The new NBA season begins on October 22 with the New York Knicks visiting the defending champions the Boston Celtics.

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is arguably stacked with more high-end talent than ever before with a huge pool of American and overseas players flooding the 30 teams. Exciting players are on every roster.

Here’s a look at our top five players to watch during the season:

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

Two injury-riddled postseasons have made the “Greek Freak” the forgotten superstar of the league.

Now 100 percent healthy entering the new season, the two-time most valuable player (MVP) and 2021 NBA champion is on a mission: To carry his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, to another championship in the 2024-25 season.

Antetokounmpo, who turns 30 this season, is aware the championship window will not be open for too much longer in Milwaukee, one of the NBA’s oldest teams. But he has a strong belief in his battle-tested teammates for the 2024-25 NBA season.

“We’re getting older. We’re not getting any younger, but that doesn’t mean we cannot still perform at a high level,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s hard to say, ‘Yeah, we’re old and you have to make changes.’ Because these guys, they’re beasts.”

2. Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)

Two years ago, Ja Morant was the ascending American superstar of the NBA and the super-talented Grizzlies were the future of the league.

Then came a pair of gun incidents involving Morant and a suspension by the league. When he finally returned, he was lost to injuries last season, playing only nine of 82 games. The Grizzlies ended up posting a wasted 27-55 season.

Morant is back – and promising to make amends in the 2024-25 season, saying of the Grizzlies that, “We all feel like we ain’t done s— yet.”

When he’s on form, the 1.9m (six-foot, three-inch) point guard is still one of the most scintillating players in the league off the dribble, blessed with a lightening first step that often results in some of the most outrageous “little man” dunk highlights ever seen in the NBA.

3. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

Considered the greatest basketball prospect of his generation, Wembanyama enters his second NBA season as a much-improved player from the rookie who disrupted the league in so many ways last season – a scary prospect for the other 29 teams.

Standing an awe-inspiring 2.24m (seven feet, four inches) tall, Wembanyama, 20, benefitted greatly from being the best player on the France Olympic team that was only denied the gold medal by the star-studded Team USA at the Paris Summer Games.

Just minutes after collecting the silver medal, Wembanyama sent this ominous warning to his NBA adversaries: “I’m learning and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years. NBA, FIBA [International Basketball Federation], everywhere.”

The Frenchman is already the odds-on favourite to win the NBA defensive player of the year, but this freakishly talented baller is equally capable of impacting the game offensively with his feathery jump shot and nearly unstoppable alley-oop catches for easy dunks at the rim.

Wembanyama is on the brink of superstardom and will be one of the league’s driving forces in 2024-25. How swiftly that transformation occurs will be a compelling narrative throughout the season.

4. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards has transformed into a full-blown superstar in recent months, dragging his Minnesota Timberwolves team to the NBA Western Conference finals, playing an integral role on Team USA winning the gold medal at the Paris Summer Olympics and even drawing comparisons to the legendary Michael Jordan along the way.

Edwards, 23, averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 79 games in the 2023-24 NBA season and was selected to play in his second All-Star game.

Entering the new season, the 1.93m (six-foot, four-inch) guard, known widely by the nickname “Antman”, is likely to increase his scoring average significantly after adding more three-point shot attempts to his already-impressive offensive repertoire in preseason play.

5. Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)

Zion Williamson was supposed to be the NBA’s next great player when he was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. But constant injuries and weight issues have curtailed the potential of one of the most athletic and skilled power forwards to ever play the game.

Zoom forward five years, and Williamson enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2023-24, finishing the season averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists while playing a career-best 70 games for the Pelicans.

During the NBA offseason, the 1.98m (six-foot, six-inch) forward was given the nickname “Skinny Zion” by the media after photographs emerged showing he had lost substantial weight, generating further optimism that the 2024-25 season could be a breakout year for the 24-year-old.

In the coming months, New Orleans will rely on a healthy, fit and dynamic campaign from Williamson to help deliver them a 50-win season for the first time since 2007-2008.