10. Jaylen Brown- Boston Celtics
Outside of Jayson Tatum, Brown makes up the second part of the duo leading the Celtics offense. He has been a consistent force with 23.5 points per game against the 76ers and hitting 23 or more points in all four games against them. When he has the ball and gets the ball consistently is when the offense for Boston is constantly clicking. When he isn’t there is a clear drop-off in production. Outside of the James Harden game winner that was on Brown, his presence on defense as well had been helping Boston in the series. In Game Three specifically, his impact there helped boost Boston to a team-best defensive rating of 98.6 when he was on the floor.
9. Jalen Brunson- New York Knicks
Brunson has been the best player for the Knicks this postseason, as he leads the team in points per game with 24.4. Against the Miami Heat specifically, he has averaged 25 and hit 20 or more points in three games against them. It’s not just his scoring presence as he also has helped on the boards with 5.3 rebounds against them and 5,7 assists to make an impact all around for the team in some way. The biggest thing with Brunson, though, as is the rest of the Knicks, is the three-point shooting. He has a three-point shot percentage of 27.3% in this series. While his scoring is good, it could be better if he and the rest of the Knicks were making their three-point shots.
8. Jayson Tatum- Boston Celtics
The Celtics have been run through Jayson Tatum, when he is on, so is the rest of the team. He currently leads the Celtics this postseason in points per game with 26.2, as well as 9.8 rebounds and five assists. Despite struggling to start in Game Four against the 76ers, he picked it up to finish with 24 points and 18 rebounds to make the game close in overtime. Tatum showed out on the defensive end as well, chipping in a four block performance and changing how the Celtics defended the Sixers. He has averaged 11.5 rebounds and 24.3 points against the 76ers, and is going to continue to be the main guy the Celtics rely on in this series and the postseason.
7. Kevin Durant- Phoenix Suns
Over the last two games against the Nuggets, Durant has turned things up scoring wise with 30-plus point games and has helped take the load off Devin Booker as he has averaged 29.3 over the postseason. Durant has been making his presence felt around the boards more as well, with back-to-back games of eight or more against the Nuggets showing that he can make up for a lack of help elsewhere on the Suns team. KD had to empty his clip on games three and four against Denver, delivering 37.5 PPG in those two contests to help the Suns even the series. Durant has been a force all postseason long and his interior defense has shown out as well, making him a complete two-way force.
6. Anthony Davis- Los Angeles Lakers
The biggest thing with Davis is staying on the court and providing consistency. In two games against the Warriors, he had 25-plus points, but in one 33 minute game he only scored 11. The Lakers need more consistency with him to pair with LeBron James over the series to balance everything out. He has been the main rebounder as well with 14.3 and two games of the three he secured over 10. His defensive presence has also been major, with 3.7 blocks per game. Despite some up and down to his play, Davis has been the most impactful player on the Lakers by far. He is anchoring the best LA’s top playoff defense and the team cruises to victory every time he plays up to par.
