Warriors also drafted James Wiseman with the #2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, who has enormous potential. Wiseman is a rim-protecting and rebounding center where he averaged 3 blocks and 10 rebounds per game in his one year for Memphis. Curry will still have to manage a huge scoring load this season for the Warriors, and this is his chance to prove that he can take his team to the playoffs, giving his team a chance to make a deep playoff run.
John Wall
The new member of the Houston Rockets, hasn’t played a single game since the 2018-19 season. Wall only played 32 games that season and 41 games the season prior, which adds up to him only playing 73 games in the past three seasons. Wall, a five-time NBA all-star, part of the All-NBA Third Team back in 2017 and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion in 2014. Wall has to prove simply that he can stay on the court for a full NBA season. If Wall can co-exist with Harden (assuming Harden stays on the team), as he did with Bradley Beal in Washington, then he can help take the Rockets as far as needed. Wall, just like these NBA star players mentioned above, all have something to prove.
Can they?
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