I know I know, it’s “football season” blah blah blah.
Now it’s important to remember that pressure in the NBA is not created equal.
It’s a different key in of pressure, but pressure nonetheless.
Let’s start with the highest level.. At this point, there are no more excuses.
Let’s see it.
He’s seen Luka and Booker make a Finals.
With Damian Lillard, this is more of a timeline thing.
He’s not getting any younger and the Bucks made this trade with one focus in mind.
Win the NBA title.
Instead, I consider this the “prove you’re for real” group.
Well, it’s time to see the team’s success start to follow.
The pressure there is to just show us last year wasn’t a fluke.
For Luka, it’s a little different.
Nobody is questioning his talent, the dude is a monster.
We saw Tatum do it after his disastrous 2022 Finals, and now Luka has that same challenge.
The same is true of Haliburton and the Pacers.
I’d say Jokic and the Nuggets more than Tatum/Brown, but the point remains the same.
They delivered the ring that MANY said they’d never achieve.
So why do they have pressure this season?
With that comes pressure.
The Warriors made the choice to let Klay Thompson walk because they had Podz ready to take his role.
They turned down trading for needle-moving players all because the owner believes Podz is going to be a star.
Well, you’ve got the option to’t have all that happen and then not take a leap.
Same shit with Kuminga.
If these guys can’t make those leaps, the Warriors are cooked.
At this point, it’s time to either do something or shut the hell up and fully rebuild.
For the Pelicans, it’s the same thing.
Tons of talent, not a ton of playoff wins.
With the Heat, nobody has refused to rebuild longer than MIA.
At some point, you have to break through.
