NBA playoffs 2024: LeBron at 9? Here are the top 25 players in the postseason

Now that we've made it through the play-in round, we're finally here! The NBA playoffs began on Saturday. Each conference has what appears to be a clear favorite to reach the Finals, but as we saw last year when the No. 8 seed Miami Heat stormed from the play-in all the way to the championship round, any team is capable of making a run, and particularly so with a bevy of injury questions hovering over the first round.

With those questions swirling, and the intrigue building, we ranked the best players in this year's playoffs. (For the time being, we held out star players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson and Jimmy Butler -- all of whom sound unlikely to see much, if any, game action in the opening round.)

The votes are in. The data has been analyzed. Film has been watched. Here are the top 25 players in the postseason.

25. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Get this: The second-year guard, still just 23 years old, led the NBA in clutch field goal percentage (minimum 25 attempts) by a wide margin. He's an absolute midrange monster, having drilled almost 49% of his long midrange looks on the year -- metrics that rival the best marks the league has seen in 10 years from that distance. The scariest part of all: his shooting efficiency -- 54% overall, and almost 43% from deep -- skyrocketed from Year 1 to Year 2, even as his usage rate spiked. It usually doesn't work this way. But Williams is anything but usual for someone this new to the league. And now he gets to experience his first playoffs.

24. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

The star forward does it all for Orlando, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists this season, and improving considerably as a shooter, hitting nearly 34% of his 3s (up from last season's 29.8%) and 42% of his long midrange attempts (up from just 35% last season). Banchero's first-round opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers, did hold him in check in the last two regular-season matchups, though, with just 30 combined points on 10-for-29 shooting. But Banchero also had one of his best scoring performances of his career -- a 42-point outing -- at Cleveland in December. In Game 1, a 14-point loss, Banchero tallied 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists in a game-high 41 minutes.

23. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards is clearly Minnesota's superstar, but Towns is a legitimate 50-40-90 threat as a big man. The former No. 1 pick was dominant at times this season, particularly in January, when he averaged almost 26 points per contest and drilled about 50% of 3s while launching nearly six of them each night. That was the same month he had his 62-point outburst against Charlotte. What will be worth watching in the playoffs is how he fares defending power forwards this postseason, particularly when opposing teams opt to go with smaller, quicker lineups.

22. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

It has been three and a half years now, but we certainly haven't forgotten when Murray went supernova in the 2020 playoff bubble and notched 50 points twice in a series against the Jazz. And the Lakers haven't forgotten about his incredible showing in last year's Western Conference finals, when Murray averaged more points (32.5) than he did in that aforementioned 2020 Jazz series (31.6). It wouldn't be surprising if this postseason ends up being more of the same, given that this season marked the most efficient shooting campaign in Murray's career.

His two-man game with Nikola Jokic -- a set the duo has perfected over the course of almost eight years together now -- is unstoppable. For that reason, you'll see it countless times over the weeks to come, whenever Denver needs a bucket.

21. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves

Rudy Gobert, who should win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award, anchored the NBA's best defensive unit, limiting players to a sub-45% effective field goal rate -- the best mark in the league among those who contested at least 1,000 shots. And when players tested him one-on-one, he was the second-best defender in the association in points allowed per chance.

20. Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

His worst field goal percentage over a full campaign since his age-25 season. The 3-point mark that is below league average. The scoring average that dropped nearly eight points from his career-best mark the season before. All those stats were indications that it wasn't a banner campaign for Lillard. But by just about anyone else's standards, it would have been seen as a solid season. Still, Milwaukee -- which has gone through a bevy of changes, including nixing first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, hiring Doc Rivers midseason and trying to get its star trio enough reps together -- traded for the star guard to make an aggressive run at another NBA title.

The injury to Antetokounmpo shifts more of that burden to Lillard. However it also gives the 33-year-old an opportunity to rewrite his narrative if he replicates some of the postseason magic he has shown in the past -- especially if it helps the Bucks prevail without Antetokounmpo.

19. Paul George, LA Clippers

This was the most efficient season of George's illustrious career -- impressive in Year 14. George had a career-best effective field goal percentage and shot better from 3 than he ever has -- he ranked fourth in the NBA on catch-and-shoot 3s this season (45%) -- all while continuing to be one of the best perimeter defenders and theft artists in the sport. Perhaps most important: With him playing off the ball more, he was able to stay healthy and appear in 74 games, his most since 2018-19. It could pay huge dividends for the Clippers this postseason.

18. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia Sixers

Maxey could take home this season's Most Improved Player award following a leap after the 76ers dealt James Harden at the start of the season. And he stepped up even more when Joel Embiid went down with an injury, helping Philadelphia maintain a spot in the playoff picture. He was a fantastic distributor, finishing the campaign with 433 assists -- more than twice as many as he had last season.

17. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

With Luka Doncic's brilliance and newcomers Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington taking the Mavs to new heights since the trade deadline, it'd be easy to forget that there's far more to Dallas' dominance as of late. Irving, with averages of 25, 5 and 5 on nearly 50-40-90-level efficiency, is a massive part of the team's ascension. One of the biggest year-over-year improvements for Irving: his accuracy from 3, which jumped from 37.9% to 41.1% this season. Irving successfully tweaked his jumper, shortening the duration of his shot release on catch-and-shoot 3s by more than any volume shooter in the league, per Second Spectrum data.

16. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

This year's Celtics have incredible balance, which makes it harder for the team's stars to earn certain league-wide awards. But the upside is that balance shows up in the stars' advanced data, and Brown is a prime example. He just posted the best field goal percentage of his career while also tallying a career-best assist-to-turnover ratio. With how many close calls Boston has had in the playoffs over the past several years, all the Celtics faithful care about is what will bring the franchise its 18th championship. Brown limiting his turnovers would go a long way toward meeting that goal.

15. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

Between his switchability and his willingness to take on assignments of all sizes, the Miami big man may be the league's most versatile defender. According to Second Spectrum data, he was one of just seven players in the NBA to defend 175 shots or more in half-court matchups against guards, forwards and centers -- an indication of how he'll often square off with anyone.

But don't make the mistake of thinking his versatility ends there. He expanded his offensive game to above the break this season, hitting 35.7% of his 42 triples. It might not sound like much, but he had made just under 13% of his 62 career attempts prior to this season.

14. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mitchell battled knee injuries throughout the season and played just 55 games, but he was still brilliant at times -- particularly in January and February, when he posted a 62.5 true-shooting percentage. His career-best 6.1 assists per game were an enormous plus for the Cavs, who were without guard Darius Garland for a 19-game stretch in the winter. (So were his career-high 5.1 rebounds per game, which were key since big man Evan Mobley also missed considerable time.) In Game 1 against the Magic, he notched a game-high 30 on 21 shots.

13. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

The All-Star's numbers -- in terms of both counting stats and efficiency -- fell off after the break as he returned from a 10-game absence due to a hamstring injury. (Haliburton himself acknowledged that the new 65-game requirement for major awards played a part in him returning when he did.) But he's still one of the best table-setters in the game and finished the campaign by winning the league's assists crown with 10.9 per game. He'll have an enormous opportunity to do scoreboard damage against a Milwaukee defense that he and his Pacer teammates owned during the regular season.

12. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Much like Maxey, Booker flourished in taking over his team's lead ballhandling role this season, tossing out nearly seven dimes per contest -- a career high. He was also a good decision-maker in key moments, finishing with 15 assists against just four turnovers in the clutch, but make no mistake: Booker is still a bonafide scorer and finished with a scoring average of 25 points or more for his sixth straight season. He went off for 50 points three times this season and shot better than he ever has (47.2%) from the long midrange portion of the floor, per Basketball-Reference.

11. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Is there a purer bucket-getter in the league than KD? This campaign marked the 15th time he has averaged 25 points in a season, and while he's obviously a sniper from outside, he's just as lethal when he slithers his way toward the basket. He ranked among the league's top five in field goal percentage on layups and dunks among players who have taken 200 of them. Combined with his 50-40-85 splits this season, Durant logged an NBA-record-breaking fourth season with such stats, surpassing Larry Bird, who had done it three times.

10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

With the Wolves finishing third in the West this season, it won't be much longer until we start hearing Edwards' name in the MVP race every season. He's a shoo-in to make his first All-NBA team this year while averaging a career high in scoring and assists. It wasn't just about Edwards' ability to take over on offense though, he also turned in his most consistent effort defensively in 2023-24. (At 4.7, Edwards finished with by far his highest defensive win share total of his career.) Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert was obviously the biggest part of why the Wolves ranked as the top defensive unit in the league this season, but Edwards' improved consistency was also a key factor -- and something to watch this postseason.

9. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

It defies every bit of logic, but the 39-year-old is still finding tangible ways to improve, even in Season 21. He shot a personal-best 41% from 3 on more than five attempts per game, up from 32.1% a season ago; one of the single biggest increases in league history. As Second Spectrum data illustrated, and as James himself explained to Doris Burke recently, he's made a point to better align his shoulders and hips toward the basket than in the past and it has made a world of difference. He's been even better than he was earlier in his career around the basket as well -- at 77.2%, he has been more efficient from inside of 3 feet than he was during his age-20, age-25, age-30 or age-35 seasons.

8. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

If Davis is healthy, he's going to produce. And this season was perhaps the healthiest he has been in his career, logging 63 double-doubles in his 76 games. Davis finished the campaign as one of two players in the league to average 20 points and two blocks over the season -- rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama being the other. His improved passing stood out as well, as he notched his best assist average since his time with the Pelicans back in 2018-19.

7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

The 26-year-old Tatum had the most efficient shooting campaign of his career this season, one that was marked by his ability to move the ball to his teammates as opposed to forcing the action himself. "I thought today was a beautiful display of basketball from Jayson, and I think it will go underlooked and will not go into the most valuable category," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after Tatum had a seemingly quiet 19-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist showing against the Knicks in late February.

But Tatum using his stardom to do enough -- rather than too much -- is key; particularly with the best assist average of his career. His shooting percentage in the clutch this season -- he ranked 32nd out of the 37 players who took at least 50 clutch shots (22-for-61) -- was low by his standards, but many of those looks were forced or more difficult than necessary.

6. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers

There will always be injury concerns around Leonard -- including now, given the Clippers are listing him as questionable for Game 1 against the Mavs because of knee inflammation that has kept him out for weeks -- but he seems closer to playing than Giannis. It has been eight years since he won the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. But make no mistake, the 32-year-old Leonard is still among the league's very best on that end of the floor. Case in point: Among the 99 players who defended at least 100 shots against 2023-24 All-Stars this regular season, no one surrendered fewer points defensively per 100 half-court possessions than Leonard, at 21.5 per Second Spectrum.

None of that even touches on his borderline historic efficiency: This season marks the third time he has shot 50% from the floor, 40% from 3 and 85% from the line while averaging 20 points per contest. Only Leonard, Bird and Durant have achieved those marks three times throughout NBA history. And by and large, he has been available this season, logging a career high in minutes per game while appearing in his most games since the 2016-17 season.

5. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

No one in the Eastern Conference had a better close to the season than Brunson, who notched 35 points or more in six of his final seven contests. His 31.1 points per game after the All-Star break were second only to perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic during that stretch. Brunson even thrived while missing co-star Julius Randle (out for the season after dislocating his right shoulder) and high-level sidekick OG Anunoby, who missed over two months of action while dealing with elbow inflammation.

Playoff defenses will throw the kitchen sink at Brunson, but he's used to seeing it all, as he possessed the basketball for a league-high 662 minutes, per Second Spectrum, and constantly kept defenders off-balance with impeccable pace and craftiness.

4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

How efficient and productive was the reigning MVP this season when he played? He scored more points (1,353) than he had minutes played (1,309) on the season, and finished tied for the league lead with three 50-point games, despite only playing in 39 contests because of injury. Embiid also held opposing shooters to 53.6% shooting near the basket -- 10.6 percentage points beneath their normal averages. But as we saw repeatedly in Philadelphia's play-in victory, Embiid's conditioning will be worth watching after having returned so recently from a February meniscus procedure.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

No player is harder to keep away from the basket than Gilgeous-Alexander, who has led the NBA in drives to the basket per game each of the past four regular seasons. But Gilgeous-Alexander, who seems almost certain to finish among the top three in MVP voting, has been even more effective than usual this season, logging 51 separate instances of 30 points or more -- tied with Michael Jordan for the most in a single season by a player 25 or younger, according to ESPN's Stats & Information. While this run won't mark the first time Gilgeous-Alexander is in the postseason -- he made it in both 2019 and 2020, and the Thunder reached the play-in last year -- it is the first time he'll enter the playoffs as a legitimate superstar. The timing couldn't be better as OKC looks to make use of its top seed out West.

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Doncic, the driving force behind arguably the hottest team in the Western Conference, finished the season with a league-high 36% usage rate -- the third time in four seasons he has led the NBA in the category. Despite Dallas leaning on him more heavily than anyone else in the association, Doncic averaged an incredible 30-point triple-double after the All-Star break and led the Mavs to a league-best 12-3 mark to close out the regular season.

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

The top spot goes to the world's best player, and the one for whom there is no true defensive answer. He beats you when you dare him to score, but he's just as effective, if not more so, when he playmakes for others. Perhaps the best indication that he will win his third MVP in four seasons? His 17 win shares this season are the most of any NBA player since Stephen Curry in 2015-16, when the guard became the first player in the league history to win the MVP award unanimously. But given what we know about Jokic, the only hardware he cares about is another Larry O'Brien for Denver's trophy case.