The 5 NBA Figures Under the Most Pressure Heading Into the 2026-27 Season

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The pressure to perform will reach new depths this upcoming NBA season.Take Kevin Johnson, for example. As the 76ers’ athletic trainer, it’s his task not only to keep Joel Embiid upright for as many regular-season games as possible for seeding purposes, but also to make sure he’s rested enough to be at his best come time to run the gauntlet of what promises to be the deepest and most contentious Eastern Conference playoffs ever.Then there’s Drew Moore. His goal as Celtics head trainer is to get Brad Stevens off the hot seat for dealing a star player in his prime for a has-been who’s limping toward the end of his career. And he’ll have to do this with Paul George while Jayson Tatum insists upon being first in line at the trainer’s table because, well, he’s entitled.And finally, you got Rick Celebrini. You’ve probably heard of his son – hockey star Macklin Celebrini. This summer, none other than Kristaps Porzingis put dad, the Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance, on the map as well, claiming you can throw out his previous 350 career no-shows because – thanks to Celebrini’s magic touch – he’s never felt better. Of course, Porzingis – a critical participant if the Warriors are to remain competitive this season – sat out 16 of 31 games after joining Golden State last February, but who’s counting?Those are tough ways to make a living, but I’ve identified five men in a variety of NBA job descriptions for whom the heat will be even hotter this winter:LEBRON JAMESNo disrespect, Mr. Johnson, but Embiid is going to get hurt again this year. Likely multiple times. That’s one reason the 76ers pursued LeBron in the first place even though the addition of Jaylen Brown was credited with jump-starting Philadelphia’s championship pulse.Let’s be honest: If the 76ers don’t win the title this season, it’ll fall upon LeBron’s broad shoulders. He’s hand-delivered championships in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles, all with lesser supporting casts. Anything short of similar success in Philadelphia will make his final decision – the lasting impression – a poor one. And the GOAT will have died.LAMELO BALL Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) moves the ball during the second half during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The door is open for the Timberwolves to be the third-best team in the West this season. That’s the ceiling anyone other than the Spurs and Thunder can only hope to achieve. Thanks to a lot of former conference champs and contenders having seen better days, Minnesota – led by Anthony Edwards – is the most likely to get a shot at one of the powerhouses in the Western semifinals.If, that is, the very serious Edwards can get along with the very unserious Ball in a pairing that has pancakes and ketchup plastered all over it. Yeah, it worked years ago when Magic Johnson free-wheeled while Byron Scott did the dirty work, but Edwards is a whole lot more talented than Scott, while Ball only thinks his wizardry resembles the second coming of Magic. Stand back, this could explode. And if so, Ball will get bounced.MITCH JOHNSONIf they took a vote on a Coach of the Finals in June, Johnson almost surely would have finished third behind Mike Brown and second-place tie between a million fans screaming at their TV, insisting they could be doing a better job than Johnson. Unfortunately, some were probably right.I mean, who stations his Human Dunk Machine 30 feet from the basket time and time again? Yeah, some will blame Victor Wembanyama for having caught a 3-point-shooting ego disease from Giannis Antetokounmpo. But there’s a cure for that, and it’s called Be More Like Gregg Popovich And Less Like Guy Lewis. When you can save at least one point per possession by fouling Mitchell Robinson and instead you choose to try to win playing REAL basketball … well, that’s REAL stupid. Johnson is gone if that continues.MIKE DUNLEAVY JR. Dec 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. sits courtside during the second half of the game between the Stanford Cardinal and the CSUN Matadors at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images First let’s talk about all the good things Dunleavy has done since being confronted with the exceptionally low bar that comes with an opportunity to prove he’s a better general manager than a draft choice. He acquired Jimmy Butler III for peanuts. Well done.And then he … uh, that’s pretty much it. The low point came this off-season, not only in the failed pursuit of LeBron, but in his inability to do anything except get owner Joe Lacob to boast: We’ll have a lot of options at the trade deadline. Almost sure to be under .500 and pretty much irrelevant at that point thanks to Dunleavy’s propensity for doing nothing, Warriors fans fear Stephen Curry – the Golden Boy of Bay Area Sports – will want to finish his career elsewhere. And if that happens, Dunleavy will be fired … at least a year too late.BOB IGERWhat was the NBA thinking giving Donald Trump a backdoor into league ownership? You don’t really think Josh Kushner is doing anything but greasing his brother’s father-in-law’s path back into professional sports as his next occupation, do you?Man, this is going to be a terrible marriage for Iger, who likely just wants a good seat from which to slap hands with Luka Doncic. But worse than Luka showing up at 250 pounds, you’ll know this is going to be a nightmare for Iger the minute the Lakers announce Karoline Leavitt as their new PR director. Heck, Leavitt could announce it herself, then prepare the press release for Iger’s formal termination in 2028.