For the first time in recent memory, the NBA has four new teams in the Conference Finals. The NBA will crown a new champion with the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, or Oklahoma City Thunder. These teams are headlined by stars like Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When it comes to legacies, the NBA is built around ring culture and how many championships players bring their team.

One of these up-and-coming stars will win their first ring this postseason… but who needs an NBA championship more to build their legacy?

4 — Tyrese Haliburton

Haliburton seems to have the least amount of pressure to deliver an NBA Championship to Indiana. Since joining the NBA in 1976, the Pacers have never won a title. The likes of Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Danny Granger, and Paul George never brought Indiana to the promised land. Looking at the expectations for the Pacers, nobody thought they would beat the 1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the last round. I’m not sure many were convinced the Pacers would even beat Giannis and the Bucks!

Haliburton doesn’t have any shadow to step out of, a larger market city, or a championship pedigree ahead of him. Haliburton doesn’t even have the expectations of a phenomenal season. Haliburton is clearly leading his Pacers team with no weight on his shoulders… and that can be the most dangerous.

3 — Jalen Brunson

Brunson enters the Eastern Conference Finals as the star player of the New York Knicks. Playing in a large market alone puts Brunson under pressure, especially with how cruel New York fans can be. The Knicks haven’t won a championship since 1973 and haven’t been to the NBA Finals since Patrick Ewing led the Knicks in a losing effort to Tim Duncan and the Spurs back in 1999. The Knicks have gone through long droughts, and acquiring Amar’e Stoudemire from the Suns and Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets wasn’t enough to lift the Knicks to the NBA Finals.

Brunson could do something nobody has ever done for the Knicks, perhaps surpassing Patrick Ewing as one of the best Knicks in history with a championship. I’m sure this is in the back of his mind to become a big star in New York, but he is competing against the other New York legends in other sports.

2 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t in a big market like Jalen Brunson, but he has the pressure on him with his 2024-25 season. SGA is in consideration for the NBA’s regular season MVP, an honor that will be announced Wednesday night. The Thunder had a league-best 68-14 record this year. Only 6 teams in NBA history have won 68 or more games. Four of those teams won the NBA Finals, and only one didn’t make it out of the Conference Finals (Celtics in 1972-73). Ironically enough, that’s the year the Knicks won their last NBA Championship.

Gilgeous-Alexander has the opportunity to do what the young trio of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant couldn’t do: bring a championship to Oklahoma City. This is the youngest team in the NBA this year at an average age of 24.148. Despite this, we don’t know how long the Thunder will be able to afford this young core they’ve drafted and developed. For Gilgeous-Alexander, he is the star on this team and his legacy will be more attached to rings than any of his teammates.

Especially if SGA wins the MVP on Wednesday night, he will immediately be tied to the number of championships he wins.

1 — Anthony Edwards

Edwards had his coming-out party last postseason. Everyone was taken aback by Ant’s performance. Edwards drew comparisons from the wide spectrum of Dwyane Wade to Michael Jordan. He made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last year, before being bested by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. So, of all the remaining stars, Edwards has the most experience and is the only star who has been to the Conference Finals.

Edwards has an impressive resume in the postseason already. Before turning 23 years old, Edwards has eliminated:

• Kevin Durant & Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
• Nikola Jokic & Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
• LeBron James & Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors) NOTE: Curry was injured majority of the series.

While this is an impressive resume full of NBA Championships and league MVPs, it doesn’t matter unless you take that next step and bring home a championship. That’s what the ones listed above are judged on, and that is the standard Anthony Edwards has created for himself through exceptional play.

Who do you think is under the most pressure to win the NBA Championship? Who can add to their young legacy more? We will crown a new champion and perhaps begin building one of the association’s next greats.