Will Joel Embiid finally get his first NBA championship? Can Victor Wembanyama go from Rookie of the Year to a leader of a championship contender? Will a draftee become a breakout star in the coming months?
We've done our best to answer all this and more ahead of the new season, which starts on October 23 at 00:30 CAT (October 22 in the US) when the Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Right from the jump, there will be several African players in action. Some, however, will have more eyes on them than others - while emerging talents are poised to raise their profile to the next level.
Does a ring await Embiid?
It could be argued that the African player with the most to prove this season is Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), although one could in equal measure argue that he has proved enough already.
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Embiid has surpassed the wildest dreams of even those who believed in him most. Joe Touomou, now the associate technical director at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal, was one of the coaches who discovered Embiid and convinced his family to let him play basketball, selling them on the education it could provide him.
However, even Touomou admitted he did not envision Embiid going on to become an MVP. Now that he is aware of his former prodigy's full potential, he has tipped him to go even further.
"I keep telling coaches and people in the basketball circle that Joel is improving every year," Touomou told ESPN earlier this year after Embiid scored 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs.
"First, he is healthy and in the best shape of his life, which is a very good thing. His level of confidence is tremendously growing, his understanding of the game and his opponents' weaknesses is at its highest and he is continuously working on his skills.
"Not only does he want to show the world that he is the most dominant player on the planet but he is eager to win a championship for the city of Philadelphia. When you put all that together, you can see why he is performing at such a high level."
Although Embiid had injury struggles last season and was affected by Bell's Palsy during the NBA playoffs, much of what Touomou said still rings true today.
However, Embiid has yet to win that first elusive championship for the 76ers. His legacy is cemented as one of the NBA greats, but undoubtedly, he will be relentlessly driven to win a ring.
Wemby and the usual suspects
Another player who will be eager to make the step up from being an award-winning individual player to a player capable of leading a team to glory will be Victor Wembanyama.
France international Wemby - whose father Félix Wembanyama, is Congolese - was the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and lived up to the hype, winning NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the San Antonio Spurs.
However, it was a dismal season from a team perspective. Not much is expected of the San Antonio Spurs this season either, so there is less pressure on the 7-foot-3 center than on Embiid.
Kendrick Perkins explains why the biggest impact Chris Paul will have on Victor Wembanyama is off the basketball court.
Bam Adebayo, who is of Nigerian descent on his dad's side of the family, will also be eager to deliver a championship for the Miami Heat, but they are not among the fancied teams this season either. Star center Adebayo is in his prime years, however, and could swing the odds.
Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) is somewhat more likely to be among the contenders for a championship this season. Having already won all there is to win in the game, he will probably not be subject to the same level of expectation from fans as Embiid.
Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) has already won the championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, but has yet to be the leader of a championship team. With the Indiana Pacers, he and Tyrese Haliburton are among the stars who will be counted on most.
The heirs apparent
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-born Jonathan Kuminga does not yet have the same star power as the likes of Embiid, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. However, last season signaled that he is ready to handle a changing of the guard at the Golden State Warriors and assume the responsibility of a senior player.
Warriors small forward Kuminga promised ahead of last season in an interview with ESPN that "this upcoming season is definitely the year". He delivered on that pledge with a career-high average of 16.1 points per game in the regular season.
However, he has yet to lead a team in the playoffs. Of course, at 22 years old in a team going through a transition period, few expect him to get the job done overnight. But this season can serve as another important bridging year between the player he has been and the player he can be.
Monica McNutt explains how the Knicks have retooled to chase their first NBA title in over 50 years.
Power forward/center Precious Achiuwa (from Port Harcourt, Nigeria) and small forward/shooting guard OG Anunoby (of Nigerian descent) were two major additions to the New York Knicks roster midway through last season, arriving from the Raptors. They got off to strong starts, but the mission for them will be to play bigger roles over the course of a full season and play a role in a championship pursuit.
The Phoenix Suns' Bol Bol missed an opportunity to showcase his unbelievable talent at the Olympics for South Sudan due to personal reasons. However, if he plays to his full potential, the 7-foot-3 center/power forward could play an increased role for the Phoenix Suns.
It is not only established NBA names with ties to Africa who could impress this season, but also some new faces.
Of the 2024 Draft class, the player of African descent who is likely to have the biggest immediate impact is Alexandre Sarr.
Sarr, whose father Massar is a Senegalese former professional basketball player, was widely expected to be the first pick in this year's draft, but was ultimately selected second by the Washington Wizards.
Last season, he averaged 9.4 points per game (PPG), 4.3 rebounds per game (RPG) and 1.5 blocks per game (BPG) for the Perth Wildcats.
Cameroonian draft picks Yves Missi (New Orleans Pelicans) and Ulrich Chomche will be two interesting prospects worth keeping an eye on this season, even if it is unclear to what extent they will be thrown in the deep end.
Missi, who was born in Belgium but grew up in Yaoundé, has impressed in preseason after being selected 21st overall out of Baylor. Meanwhile, Bafang-born Chomche - the first player drafted out of the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal - showed signs of promise at the NBA Summer League.
The NBA airs on ESPN in sub-Saharan Africa - DStv channels 218 and 219, and Starsat 248. You can also play ESPN's Fantasy Basketball by signing up here.