NBA Christmas Day: The 5 most interesting players to watch, featuring LeBron James, Cooper Flagg and a rising Spurs star

Every year, we can quibble over whether the NBA’s schedule-makers aced the annual Christmas Day showcase — whether some fan base or another has cause to feel aggrieved over its squad not getting the brightest possible spotlight (we see you, Detroit!) or whether one participant or another has ridden too long on the struggle bus this season to make for a particularly compelling watch (hey there, Mavs-Warriors!). But while the powers that be are unlikely to ever fully nail all 10 teams and all five games, they have, inarguably, seeded the holiday slate with plenty of eye-catching talent.

The 2025 Christmas quintuple-header features the defending NBA champions, eight top-10 offenses and six top-10 defenses. We’ll (hopefully) see as many as five Most Valuable Player winners, including last year’s winner and runner-up, 10 of last season’s 15 All-NBA selections (though Evan Mobley’s likely to miss it with his calf strain) and more than 25 players who’ve earned an All-Star nod — plus a few more who might be on the verge of cracking that list themselves.

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The NBA’s Christmas lineup should offer tons for fans to feast on: rivalries old and new, bona fide legends and new stars to get more familiar with … and, with any luck, a handful of games that stay tight late, treating those who’ve popped in between eggnog and dessert to a reminder of just how awesome highly competitive NBA basketball can be.

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As we get set to tear open the presents and cut into the fruitcake, let’s take a look at the five most interesting players — to me! — on the NBA’s 2025 Christmas schedule, with one from each game. We begin with someone who’s having arguably the best all-around season of his career … 11 years, more than 700 games and nearly 24,000 minutes into it:

Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks

Glance at the box score, and it looks like KAT’s having a down year. He’s shooting a career-low 47.7% from the field. His 3-point percentage is lower than it’s been since his rookie season. His scoring — per game, per minute and per possession — are all down from last…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-christmas-day-the-5-most-interesting-players-to-watch-featuring-lebron-james-cooper-flagg-and-a-rising-spurs-star-161805212.html

Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2025-12-24 16:18:00

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