Ranking the Best Debut NBA Playoff Performances in the Last 10 Years
The first trip to the NBA playoffs is memorable for any player, but only a select group of debuts are remembered in history.
During the 2022-23 season, for example, Austin Reaves has made a strong, consistent impact. And that sparked a thought: In the last 10 years, which other players have excelled in their first postseason?
Because you can define "best" in many ways, the topic is subjective. For me, length of the postseason run is a factor. So, while Anthony Davis and Ja Morant both averaged 30-plus points, their respective teams exited in the first round. Winning at least one series is a must.
Production per game is the main component of the list, although key moments and team success are considered.
8. Damian Lillard (2014)
1 of 8How's this for an entrance?
In the opening round of the 2014 playoffs, Damian Lillard propelled the Portland Trail Blazers to a 3-2 edge over the Houston Rockets. He eclipsed the 30-point mark in two of the first three contests.
Most memorably, he capped a series in which he scored 25.5 points per night with a buzzer-beating three in Game 6.
Lillard and the Blazers ran into the buzzsaw that was the San Antonio Spurs—the eventual NBA champions—in the second round. Still, he averaged 19.8 points and 6.4 assists opposite the Spurs.
Thanks to Lillard, the franchise won its first playoff series in 14 years and quickly became a postseason mainstay.
7. Stephen Curry (2013)
2 of 8
There is no specific moment that Stephen Curry became the greatest shooter in the league. But if you need to identify a specific day for his superstar turn, it might be Game 4 of the first round in 2013.
After tallying 30 points and 13 assists in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, he went for 29 and 11 in Game 3.
Curry then erupted for 22 points over a 6:30 span in the third quarter. Suddenly, a four-point Game 4 lead soared to a 19-point advantage. Curry, who finished with 31, put the Golden State Warriors on the brink of only their second postseason series win in the last 23 years.
In hindsight, it also served as the warning shot from an impending dynasty.
Golden State fell to San Antonio in the second round, but Curry averaged 23.4 points and 8.1 assists in his first postseason.
6. Jayson Tatum (2018)
3 of 8
The lone rookie on the list, Jayson Tatum helped the Boston Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018.
Like so many before (and after) him, Tatum exited the playoffs at the hands of LeBron James. However, he put up a tremendous fight with 17.9 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting in a seven-game series.
"I just know he's built for stardom," LeBron said at the time.
The prophetic words followed two admirable series from Tatum, who registered four 19-point games in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. He put up 23.2 per game opposite the Philadelphia 76ers, sending Boston to that ECF against LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
5. Jordan Poole (2022)
4 of 8
Jordan Poole held a complementary role behind Curry on the 2021-22 Warriors but made a championship-worthy impact.
He scorched the Denver Nuggets with three straight 27-point showings to open the playoffs and scored 20-plus in three games opposite the Memphis Grizzlies. Poole averaged 16.4 points on a 63.6 shooting clip against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.
Then, in the NBA Finals, he made history.
Poole drained five threes in Game 2, becoming the youngest player ever to hit a handful of triples on that stage.
Ultimately, his postseason debut resulted in 17.0 points and 3.8 assists per game. Poole shot a superb 39.1 percent from three, too.
4. Deandre Ayton (2021)
5 of 8
One year earlier, Deandre Ayton became a breakout star during his first postseason as a key member of the Phoenix Suns.
As the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft, Ayton entered the league with huge expectations. While he'd played reasonably well for three seasons, he found a new level—especially on defense—during the 2021 playoffs.
Ayton netted a superb 15.2 points on 71.6 percent shooting with 10.6 rebounds per game though two rounds. In the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, he surged to 17.8 points (69.3 percent) and 13.7 boards with 1.7 blocks per outing.
Yes, he didn't play as well in the Finals against the Bucks; Ayton still notched 14.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
Devin Booker carried the Suns—more on him later—but they wouldn't have reached the Finals without Ayton's contributions.
3. Nikola Jokic (2019)
6 of 8
With a shoutout to Jamal Murray, the Nuggets had a pair of star debutants in the 2019 playoffs.
But the future two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, led the way.
Jokic averaged 23.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists in a seven-game win over San Antonio. He posted two triple-doubles in the series, including a 21/15/10 line in the Nuggets' exciting Game 7 victory.
Portland ended up bouncing Denver in a seven-game second-round clash, but Jokic shined again. He racked up 27.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game along the way.
In those 14 games, the Joker tallied 25.2 points per contest with a 39.3 three-point clip and 50.6 overall mark.
2. Trae Young (2021)
7 of 8
Not until Trae Young's third season did the Atlanta Hawks make the playoffs. But he wasted no time leaving his mark.
Young torched the New York Knicks for 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game during the opening round. After that, he carried the Hawks past the 76ers with 29.0 and 10.9 per night, respectively.
Unfortunately, a right foot injury sidelined Young for two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bucks. Milwaukee might've advanced to the NBA Finals anyway, but his absence stung Atlanta. Young had exploded for 48 points in Game 1 of the series.
Throughout his 16 appearances, Young averaged 28.8 points and 9.5 assists to help the franchise make the conference finals for only the second time in Atlanta.
1. Devin Booker (2021)
8 of 8
Devin Booker took the Suns one step farther.
Granted, that's not a huge surprise. Despite being just 24 years old, Booker was already a six-year veteran in 2021. He is, by far, the most experienced player on this list. But before this 51-win campaign, Phoenix had never managed more than 34 victories in his five seasons.
Booker recorded four 30-point games in the opening-round win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 25-plus points as Phoenix then swept the Nuggets and bounced the Clippers.
Although the Suns lost to the Bucks in the NBA Finals, his excellent play continued. Booker contributed 27-plus points in four games, including back-to-back 40-point outings in Games 5 and 6.
Booker averaged 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the playoffs, totaling the most points ever (601) in a first NBA postseason.
