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A lot happens in the NBA world in the space of a year. You’ve got the second half of one season, an entire postseason, the draft, free agency, summer leagues, international competitions like EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup, and then the ramp-up to and tip-off of a whole new season. There’s so much going on, so many players involved in the rising and falling action of the league … but there are always a few whose names seem to ring out a little bit louder than the rest, piquing our interest whenever we hear them.
With a new year just hours away, I decided to take a quick stab at identifying which players are most likely to cut through the din and draw our attention over the next 12 months. Let’s set the table for the year ahead by picking out the five* most interesting players of 2019—the players who will most influence NBA conversation, analysis, and actual on-court matters between New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve.
(One caveat: No LeBron James. As has been the case for more than a decade, virtually every NBA move or muttering of consequence is in some way tethered to LeBron, whether made in direct connection to his team, with the express purpose of combating him, or by traveling in his wake. His name continues to ring loudest; we can take this as a given.)
Without further ado, let’s introduce our starting five, beginning with the most talked-about player in the entire sport entering the new year ...
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