The NBA playoffs are the where the stars shine brightest, and most of the biggest names in the game have lived up to that billing. A few haven't, however. Kyrie Irving is scuffling at the worst time. Stephen Curry is in the middle of one of the coldest shooting streaks of his playoff career -- 12 for 46 from 3-point range in the Houston series. Ben Simmons has been a net negative for the 76ers in his playoff minutes. None of these guys make the list because there are just too many great players who are playing at unbelievable levels.
Here is a ranking of the 10 best playoff performers so far.
No. 1
Kawhi is putting together one of the best playoff runs we've ever seen. So far, he's the only player in history to average 32 points and seven rebounds on at least 58 percent shooting and 50 percent 3-point shooting. Somehow, he's taken it up a notch in this second round vs. the Sixers:
Kawhi is averaging 38 PPG on 62% shooting so far this series.
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) May 5, 2019
Jordan averaged over 35 on 60% shooting in one playoff series.
LeBron has never done it.
Durant has never done it.
Kobe never did it.
We are witnessing truly one of the best series by a perimeter player.
Ever.
Kawhi's ability to get any shot he wants, from anywhere on the court, at any time, has changed the entire equation for the Raptors, who look like a legitimate championship threat with, at this present moment, the best player in basketball on their team.
No. 2
Kawhi is the best player in these playoffs, you say? You can feel Giannis snickering from wherever he is right now, because he's definitely reading this, and he has a right to be utterly offended at such disrespect. Giannis has been lights-out unbelievable vs. Boston. I'm not going to talk about what he did to Detroit because that series featured such an overwhelming talent gap that anything less than pure domination would've been an indictment. But against Boston? We're talking 30.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. In Game 4 he went for 39 and 16 on 15-of-22 shooting.
People love to talk about playoff adjustments, but Giannis is proving to be adjustment-proof. Al Horford and the Celtics have thrown everything at him, and in Game 1 it looked like they had discovered at least some sort of anecdote for Giannis' freight-train ways. They were anticipating with their help coverages, walling him off in the lane, surrounding him in transition, with two and three bodies hedging and shading at all times to give him just enough pause as he stared downhill.
People got worried when Giannis went 7 for 21 and the Bucks lost the opener. They got even more worried when they said they weren't going to make any adjustments. Turns out, they didn't need to. Giannis has been incredible in recognizing the moment there is a crack in Boston's backside coverages, and as soon as he sees it, he's going downhill and getting to the rim before the help can arrive. When he does this time and time again, his sheer will and physicality starts to wear on a defense. There is no way to describe how relentless he is as an attacker. And the Celtics have broken under it. Or, in a lot of cases, they've just succumbed to it, as even when their help is in the area Giannis is simply doing what he did all year and what some people questioned whether he'd be able to continue doing in the playoffs: He's simply going through it.
Giannis is just unfair 😳pic.twitter.com/pQgvYzyH2Y
— SB Nation (@SBNation) May 7, 2019
Since Game 1, Giannis is averaging 33 points, 13 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 59 percent shooting. In his last two games, he's gone for 35.5 PPG on 66 percent shooting. If the playoffs are about making adjustments, championships might be about proving yourself great enough to not have to.
No. 3
Durant would've been on top this list a few games ago, and he still easily could be. But the Warriors have lost two straight to the Rockets and that has to count for a little something -- even if Durant has averaged 40 points on 50 percent 3-point shooting in those losses. Durant is the leading scorer in the playoffs at 35.5 PPG on 51 percent shooting and 42 percent from 3 -- not quite Kawhi-like efficiency, but still terrific.
Durant is having to do even more because Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are not bringing anything close to their A-games. Against Houston, Klay is only averaging 15 points on 30 percent 3-point shooting. Curry, as mentioned above, has been even worse by his shooting standards -- 12 for 46 from deep in the Houston series. Durant is also seeing an absolutely engaged Houston defense that, just like in last season's Western Conference finals, is making everything difficult on the normally free-flowing Warriors. Durant's having to create so much out of sheer individual brilliance.
No. 4
What Nikola Jokic did in Game 4 against Portland was as impressive as it gets. Less than 48 hours after his Nuggets lost Game 3 in four overtimes to Portland, Jokic, who played 65 minutes in that defeat, came back with his fourth triple-double of the playoffs. The only players in NBA history to record four triple-doubles in their first 11 playoff games are Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. And now Jokic. Not bad company.
But it's not just in this Portland series. Look what Jokic has done through the first 11 games of his playoff career:
Nikola Jokic has produced 269 points, 138 rebounds, and 102 assists through the first 11 playoff games of his career. The only player in NBA postseason history to reach 250/100/100 faster is Oscar Robertson, who did so through the first 10 playoff games of his career.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) May 6, 2019
Entering Tuesday, Jokic leads the playoffs in total assists and total rebounds by a country mile. It's not even close. And he's scoring over 24 points a game on top of it -- a top-10 postseason mark. Jokic is easily the breakout superstar of these playoffs.
No. 5
Lillard sat atop this list after Round 1, when he completely scorched Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Since then he's come back to earth somewhat, though he's still been terrific against the Nuggets -- who are "holding" Lillard to 27.3 PPG. More eye-catching, Lillard is shooting just 25 percent from 3 in the series. Look at the respect for Lillard's range:
The biggest way the Nuggets have managed to survive Lillard is by respecting how dangerous he is. pic.twitter.com/JCIgTY0ZOT
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 6, 2019
Lillard has been patient with these coverages and deferred to CJ McCollum (who also makes this list a bit farther down), and Lillard has still been there in the clutch when the Blazers need buckets, no matter how he's being guarded and whether his shot has been going in to that point or not. He hit huge shots down the stretch in Game 4 to put the Blazers in position to take a 3-1 lead even though he wasn't having a great shooting night. He did the same when Portland needed him most in the fourth quarter and overtime to pull out that Game 3 win. I still like the Blazers to get past Denver and into the conference finals, and Dame is the obvious reason why.
No. 6
Harden was not good in the Utah series. He was just OK in the first two games vs. Golden State, when he spent more time flailing for calls (a few of which, to be fair, he should've gotten) then worrying about actually making shots and getting to the rim. In Games 3 and 4, we've seen the James Harden who might win MVP for the second straight season. Harden averaged 39.5 points over Games 3 and 4. His shooting percentages still weren't great, just 36.7 percent from 3 -- but he's back to shooting to make rather than to get fouled, and the sheer volume is winning out. Houston outscored Golden State by 27 points from the 3-point line in Game 4 despite shooting just 34 percent as a team.
Harden is also making it a point to get all the way to the rim more often, as opposed to pulling up short for that much-improved floater he's kind of fallen a little too deeply in love with. For the series vs. Golden State, he's averaging 35.8 PPG, 7.5 rebounds and five assists. He's also defending. If you're really paying attention in this series, you've seen that Harden has actually made one-on-one life for Kevin Durant difficult. One more big-time game and another Rockets win and Harden is going to rise on this list.
No. 7
Lost in the Damian Lillard hype, McCollum has been brilliant for Portland. He scored 41 points in 60 minutes in that Game 3 four-overtime victory. He leads the entire playoffs in total fourth-quarter points. When you flat-out need a bucket in high-pressure moments, this guy is becoming about as dependable as anyone in the league. And the shots he makes are SO tough. They're almost all one-on-one, created off the dribble, highly contested jumpers and creative finishes in the lane. His degree of difficulty is near the top of the league, and he makes it look so easy. Seriously, just look at this shot creation:
CJ took over in crunch time 🤫
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 4, 2019
McCollum finished with a game-high 41 PTS in 4OT pic.twitter.com/D44aaHnub2
All told, McCollum is averaging 25.3 PPG in the playoffs on better than 42 percent shooting from 3. He's up to better than 26 a game vs. Denver. Lillard has been incredible, no doubt. But the Blazers would not be in position to make the conference finals without McCollum. Not even close.
No. 8
Embiid is everything to the Sixers, and he's been up and down and from a big-picture standpoint cracks this list in large part because of his first round vs. the Nets, who didn't have anyone who could match him from a talent or size standpoint. It's a different story against Marc Gasol and Raptors, who are holding Embiid to just 18 PPG on 36 percent shooting through four games of this second-round series.
When Embiid is great, so are the Sixers. And they cannot win without him -- they are 31.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor in the playoffs. In Game 3, Embiid dominated. He scored 33 points on 9-for-18 shooting. He also added 10 boards. And the Sixers won. In Game 4, he was sick and lethargic offensively and wound up with 11 points on 2-for-7 shooting, and Philly lost. Every team's fortunes are tied to their best player, but with Embiid and the Sixers that dependence feels even heavier.
No. 9
Murray, just 22 years old and playing in his first NBA playoffs, has hit so many huge shots for Denver on this postseason run. The six straight free throws -- absolutely nothing but net -- down the stretch of Game 4 vs. Portland might've been the most impressive. In that game, Murray went for 34 points, five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes -- this after going for 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 55 minutes in Game 3.
For the playoffs, Murray is averaging 21.7 points on decent shooting percentages, but it's more about the stretches he's had, the clutch factor, the absolute confidence to take and make high-pressure shots even when his shot hasn't been going in. The really high ceiling for Murray is on full display in these playoffs. He's still flawed, but he's 22 years old. When he's been on his game, which he has been for extended periods of multiple games, he has been GREAT.
No. 10
Butler was huge next to Embiid in the Game 3 win over Toronto with 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. He could be heard all game encouraging Embiid to shoot the 3 without hesitation. I'm not sure that's the best idea, but Butler's fiery energy and belief in his big man can't be a bad thing.
Butler has been Philly's most consistent offensive weapon. Ben Simmons is an issue too layered to get into in this space, but the bottom line is he can't be depended upon to initiate any kind of consistent offense, and Tobias Harris is more suited to support. Butler is the guy who can create on the perimeter, make tough shots, run pick-and-roll and two-man actions with Embiid, get to the rim. Butler's playoff numbers are not eye-popping -- 18.6 PPG on 30 percent 3-point shooting and 46.5 percent from the field. But he's playing winning basketball for the most part. The Sixers are 26 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court, the second-best mark on the team next to Embiid.
