It's time for an annual preseason tradition: our five most intriguing players for the upcoming NBA season. We (mostly) avoid superstars, rookies and second-year players; everyone is intrigued by them! The goal is to find X factors whose development could swing how their teams perform today, and how those organizations approach key team-building decisions.
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Two years ago, the debate over the league's best young point guards (below Luka Doncic) focused on Ball, Trae Young and Ja Morant. After a lost season due to injuries, several youngish point guards have vaulted ahead of Ball in the discourse: Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Garland, Jalen Brunson.