Playoff video games merely matter extra. And within the NBA, a participant’s legacy is usually wrapped up in how they carry out when the lights are the brightest and the depth is at its peak.
So with the NBA postseason about to get underway, these are the star gamers who’re underneath essentially the most stress to carry out.
James Harden
After being wrapped up in drama in recent times, James Harden loved a person season worthy of being an All-NBA choice. In the course of the 2024-25 season, Harden moved again into his function as a main scorer and distributor on a contending crew following a depressing first season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds in 79 video games as Los Angeles secured the No. 5 seed within the West.
A knock on Harden has at all times been his lack of postseason success. Stars are anticipated to step up their recreation within the playoffs, but Harden’s career playoff scoring average of 22.7 is definitely under his common season mark of 24.1.
Till Harden has a monster efficiency that leads his crew to a giant playoff win, he’ll seemingly at all times be remembered as an excellent participant who would shrink within the postseason. It isn’t even essentially that Harden has to seize his first NBA title, however that he has to play properly and as much as his regular commonplace.
Luka Doncic
It could be unfair to argue a participant with one of many highest postseason scoring averages in league historical past is dealing with stress to carry out. Nonetheless, that is simply the case with Luka Doncic.
Doncic has averaged 30.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and eight.0 assists in 50 playoff video games in his profession. He even led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals simply final 12 months.
But he’s now a Los Angeles Laker after being part of probably the most surprising trades in sports activities historical past. Lakers followers do not care what a participant achieved elsewhere, they demand that very same success carries over for his or her crew.
Doncic, 26, is simply hitting his prime, however he’ll want a postseason second whereas carrying purple and gold to ever totally be embraced by Lakers Nation.
Karl-Anthony Cities
Very similar to Doncic, Karl-Anthony Cities can have his postseason play underneath extra of a microscope now that he is in a much bigger market.
Cities was solely in a position to expertise 4 postseasons throughout his 9 years in Minnesota, averaging 18.8 points and 10.2 boards in these 32 video games. However even because the Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Convention Finals final season, Cities’ manufacturing was typically hit and miss.
Towns is coming off his best season in years from his debut 12 months with the New York Knicks, however New York expects to a deep run and can want the five-time All-Star to be at his greatest for that to occur.
Donovan Mitchell
It doesn’t matter what any narrative could counsel, Donovan Mitchell has by no means shied away from the second within the playoffs. Mitchell’s career postseason scoring average of 28.1 tells the story of a star participant growing his regular manufacturing in large video games.
The problem for Mitchell is he hasn’t loved a lot success from a crew perspective.
From his time with the Utah Jazz and thru two postseasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mitchell’s teams hold a 23-31 playoff record and have solely superior to the second spherical 3 times.
Because the East’s No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers are a true title contender for the primary time with out LeBron James on the crew. It is now as much as Mitchell to be their greatest participant and the explanation why the Cavs’ hold one other banner.
