For 10 NBA Superstars, 10 Season-Defining Narratives Taking Shape

Guys such as Wilson Chandler, Tim Frazier, George Hill, Otto Porter and Julius Randle have made far bigger impressions on their teams than most people expected.

Kudos to them. Next from off the grid to make differences could be Justin Anderson, JaMychal Green, Gary Harris, Terrence Jones and Josh Richardson.

Yet if you need to wear a name tag for a casual NBA fan to recognize you, you’re not going to create some dramatic shift in the greater state of the league. That’s left to the top stars, how much they have the ball and how well they live up to—or exceed—their hype.

As we approach the quarter pole of the regular season, let’s take a look at 10 superstars, what they’ve done and what they will do.

Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls

General preseason projection: There’s only one ball, and Butler now has to share it with ball-dominant alphas Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. This doesn’t bode well for Butler’s growth.

Season to date: If Butler didn’t prove it already by out-willing Derrick Rose, we’ve seen in the past month that Butler isn’t satisfied with just two All-Star Game selections and isn’t going to cower in the presence of Wade’s and Rondo’s rings. After already being the NBA’s 2015 Most Improved Player by raising his scoring average from 13.1 points to 20.0 in the exact same 38.7 minutes per game, Butler was consistent last season while learning leadership lessons. Now he is surging again, averaging nearly 26 points a night. Plus, he’s organizing team-bonding moments, including at the Denver Escape Room.

What’s next: It is now safe to put Butler in that special category of never-satisfied, relentless workers—the sort around whom you want to build a franchise. He can be trusted, and clubs that had a chance to trade for him before the Bulls decided not to move Butler in a full rebuild should have deep regret. Still, he needs to offer more proof that his three-point shot is for real (31.2 percent to 42.6 percent this season), and Fred Hoiberg needs to show that he can ensure Rondo’s usage rate stays relatively low.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

General preseason projection: A summer spent with Team USA in Rio could be the turning point Boogie needs to mature. His immense talent won’t truly matter until his composure kicks in.

Season to date: Big individual numbers, including technical fouls (six), and a losing team. Rinse. Repeat. Although Cousins has been supportive of coach Dave Joerger, the defensive emphasis that Cousins and Joerger promoted hasn’t registered: The Kings are the league’s fifth-worst in defensive efficiency. The lack of focus that plagues Cousins has remained a team characteristic, while Rudy Gay (trying to earn his way out of town even earlier than his player option next summer) in many ways has been the most valuable King so far.

What’s next: Cousins’ 37.0 usage rate is second only to Russell Westbrook’s 40.0. It’s hard to preach patience when for so long Cousins’ inconsistent temperament and the Kings’ inconsistent management have made the two sides an ill fit. Now that Sacramento has celebrated opening a new arena with its big star, there’s much more reason to trade Cousins for a windfall of assets, including the future picks the Kings lack. Cousins’ contract expires after next season, so this is the sweet spot for Kings vice president Vlade Divac to move him, except Divac hasn’t proved adept at that critical aspect of his job.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

General preseason projection: The numbers will dip with Kevin Durant in the fold. Goodbye, MVP favoritism. Hello, statistical regression.

Season to date: As usual, a handful of those amazing highlight moments. It’d surprise a lot of people to know that Curry’s 26.6 points per game this season is a solid increase from the 23.8 with which he won the 2014-15 NBA MVP. But because Durant (27.1 PPG) is averaging more than Curry thus far (and Curry’s numbers are down from the 30.1 he notched last season), the preseason projection holds.

What’s next: The Warriors have found a bit of a stride lately and will just keep getting better and better. That’s because they are insanely talented! No matter how much Cavaliers, Clippers and Spurs fans want to enjoy their early moments, it’s the Warriors’ title to lose. Unless something changes, Curry likely will stick with his plan to ease back some in the regular season and save himself for the playoffs. Unlike Durant, who has dropped into a new …

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