8 Players Who Must Elevate Their Game in the 2015 NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs are the game's grandest stage—a time when legacies are crafted as the pursuit of prosperity consumes individuals and teams alike.
And with the 2015 postseason officially underway, several candidates have emerged as prime-time performers who need to elevate their games as high-stakes contests consume the Association.
Whether it's budding stars, key role players or first-time playoff contestants, a handful of divisive talents can bolster their teams' prospects with outbursts during the second season.
Based on players' late-season showings, career trajectories and prior playoff experience (if applicable), a number of windows have opened up for some of the league's biggest and brightest to shine with a Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, G/F, Milwaukee Bucks
1 of 8
Two games into his first NBA postseason, Milwaukee Bucks wunderkind Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't been able to use the league's largest stage to put on a display worthy of his freaky talents.
In Milwaukee's 103-91 Game 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Antetokounmpo was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting while missing all five of his jump shots.
Then, in a sloppy 91-82 Game 2 defeat, the 20-year-old Greek phenom mustered six points on 2-of-11 shooting.
So if you're keeping score at home, that's 18 points on 6-of-24 shooting, with just a single conversion coming outside of the paint.
A steady jump shot continues to elude Antetokounmpo, but he doesn't necessarily need one in order to keep the Bucks competitive as the series shifts to Milwaukee.
Giannis shot 1-of-7 around the rim in Game 2, as the Bucks failed to crack 40 percent shooting from the field for the second straight contest.
However, if he can attempt a similar volume of high-percentage shots and convert more than 50 percent of them while feeding off of a hungry home crowd, Milwaukee's fortune can change.
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards
2 of 8
If the Washington Wizards are going to make their way out of the first round for the second year in a row, they'll need Bradley Beal to chime in with some superlative three-point shooting displays.
During the 2014 playoffs, Beal held his own by averaging 19.2 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from three.
They can only hope for similar production this year, even with a 1-of-7 Game 1 three-point shooting display already on the books.
After drilling better than 43 percent of his triples in both December and January, Beal's long-distance conversion rate dipped below 38 percent in each of the season's final three months.
However, he's entered the playoffs with a fresh mindset, according to The Washington Post's Michael Lee:
"I know that’s what I need to do in order for us to be successful. Coach [Randy Wittman] has been telling me the whole year and my teammates have been telling me the whole year, ‘Be more aggressive, be more aggressive and take the shots you want to take.’ It’s crazy, because I know I wasn’t doing well and I know I wasn’t happy with where I was at and then to hear the confidence from my teammates and coaches is really what motivated me to do that.
"
With John Wall doing his best work inside the arc and Paul Pierce the team's only other source of consistent long-range stability within Randy Wittman's postseason rotation, Beal will need to bury threes at a steady clip in order to keep Washington competitive with the Eastern Conference's most efficient regular-season offense.
Danny Green, SG, San Antonio Spurs
3 of 8
Danny Green is coming off of the most prolific regular season of his career—one that saw him average 11.7 points while shooting better than 40 percent from three for the fourth year in a row.
But the San Antonio Spurs will need more from him if they want to squeeze past the Los Angeles Clippers and into the Western Conference semifinals.
Specifically, they need more from him on the road.
Green was a mad man at home this season, drilling 47 percent of his treys while averaging 13.6 points.
On the road, the story differed.
Away from the AT&T Center, Green's scoring average dipped back into single digits, and he hit on a subpar 35.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
With home-court advantage out of the question for San Antonio, Green's road rate needs to progress toward the 40 percent range if the Spurs are going to challenge the Clippers' high-powered starting five.
The defending champions have all of the pieces necessary to put on a repeat showcase, but Green will need to stroke the rock like he did last postseason (47.5 percent from deep) in order to keep the Spurs' title hopes alive.
Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
4 of 8
Damian Lillard knows the banged-up Portland Trail Blazers are heavy underdogs against the feisty Memphis Grizzlies.
"Nobody is giving us a shot," Lillard said following Portland's 100-86 game loss, according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes. "Nobody is saying, 'Portland is going to come in here and win the series.' If anything, they're doubting us. That gives us even more freedom to come in here and play hard and play free."
Based on Lillard's 14-point, 5-of-21 shooting display in the series opener, the Blazers are going to need way more from their All-Star point man if they want to have any believers as the series progresses.
But postseason survival goes beyond Lillard's ability to get buckets, as Bleacher Report's Dan Favale explained:
"Three seasons, two All-Star appearances and innumerable displays of crunch-time heroics into his NBA career, Lillard's star has hit a wall. He is an exceptionally talented player prone to posting exceptionally impressive stat lines at an exceptionally competitive point guard position. But he's quickly becoming a one-way name.
Defense has long been the biggest knock against him. It flew under the radar during his rookie campaign. He was new to the league, and the Blazers weren't even a playoff contender.
"
Pining for defensive improvement is practically a pipe dream, though.
Portland's defense suffered from Lillard's presence all season long, evidenced by the team's 5.2-point spike in defensive rating when he stepped on the floor.
"Win or lose, advance or fall, the pressure is on Lillard to play better, to defend better and to show that, in a series like this, he can still be a savior for Portland," Favale wrote.
Time to see if he's up for the challenge.
Kevin Love, PF, Cleveland Cavaliers
5 of 8
Kevin Love was one of seven players to average at least 16 points and nine rebounds during the regular season, so the elevation of his game is relative to the Cleveland Cavaliers' championship-caliber standards.
Based on Love's All-Star pedigree and the space Cleveland's offense is capable of creating for its primary floor-stretcher, there's reason to believe he could wind up turning a few games—or even an entire series—if he continually drops the hammer from distance.
And while his 5-of-14 shooting display in Game 1 wasn't the prettiest, LeBron James saw plenty of silver linings in Love's 19-point, 12-rebound postseason debut.
"Even with Kev's shot not falling early, I felt it was just the rhythm that he was in, the aggressiveness that he was in, would pay off later for us," James said, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "And he turned it around in the second half. He was very aggressive, getting the ball where he wanted, getting the touches where he wanted. When Kev shoots eight free throws, that lets me know he's very aggressive."
As LeBron discussed, Love can provide the Cavaliers' attack with an added wrinkle by establishing post position on the low blocks and going to work with his back to the basket.
Funny enough, that dimension—which became marginalized during the regular season—has represented a path to efficient offerings.
When Cleveland's worked through Love on post-ups, he's scored 0.97 points per possession, which puts him in the 84th percentile overall, according to Synergy. By comparison, LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph—all of whom rank among the top five in terms of post-up volume—each failed to crack the 81st percentile.
With multiple avenues to offensive success, Love should be able to enhance what one of the league's hottest offenses has to offer as the postseason progresses.
Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors
6 of 8
The Toronto Raptors edged out the Cleveland Cavaliers for most efficient offense honors in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but they won't be nabbing any high postseason accolades without a resurgent performance from Kyle Lowry.
Although Lowry garnered his first career All-Star nod this season, he hasn't lived up to high standards since the midseason exhibition.
Here's a brief overview of Lowry's pre- and post-All-Star splits:
- Pre All-Star: 18.6 PTS, 7.2 AST, 4.8 REB, 42.3 FG%, 33.3 3P%
- Post All-Star: 15.1 PTS, 5.4 AST, 4.5 REB, 37.3 FG%, 35.0 3P%
A major component of Lowry's backslide has do with a nagging back injury that limited him to 17 appearances over the season's final two months.
His seven-point, 2-of-10 showing that ended in a premature trip to the bench due to foul trouble didn't deviate from that late-season trend, but hope continues to spring eternal north of the border.
"I have no doubt that Kyle Lowry will come back and play at a level that he's played at and has made him successful," head coach Dwane Casey said, according to CBSSports.com's James Herbert. "That's who he is, he's a guy who plays better with a chip on his shoulder, he's been doubted all his life since junior high school, so I think he'll bounce back."
In a matchup of strength vs. speed with Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, Lowry needs a controlled yet dynamic showing to salvage what's been an up-and-down season.
Rajon Rondo, PG, Dallas Mavericks
7 of 8
Where art thou, playoff Rondo?
If the Dallas Mavericks want to have any chance of sending the second-seeded Houston Rockets packing a round or two early, they'll need the vintage Rajon Rondo to come out and play.
You know, the one who didn't exactly show for consistent stretches after getting dealt to Big D in mid-December.
In 1,356 regular-season minutes with the Mavericks, Rondo sunk Dallas' offense into a mediocre realm—as productivity tumbled more than four points per 100 possessions compared to his time off the floor.
But the Rondo who can kill in space and squeeze passes through tight windows is still capable of breaking out at a moment's notice.
We saw it for glimpses during Dallas' 118-108 Game 1 loss, as he scored 15 points and dropped a team-high five dimes despite operating at a team-worst minus-25.
However, don't discount his defensive impact as a way to keep Dallas breathing.
"Rondo has the hardest job on the Mavericks because he has to be the first line of defense against Harden," wrote Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. "The Mavericks did a decent job against the MVP candidate, holding him to 24 points, although he did have a career playoff high of 11 assists."
Rondo helped limit Harden to 4-of-11 shooting in Game 1, but 17 trips to the free-throw line remain a serious cause for concern.
Devising a scheme to keep the bearded MVP candidate off the stripe won't be easy, but if Rondo proves he's up for the challenge, Dallas could be well positioned for an upset.
Deron Williams, PG, Brooklyn Nets
8 of 8
The Brooklyn Nets could use a touch of 2012-13 Deron Williams right about now.
Although the Nets scored at a more efficient clip than the Atlanta Hawks after the All-Star break, their offense isn't equipped to keep pace with the top seed's rapid-fire ball movement and resulting flurries of buckets—especially if Williams isn't making Atlanta pay off the dribble.
"We’re not going to score against our first pick-and-roll," Williams said after a 99-92 Game 1 loss, according to The Brooklyn Game's Devin Kharpertian. "We have to as a team swing the ball, swing the ball again, maybe, drive it, we can’t just try to come up, screen-and-roll, one pass, shot. That’s playing into their hands and giving them what they want."
While shooting a career-worst 38.7 percent from the field during the regular season, Williams knocked down 32.4 percent of his pull-up jumpers, which accounted for over 38 percent of his total shots, according to SportVU player-tracking data.
At this point, his lone shot at postseason salvation may come in the form of catch-and-shoot triples.
While his lackluster shooting percentages would seem to indicate otherwise, Williams actually drained 42.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes during the regular season. He also canned 45.9 percent of his attempts from the corners, good for the fourth-best mark of his 10-year career.
All statistics are current as of April 21 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
