The 7 NBA stars who will define the second half of 2025, from Karl-Anthony Towns to the 2 MVP leaders

Have no fear, dearest readers. After the mess that was NBA All-Star Weekend — which weirdly didn’t feature the sport that it’s based around as much as you might think — real NBA basketball is finally back on the menu tonight. While it does count, please ignore the Los Angeles Lakers’ and Charlotte Hornets’ makeup game that they played on Wednesday evening.

(They were, quite literally, the only teams playing!)

More than anything else, the NBA’s return from its All-Star break is a symbolic signifier of where we stand in the season. Not only are we about to watch squads try and solidify their place in the standings over the next few weeks, but we’re also only roughly two months away from the start of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

Oh, gah. Where does the time go? How is this NBA regular season already almost over?

With the NBA postseason finally sitting somewhere in the front view mirror, let’s take stock of the most essential superstars to watch over the next two months. I could be wrong, but I feel confident that these men will define the league and be the most worthwhile to watch in the run-up to the playoffs.