Five players facing the most pressure this season, including James Harden, Joel Embiid

For the players on this list, the pressure is bigger picture — legacy and championship questions. How will we remember them? For these players, a lot hinges on this season. Here are five players under the most pressure this season.

Since Donovan Mitchell arrived four years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the NBA, averaging 54 wins a season in part thanks to quality guard play and an impressive front line of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen . The one lingering hole in the Cleveland roster has been at the three, but this offseason the Cavaliers poached Peyton Watson from Denver to be an athletic two-way wing and fill that role. The Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago and got better this summer, they are title contenders.

The pressure on Harden is about legacy. To be fair, he already has an impressive and secure legacy: Harden is unquestionably a Hall of Famer, an MVP, a three-time scoring champion and the $97 million contract he signed with Cleveland this offseason will put him at more than $500 million earned in his career. On that level, his legacy is secure.