Five NBA players who need to win the championship the most

4. LeBron James, Lakers

James seems ageless at this point, but it’s worth remembering that he turns 36 in December. Even for someone as dedicated to fitness and the game as James is, his body can eventually fail him, and the likelihood of that happening only increases as time passes. This Lakers team is loaded, and James has Anthony Davis alongside him. That said, there’s no promise that Davis stays with the Lakers long-term either. Might this be James’ last great chance to a win a title? It might not be, as the team he’s on tends to surround him with talent. But that only matters if he’s still playing at a high level.

3. Russell Westbrook, Rockets

Despite his many accomplishments, Westbrook still divides opinion among NBA fans. Is he a superstar you can build a franchise around, or is he a selfish stat-sheet stuffer who doesn’t actually make the players around him better? Winning a title could really tilt the scales toward the former line of thinking. Westbrook turns 32 in November, and the Rockets may not last too long as they’re currently assembled. This might be Houston’s last team that really expects to contend for a title. That alone makes Westbrook’s future uncertain, and means that he has a lot of incentive to make an impact this year.

2. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, 76ers

Simmons and Embiid are viewed as a package deal for our purposes. Why? Because they’re the core of a Sixers team that has underachieved, and the repercussions could be vast if they don’t go far in 2020. Embiid is 26 and entering his prime. Simmons is younger, but there remain questions about how great he can be with such a limited jump shot. An early loss could cost coach Brett Brown his job and increase scrutiny on Simmons and Embiid, fueling more chatter about whether they can coexist. We wouldn’t go so far as to say that an underwhelming playoff loss would immediately get one of them traded, but it’s easy to see how it could begin to lay the groundwork for the end of “The Process” in Philadelphia.

1. James Harden, Rockets

The issues that Westbrook is facing apply to Harden tenfold. He’s still the face of the Rockets and the franchise’s central figure. He’s still known as one of the game’s elite scorers. He also has a reputation for being someone who fades in the playoffs and can’t win big games. Add in the fact that he turns 31 in August, and the uncertainty about the future of the current Houston roster, and you have someone who’s facing big questions in this playoff run. Another failure to win a title could see major changes in the organization and cement Harden’s status as a good player but playoff failure whose prime run in Houston will always be missing a chapter. A championship makes that all go away. He needs to step up.