NBA Draft was widely perceived as a weak one. Summer league did little to change that perception and so it's not surprising that preseason expectations, for even the most promising rookies, are measured to say the least.

Pressure in the NBA generally comes in two forms: Pressure to win and pressure to get paid. There are some of both of those on this list, plus a little career legacy thrown in for a few cases (the bottom two on this list are more legacy, more “pressure is a privilege,” while the top five it is more immediate).