Hope springs eternal, the poet said, though in the NBA, autumn is the season of renewal.
Here are a dozen players who are hoping for and working toward a healthier 2023-24 season. More appearances and more minutes can mean more victories, more accolades and more fun all around. It all starts with showing up, night after night, a challenge last season for these 12:
1. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson’s fourth NBA season looked all too similar to his first three once a right hamstring injury shut him down after just 29 games.
The charismatic Duke product has appeared in just 114 of a possible 308 games since arriving as The Next Big Thing as the overall No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.
What to expect: It’s not just a matter of having Williamson available for 60+ games (a threshold he has reached just once).
More than anyone else on this list, he needs to send a message starting on Opening Night that this season will be different.
The Pelicans were 25-16 halfway through the schedule, then spiraled to a 17-24 finish with Williamson sidelined. Getting better 3-point production would make him double dangerous inside, if he’s there to benefit.
Cunningham’s shin injury cost him all but 12 games and required surgery, which cost him and the Pistons a strong second season together.
It threw off Detroit’s development of its young roster, forcing Jaden Ivey to take over more of the offense creation.
What to expect: A long, optimistic offseason that included some notable Select Team USA work by Cunningham still saw some cloud cover in the preseason when he dealt with quad tendinitis. But Detroit remains confident the 6-foot-6 guard will run its show with the ball in his hands while pestering opponents with his defense and wingspan. The next frontier: Having it translate into winning.
