NBA playoffs Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
The NBA playoffs are where amazing happens. That’s the NBA’s marketing tagline, but it’s also true. To elevate a team in the playoffs, the league’s star players have to step up and play their best. It’s the crucible that shows who truly belongs in the superstar hierarchy and who is just an “82-game player” to use the parlance of Draymond Green.
This season the stars have shown up and then some, whether playing for the winning team or even the losing one. Whether it’s random chance, recency bias or something about this unique season all across the playoff bracket the stars have come out.
Not every memorable performance can be viewed as a step towards stardom, or a proof case for continued dominance. By and large, however, the players we most expected to show up have done so, with the exceptions of Jimmy Butler and LeBron James.
Let’s highlight the ten best players in the first round of the 2020-21 NBA playoffs, ranked from 10 to 1. Before we get there, which players deserve mention for their play even if they fall outside of the upper echelon of performances thus far?
NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – Honorable Mentions
While the New York Knicks crumbled against the Atlanta Hawks, Derrick Rose turned back the clock and made sure everyone recognized who the only former MVP on the court was. On the opposite side, Clint Capela completely sealed off the paint from the Knicks all series long.
Dillon Brooks is one of the league’s grittiest defenders, and despite his team being outmatched he fought hard and turned up a few hot scoring nights as well. Donovan Mitchell has put up big scoring numbers, but he has basically just been a pure scorer thus far. Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris faced off and were similarly just scoring, although they are talented in that department.
Ben Simmons had to take the reigns of the Philadelphia 76ers in Joel Embiid’s absence and led his team to a Game 5 victory. Kyrie Irving and Michael Porter Jr. both had offensive explosions at times in support of their superstar teammates but were inconsistent from game to game.
Finally, DeAndre Ayton has shown he is continuing to grow into his potential as a rim protector and hyper-efficient offensive finisher. He outplayed Anthony Davis in Game 1 of the Phoenix Suns’ series against the Los Angeles Lakers, then outplayed the Lakers’ collection of bigs once Davis went down.
Let’s now look at the “first five out” before we get to the top 10.
turned back the clock</a> and made sure everyone recognized who the only former MVP on the court was. On the opposite side, Clint Capela completely sealed off the paint from the Knicks all series long.</p>
<p>Dillon Brooks is one of the league’s grittiest defenders, and despite his team being outmatched he fought hard and turned up a few hot scoring nights as well. Donovan Mitchell has put up big scoring numbers, but he has basically just been a pure scorer thus far. Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris faced off and were similarly just scoring, although they are talented in that department.</p>
<p>Ben Simmons had to take the reigns of the Philadelphia 76ers in Joel Embiid’s absence and led his team to a Game 5 victory. Kyrie Irving and Michael Porter Jr. both had offensive explosions at times in support of their superstar teammates but were inconsistent from game to game.</p>
<p>Finally, DeAndre Ayton has shown he is continuing to grow into his potential as a rim protector and hyper-efficient offensive finisher. He outplayed Anthony Davis in Game 1 of the Phoenix Suns’ series against the Los Angeles Lakers, then outplayed the Lakers’ collection of bigs once Davis went down.</p>
<p>Let’s now look at the “first five out” before we get to the top 10.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Just Missed the Cut </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – Just Missed the Cut</h2>
<p>In alphabetical order, the five players who just missed the cut for the Top 10 performances in the first round.</p>
<p><strong>Mike Conley, PG, Utah Jazz</strong> – While Donovan Mitchell scored more points, nearly every metric other than PPG supports Conley as the most impactful guard on the Jazz in the first round. His 8.6 assists per game are indicative of how he ran the offense like an orchestra conductor, hitting open shooters as a tough Memphis defense was helpless to slow them down.</p>
<p><strong>Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz</strong> – As Conley conducted the Jazz offense, Rudy Gobert conducted the team’s defense to smother the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged a preposterous 3.2 blocks per game, with 17.4 points and 13 rebounds per game to go with it. The Jazz are able to deploy any combination of perimeter players around Gobert because of his ability to completely close off the paint.</p>
<p><strong>Jrue Holiday, G, Milwaukee Bucks</strong> – The Milwaukee Bucks eviscerated the Miami Heat in a first-round sweep, with <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> stonewalling Jimmy Butler and Khris Middleton hitting an overtime game-winner. Yet it was Jrue Holiday making the offense sing, setting up role players such as Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis to tremendous success. He averaged 9.8 assists per game, and on the other end jammed up the works for the Heat offense, averaging 2.3 steals.</p>
<p><strong>Ja Morant, PG, Memphis Grizzlies</strong> – Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies may have been outmatched against the league-leading Utah Jazz, but Morant showed why he and his teammates will likely be back in the playoffs for years to come. He dropped 30.2 points per game in his postseason debut, with 8.2 assists as he helped his fellow Grizzlies find their spots. His 47 points in Game 2 were tied for the third-highest total in the first round.</p>
<p><strong>Jayson Tatum, F, Boston Celtics</strong> – Jayson Tatum was outmatched from the jump, trying to face the three-headed hydra of the Brooklyn Nets with Jaylen Brown injured and two other starters hobbled and eventually out themselves. Yet he did his best, as the former Duke Blue Devil averaged 30.6 points per game while contributing on the defensive end as best he could. His 50 points in Game 3 was the second-most of any player in the first round.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 10. Devin Booker, SG, Phoenix Suns</h2>
<p>Don’t look at the 10 beside <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bookede01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Devin Booker</a>‘s name above and think he was anything short of amazing in Round 1 of the playoffs. In his postseason debut, Booker showed he is not only the Phoenix Suns’ best player but one of the best scoring guards in the entire league.</p>
<p>Booker started out in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers scoring at will, and when they began sending two defenders at him he hit open teammates and lead them to the victory. With his backcourt mate Chris Paul barely able to play the next two games Booker was completely mobbed and had slightly less impressive games in two consecutive losses, which is how equally impressive players passed him on this list.</p>
<p>Yet the way he rebounded for three consecutive wins to knock off the defending champions was incredible, especially for a player experiencing the playoff stage for the first time. He closed out the series with 47 points and 11 rebounds in Game 6 to send LeBron James and the Lakers home.</p>
<p>Many thought that the Suns’ inexperience would hold them back in the playoffs, and perhaps it will down the line. Yet the way Booker proved himself was a statement that this team is a real contender. He averaged 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists overall in the series.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 9 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-430240 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1319664804.jpeg" alt="NBA playoffs " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1319664804.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1319664804-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 9. Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers</h2>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/embiijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Joel Embiid</a> put together the best season of his career this past year, a legitimate MVP candidate who led his team to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the primary reason he doesn’t have a chance to win the MVP this year is the same reason he is not higher on this list: injury.</p>
<p>Embiid was his usual, spectacularly impactful self through 3.5 games of the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round series. He dropped 30, 22 and 36 points respectively in the first three games, and if he didn’t dominate in other ways he didn’t need to as his team rolled.</p>
<p>Then he went down with a knee injury, revealed via MRI to be a small tear to his meniscus. He missed over half of Game 4 and then all of the closeout Game 5 against the Washington Wizards. While his team was able to advance without him, Embiid wasn’t able to be on the court to help them. Thankfully he was able to play in Game 1 of the second round.</p>
<p>Embiid’s impact always goes deeper than simply his stats, as the 76ers have historically been elite when he plays and abysmal when he sits in the postseason for his career. This year has been similar, as Embiid was +20 in a seven-point Game 1 win, and +29 in a 29 point win in Game 3. He was +2 in Game 4 before he went down, a game his team would lose by eight.</p>
<p>Box Plus-Minus (BPM) measures a player’s box score impact per 100 possessions, and Embiid’s 12.5 number fell third behind James Harden and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kawhi Leonard</a> for the first round. Whether Embiid can lead his team deep into the playoffs is largely a question of health for Embiid, as when he has played he and his team have dominated.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 8 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 8. Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks</h2>
<p>The NBA playoffs are completely different from the regular season, with head coaches unveiling specific strategies to take away what the opposing team does best. For those making their playoff debut, the adjustment can take some time as they adapt to the speed and intensity of postseason basketball.</p>
<p>Yet this top 10 list features two players making their playoff debut, with <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngtr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Trae Young</a> edging Devin Booker for the top newcomer slot. Young wasted no time in announcing that he is among the league’s elite, carving up the New York Knicks and their top-5 defense to the tune of 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game.</p>
<p>They weren’t simply empty stats, either, as Young and his Atlanta Hawks turned in three double-digit victories as they won in five games. Young’s +9.1 BPM was seventh among all qualified players in the first round. The Knicks mixed up defenders and sent double teams at Young, but it wasn’t enough to slow him down.</p>
<p>Young didn’t simply bring points to the table, but he brought theater as well. Playing three of the series’ five games at Madison Square Garden, Young entertained the crowd by acting the part of the villain. When he helped to close out the Knicks in Game 5, there he was at halfcourt bowing sarcastically at the end of another virtuoso performance. What will Young bring in the encore in Round 2?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 7 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-430242 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1321616072.jpeg" alt="NBA playoffs " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321616072.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321616072-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 7. Damian Lillard</h2>
<p>Everyone knows that <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Damian Lillard</a> is one of the greatest shooters in the NBA. He is fearless in the face of any opponent, willing to pull up and shoot from as far back as the logo. He came into this postseason with two buzzer-beating series-ending shots, the only player in NBA history who can say that.</p>
<p>Even so, what Damian Lillard did during the first round of the playoffs was astonishing. He averaged 34.2 points per game, which should have been first except that <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Luka Doncic</a> was losing his mind across the bracket. Lillard also dropped 10.2 assists per game as he tried to carry his teammates along with him.</p>
<p>It was absolutely carrying, as the Portland Trail Blazers had very few players have a good series alongside Lillard. Norman Powell had one good game, Jusuf Nurkic played hard, Carmelo Anthony wasn’t a liability. Yet at the end of the day, it was Lillard and only Lillard keeping the Blazers in these games.</p>
<p>That was never more apparent than in Game 5 when Lillard dropped 55 points in a double-overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets. He set the NBA record with 12 3-pointers, and his 55 points were the seventh-most all-time in a postseason game. The Blazers won two games, and Lillard totaled 1.5 win shares in the series, a colossal feat of individual excellence. As rumors swirl and the organization reconsiders its future, Lillard is at the very top of his game.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 6 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-430243 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1321143168-1.jpeg" alt="NBA playoffs " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321143168-1.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321143168-1-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 6. Giannis Antetokounmpo</h2>
<p>Until the award is handed to a shuffling Serbian big man sometime this month, Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the reigning MVP. He had another dominant regular season leading into this postseason, where he has continued to be brilliant in leading his team to a four-game sweep of last year’s Eastern Conference champions.</p>
<p>Offensively Antetokounmpo is an elite force inside, with length and strength that overwhelms most opponents. When he misses a shot inside he often gets his own rebound and puts it back in. He averaged 23.5 points and a whopping 15 rebounds in the first round this year.</p>
<p>He also has grown as a passer, both making plays on the move and passing out of help inside. Antetokounmpo averaged 7.8 assists per game against the Heat; together he and Jrue Holiday combined for 17.6 assists per game, which is only one assist per game fewer than the entire New York Knicks team.</p>
<p>Defensively Antetokounmpo was a monster, enveloping Jimmy Butler and essentially removing him from the series altogether. Last season Butler averaged 22.2 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting. In the first round, he averaged 14.5 points per game on just 29.7 percent shooting. He was erased! Antetokounmpo brought it on both ends of the court every night and led his team to the fastest victory of the entire first round.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-430244 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1321320174.jpeg" alt="NBA playoffs " width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321320174.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1321320174-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 5. Kevin Durant</h2>
<p>There was a time in the recent past when <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kevin Durant</a> looked like the best postseason player in the world, taking advantage of the perfect ecosystem around him on the Golden State Warriors to win two titles and only injury prevented a third.</p>
<p>Yet that same injury, an Achilles tear, meant a year-and-a-half of not playing NBA games. Would Durant still be the same player when he came back? While he has dealt with other injuries this year, he is fully healthy now and was simply sublime in the first round.</p>
<p>Durant poured in a cool 32.6 points per game across the five contests, leading the Brooklyn Nets in scoring and outpacing his counterpart Jayson Tatum even with the young gun’s 50-spot. He also brought the defensive intensity, averaging 2.2 blocks per game.</p>
<p>There are questions about whether this Brooklyn Nets team can weather injuries and a lack of defensive talent to win the title, but they have the most important box checked. Durant is their top-5 player able to elevate his team, just as he did in the first round of the NBA playoffs.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 4. James Harden</h2>
<p>Kevin Durant may have been the Brooklyn Nets’ leading scorer in the first round, but <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">James Harden</a> was the best overall offensive player. For a star guard used to seeing his efficiency and effectiveness plummet in the postseason, Harden’s first-round series was a sea change as he was absolutely dominant.</p>
<p>Harden ran the offense during the vast majority of his minutes on the court, especially at the start of the second and fourth quarters as his two star teammates sit. He would absolutely cook during those minutes, spraying passes to open shooters and hitting shots efficiently but not at sheer overwhelming volume.</p>
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<p>The 27.8 points per game he averaged in the first round would be his lowest postseason average in five years, well below the 29.6 and 31.6 points per game from the last two seasons. Yet Harden was hyper-efficient, blowing away his previous playoff career-best in true-shooting percentage at 76.1 percent; his previous high was 63.6 percent last year.</p>
<p>The rest of the box score was not immune to his incredible play, as Harden also pitched in 10.6 assists per game and 7.2 rebounds. He even pitched in 2.0 steals per contest as he was quick to disrupt passing lanes.</p>
<p>The advanced numbers suggest that Harden was the best player in the entire league in the first round, with 1.5 win shares total on the back of .406 win shares per-48, by far the highest among starters in round one. His 17.2 BPM also blew away everyone else; <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kawhi Leonard</a> was next at 12.2.</p>
<p>At the time of writing Harden sustained a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and hopefully, he is able to return and continue playing at this high level. Harden finally is in the right ecosystem to thrive in the playoffs rather than wilt, and he showed in round one he is up to the challenge.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-430246 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1249,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1320092891.jpeg" alt="NBA playoffs " width="1600" height="1249" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320092891.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320092891-768x600.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 3. Luka Doncic</h2>
<p>After Game 5 of the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round series against the LA Clippers, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Luka Doncic</a> was in line to rank first on this list. He was the star at the center of the Mavericks’ offensive solar system, and the numbers he was putting up were staggering.</p>
<p>In the subsequent two games, Doncic continued to score and pass at insane levels, playing every possible minute his body could handle and scoring or assisting on the majority of the Mavericks’ points. The offensive load that he handled was not only impressive, but it was also borderline historic.</p>
<p>Doncic averaged 35.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game across seven games. In Game 7 he created 77 points, with 46 of his own and another 31 scored directly from his passes. At this juncture of his career, Doncic is first in career playoff points per game, his 33.5 narrowly edging Michael Jordan’s 33.4.</p>
<p>The problem for Doncic was two-fold. First, his teammates didn’t give him enough help, both in missing shots and in stopping Kawhi Leonard on the other team from nearly matching Doncic shot-for-shot. The other problem was how Doncic wore down in the second half of games, unable to sustain his incendiary scoring under the weight of the minutes he was playing.</p>
<p>Doncic and the Mavericks will be back, and it’s possible he builds on this playoff series and does even better next time around. Either way, Doncic is by far the highest-ranked player on a losing team, on the back of a truly insane series, just the second of his young career.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 2. Nikola Jokic</h2>
<p>The league’s presumptive league MVP from this past season entered the playoffs in a shaky position. His wingman on offense, Jamal Murray, capable of erupting for 50 points on any given night, is out for the season with an ACL injury. Three other guards began the postseason injured as well. Against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, that seemed a problem.</p>
<p>Instead <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Jokic</a> led, carried, guided and fed his troop of plucky role players, and smooth scoring forward Michael Porter Jr., to a first-round victory. Not Jokic doesn’t have to go through the awkwardness of accepting an MVP trophy once his team was already eliminated. He also can continue to compete for the title, because the way he is playing, that is very much in play.</p>
<p>Jokic last season averaged a 24.4 points per game in a strong 19 game postseason. In the first round this year he cleared that bar like an Olympic hurdler clears a fallen tree limb. Jokic averaged 33 points per game as the Trail Blazers tried to take away the pass and dare him to score. He did, shooting 52.8 from the field overall and 42.9 from 3-point range. He chipped in 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as well.</p>
<p>No matter the opponent or the players around him, Jokic can score and set up others to score like no other big man in the history of the game, combing Dirk’s shooting with Sabonis’ passing and Shaq’s love of mashing in the post. No one has been able to slow him down yet this season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/06/08/nba-playoffs-10-best-players-round-1/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA playoffs Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 1. Kawhi Leonard</h2>
<p>Around this time last season, Kawhi Leonard was being talked about as the best player in the world. Not necessarily the MVP, as he tended to take a number of games off during the regular season. Yet in the playoffs, his combination of defense, playmaking and isolation scoring seemed unstoppable. He was a machine designed solely with the task of winning titles.</p>
<p>Instead, Leonard and the Clippers absolutely collapsed against the Denver Nuggets, giving up their 3-1 series lead and costing Leonard the respect of many around the league. He had to watch from home as LeBron James led the other Los Angeles team to the title, and beat Leonard to the record of “three Finals MVPs with three teams.”</p>
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<p>Leonard is back and proving to doubters that they should have kept him in that top spot. When Luka Doncic started out en fuego and the Clippers fell into an 0-2 series hole, Leonard did not panic. In fact, he didn’t seem to feel any emotions at all. Rather, he went out and absolutely shredded the Dallas Mavericks’ defense, leading the Clippers to four wins in five games to survive and advance.</p>
<p>The cold-hearted assassin dropped 30.4 points per game in the seven-game series to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists. You want defense? Leonard averaged 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks as well. His supporting cast waxed and waned, but Leonard scored at will. In Game 6, with their season on the line and the Mavericks looking to complete a comeback, he shut the door with sublime isolation scoring to put the game out of reach.</p>
<p>Kawhi Leonard has flaws, but they are hard to see when he is playing this well. The Clippers have a long ways to go before they will be trusted as a true title contender, but Leonard helps them get close all on his own. With all due respect to Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, he has been the best player through the first round of the NBA playoffs.</p>
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