The 5 Players Under the Most Pressure this NBA Season

By Isaac Harris

Aug 10, 2016

February 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots the basketball against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 123-110. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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May 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) tries to dribble the ball past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) in game four of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

DeMar DeRozan

Toronto finished last season with a 56-26 record as the second best team in the Eastern Conference. Led by their star backcourt, Toronto found themselves looking to take the next step as contenders next to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They notably lost to Cleveland in six games and took to the offseason to hand DeRozan a max deal over five years making over $26 million a year. But was he worth it?

DeRozan is just 27 years old and coming off an All-Star season where he averaged over 23 ppg, so handing him a max contract was something Toronto had to do, but can they sustain their success?

The expectations for DeRozan only grow as he is the highest paid player on a team that some say over-performed last season and lost postseason sensation Bismarck Biyombo over the summer. With the money he is making, the pressure is on for DeRozan to keep Toronto at the top of the Eastern Conference and become more of a threat to Cleveland come the spring.

Next: The Big Contract