1 Player Every NBA Playoff Team Should Use More In the 2nd Round
The first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs are now complete. Aside from the Oklahoma City Thunder sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans and the Minnesota Timberwolves sweeping the Phoenix Suns, all eight series contained at least some drama.
The second round is a different beast, as the competition ratchets up. Adjustments will need to be made. Rotations will only get smaller. Minutes for star players will only increase...unless you play for the New York Knicks and already average all 48.
Every team still standing has at least one player whom they'll need to rely on more in the conference semifinals. This could be a star who wasn't needed much in Round 1, a specialist who will be called on for matchup purposes or a bench guy who is filling in for an injured starter.
Expect to see the following eight players more as the playoffs progress.
Boston Celtics: C Al Horford
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Horford has already started 90 playoff games for the Boston Celtics in his career. That number is about to grow.
Kristaps Porziņģis is likely to miss the entire series against the Cleveland Cavaliers after suffering a strained right soleus against the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round series, according to TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes (h/t RealGM).
Horford started in place of Porziņģis in Game 5 against Miami. The 37-year-old is going to see his minutes increase until Porziņģis returns.
After logging an average of 23.8 minutes a night in Games 1-3, Horford played 34 in Game 4 after Porziņģis left early.
The Cavaliers play big frontcourt lineups that will require Horford's size, strength and experience to counter. He doesn't need to replicate Porziņģis' offense by any means, but he'll have to help keep the floor spread and make smart passes while Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and others keep things humming.
Horford is more than capable of holding down the fort until Porziņģis can return.
Cleveland Cavaliers: G/F Sam Merrill
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The Cleveland Cavaliers slugged their way to a seven-game series win against the Orlando Magic by using a connected defense to make up for a lifeless offense (save for Donovan Mitchell).
Cleveland has to be better offensively to even win a game or two against the mighty Boston Celtics. The Cavs ranked last among all 16 playoff teams in made threes per game during the first round (8.6) and were 15th in three-point accuracy (28.7 percent).
Sam Merrill was lightly used against the Magic, but he did shoot 5-of-10 from deep (50.0 percent) in his limited opportunities. The 27-year-old made 40.4 percent of his threes during the regular season and is easily the Cavs' best pure shooter.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff needs to find a role for Merrill in this series. Mitchell (25.0 percent from three), Max Strus (31.6 percent), Caris LeVert (23.5 percent), Isaac Okoro (23.5 percent), Evan Mobley (27.3 percent), Marcus Morris Sr. (21.4 percent) and Georges Niang (13.3 percent) all struggled mightily behind the arc against Orlando, and things aren't going to get easier against another elite defense in Boston.
If center Jarrett Allen continues to miss time with his rib injury, the Cavs will have an opportunity to put extra shooters on the floor. Merrill needs to play against Boston.
Dallas Mavericks: G/F Dante Exum
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Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving will continue to carry the offensive load in Round 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Dallas' role players need to step up in other ways to give the Mavs a chance in this series.
Exum started 17 games for the Mavericks during the regular season and played nearly 20 minutes per night, yet he totaled only 53 minutes in six games against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.
The 28-year-old simply makes his team better. From ball movement to three-point shooting to his versatile defense, Exum is a connective force who brings winning habits to the court.
When Dončić and Irving shared the floor together without Exum, the Mavs had a net rating of plus-8.1. When all three were on the court, that jumped to plus-23.9.
Exum should be called upon for defensive duties against Jalen Williams. His 49.1 percent shooting from three during the regular season will be needed to spread OKC's defense out. His passing will help find open teammates either on the wing or cutting to the basket.
With so much focus on stopping Dončić and Irving, Exum should be called upon to play a bigger role.
Denver Nuggets: G/F Christian Braun
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A close overall first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers (at least in terms of time spent with the lead) forced the Nuggets to rely heavily on their starters already. Even with the Minnesota Timberwolves proving even more of a challenge, the Nuggets need to lean on their bench a little more if possible to avoid burnout before getting back to the Finals.
Braun didn't have a good series against the Lakers, but the 23-year-old is one of the few non-starters who was a contributor on the 2023 Finals team. Head coach Michael Malone needs to continue to trust Braun to help keep playing time at a reasonable level for his main guys.
Braun's 13.0 minutes per game in Round 1 vs. the Lakers (and just six total in Game 5) isn't enough. With no Bruce Brown in these playoffs, Braun now takes on the role of the do-it-all wing who can knock down open shots, defend multiple positions and bring energy for 15-20 minutes a night like he did during the regular season.
Limiting Anthony Edwards will be a team effort and Braun will draw the primary assignment at times with his 6'6" frame. The Nuggets were better defensively this season with him on the floor and need Braun's previous playoff experience to start shining through.
Indiana Pacers: F/C Jalen Smith
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Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are going to get heavy minutes against the New York Knicks, yet the Pacers need to have Smith in the rotation for his floor-spacing ability.
The 24-year-old appeared in just two games in Round 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks, logging a total of 16 minutes. The Pacers have other bigs to turn to (Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, Isaiah Jackson), yet none bring Smith's three-point shooting ability. In two games against the Knicks this season, Smith averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and shot 75.0 percent overall.
New York has a formidable defensive frontcourt with OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Pacers need to keep the floor spread as wide as possible to keep the Knicks from double-teaming Siakam in the paint and keep driving lanes open for Tyrese Haliburton.
Opponents shot 40.4 percent from three against the Knicks in wins this season compared to just 34.0 percent in losses. Keeping Smith in the rotation (42.4 percent from three during the regular season) is a must, even if it's for 10-15 minutes a night.
The Pacers aren't built to win low-scoring, defensive battles. Trying to push the pace, spread the floor and make the Knicks work on defense is Indiana's only chance.
Minnesota Timberwolves: PF Karl-Anthony Towns
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The Wolves didn't even need Towns to play like an All-Star in their first-round dismantling of the Phoenix Suns.
Going against the Denver Nuggets will be different, of course.
Towns ranked just sixth on the Wolves in minutes played per game in Round 1 (28.2) and didn't top 26 minutes in three of the four games. Minnesota will need more from its star power forward in Round 2, especially when it comes to avoiding foul trouble.
Towns has historically been quite successful against Denver. The 28-year-old owns lifetime averages of 24.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 53.1 percent overall and 39.8 percent from three in 23 games vs. the Nuggets. With Denver's defensive gameplan to limit Anthony Edwards as much as possible, a lot more pressure will fall on Towns to increase his minutes and role from Round 1.
Towns has a significant size advantage on Aaron Gordon (7'0", 248 pounds vs. 6'8", 235 pounds) and should hit him with a heavy dose of touches in the paint. His ability to knock down threes will keep Gordon out of Edwards' driving lanes as well.
With a supermax contract kicking in this summer, the Wolves will need Towns to start earning this new money now.
New York Knicks: G Donte DiVincenzo
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DiVincenzo played a healthy 32.0 minutes a game in Round 1 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. By Knicks' starters standards, however, the 27-year-old barely broke a sweat.
The trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby averaged a whopping 43.9 minutes a night, with Hart barely getting a break at all (46.4 minutes). Hart's workload is the most a player has been burdened with in the playoffs (minimum of six games) since LeBron James (46.5 minutes) and Gilbert Arenas (47.3 minutes in a first-round series against James) all the way back in 2006.
DiVincenzo needs to do more.
His averages of 12.0 points on 36.4 percent shooting overall has to improve, as the Knicks can't rely on Brunson to score 40 every night to give them a chance to win. Going against the Indiana Pacers is no gimme, of course, yet presents an opportunity for DiVincenzo and others to increase their court time and let Brunson and company rest for a few extra minutes a night.
What seems like an inevitable Eastern Conference Finals clash with the Boston Celtics will be here soon.
This series is a chance for DiVincenzo to get back to his strong regular season play while resting the main guys a little more.
Oklahoma City Thunder: G Cason Wallace
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Forget that he's a 20-year-old rookie who's getting his first taste of postseason basketball. Wallace is quickly becoming one of the league's best defensive guards and should be let off the leash in Round 2.
Wallace wasn't needed much in OKC's sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 1. It was a nice introduction to playoff basketball as he averaged 17.5 minutes a game off the bench.
The defensive assignments will get far tougher in Round 2, however.
Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are perhaps the most offensively talented backcourt in the entire NBA. Both play extremely different styles, however, with Dončić using his size and footwork and Irving his ball-handling and shooting ability to break down a defense.
Cutting off the heads of the snake will be key for the Thunder's chances of advancing to the Western Conference Finals, as no one else outside of these two averaged more than 10.2 points per game in Round 1 (P.J. Washington).
Wallace should spend 20-plus minutes a night hounding Dončić and Irving, making them work for every basket. Even if he doesn't contribute much on the offensive end, Wallace needs to see the floor more in Round 2.
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